Pacers at Nets

Nets 115, Pacers 111

I remember when the Nets were in Jersey – they were kind of a second class team for most of my childhood memory but I always kinda rooted for them as one of the two Jersey teams (them and the Devils) and they had a few good years that were exciting to watch (I really enjoyed how Jason Kidd moved the ball).  When they moved to Brooklyn I stopped paying attention. They didn’t get a lot of TV time and the Barclay’s center was a pain to get to. They had a small resurgence in the first few years when they signed Durant, Irving, and Harden but while they were all transcendent players, as a team it just never clicked and after a few years that big three broke apart.

I was going to be in NYC for another event so I decided now’s a good a time as any to check out the Barclays center. I grabbed a resale ticket and hopped on the subway to begin my trek out to Brooklyn. I had to switch a few times but it was nice that the subway station is right under the stadium so all I had to do was walk out and it was right there.

I must say the arena really is beautiful – I really liked the curved architecture and the interiors were modern and had some really diverse food and drink choices. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to walk around and get to my seat (compared to some arenas where it felt like a cattle chute)

The game was pretty exciting – a back and forth affair that was fast paced and high scoring (a good palette cleanser for that awful sixers/knicks game). It was interesting to me how interactive the non-game elements were compared to more conservative teams. They had dance crews, flag teams, contests, and at the half they had some local rappers come out and spit some verses. I felt like they were intentional in making it a more local grounded product than those guys over at MSG. I felt like they understood that young fans need constant entertainment to stay engaged and they were leaning into it.

As much as Halliburton annoys me as a fan he was on fire and pretty much carrying the Pacers. There were a few really standout plays – notably the fake pass/windmill dunk by Claxton and the full court alley-oop that Toppin slammed down. The score was close at the end and Halliburton tried to bring them back but a long three pointer clanged off the rim and the Nets got the board sealing the win and stopping the furious comeback attempt.

I enjoyed my first visit to the Barclay’s center – it is a good place to watch some basketball. Too bad it’s such a pain to get to from where I live.