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| Stephen Curry had the best scoring game of his young NBA career Wednesday, scoring 54 points in a loss to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. (bostonherald.com) |
BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among two or three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.
This week's question: Stephen Curry dropped 54 points in Madison Square Garden Wednesday, which lead us to think, in what NBA arena would you most want to have the best game of your career?
Alex:
Bright lights, big city. Those are the principles of picking out which NBA arena trumps others, and the stage doesn't get much bigger than Madison Square Garden. The celebrity factor is more in play in Los Angeles, even with Spike Lee sitting courtside for the Knicks, but there is a reason Steph Curry is the latest in a line of NBA stars to go off in MSG. The ambiance of playing in the nation's biggest city, amidst towering skyscrapers in the busiest of five boroughs, must have a unique feel. Sorry, Staples, you're great and all, but (to paraphrase Kanye West) Madison Square? We gon' be there.
Kyle:
I'm going to have to agree with Alex on this one. Depending on who you were a fan of growing up, that home court has probably always been a place you've dreamed of scoring 50 points in as your team won a big game. If you're like me and grew up in a city without an NBA team, the two biggest stages you thought of playing were Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center. Even if you grew up in an NBA city, it's hard to dispute that. Madison Square Garden wins not only because it's the most famous, historic basketball arena in the biggest city in America, but because of the environment. Sure there's going to be tons of Hollywood celebrities in LA, but there's an energy and hostility in MSG that few other arenas can produce. Those New Yorkers love their basketball. As a competitor, scorching the Knicks for 50 points in front of a ruckus crowd on the biggest basketball stage is as good as it gets.
For me, the only other NBA arena I would throw into consideration would be the Garden in Boston. There's something about the parquet floor and the history of that franchise that if I were a member of the Celtics, there might not be anything that could top a jaw-dropping performance on the home court with all that history looking down from the rafters.
Alex:
Bright lights, big city. Those are the principles of picking out which NBA arena trumps others, and the stage doesn't get much bigger than Madison Square Garden. The celebrity factor is more in play in Los Angeles, even with Spike Lee sitting courtside for the Knicks, but there is a reason Steph Curry is the latest in a line of NBA stars to go off in MSG. The ambiance of playing in the nation's biggest city, amidst towering skyscrapers in the busiest of five boroughs, must have a unique feel. Sorry, Staples, you're great and all, but (to paraphrase Kanye West) Madison Square? We gon' be there.
Kyle:
I'm going to have to agree with Alex on this one. Depending on who you were a fan of growing up, that home court has probably always been a place you've dreamed of scoring 50 points in as your team won a big game. If you're like me and grew up in a city without an NBA team, the two biggest stages you thought of playing were Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center. Even if you grew up in an NBA city, it's hard to dispute that. Madison Square Garden wins not only because it's the most famous, historic basketball arena in the biggest city in America, but because of the environment. Sure there's going to be tons of Hollywood celebrities in LA, but there's an energy and hostility in MSG that few other arenas can produce. Those New Yorkers love their basketball. As a competitor, scorching the Knicks for 50 points in front of a ruckus crowd on the biggest basketball stage is as good as it gets.
For me, the only other NBA arena I would throw into consideration would be the Garden in Boston. There's something about the parquet floor and the history of that franchise that if I were a member of the Celtics, there might not be anything that could top a jaw-dropping performance on the home court with all that history looking down from the rafters.
I choose America West Arena. Now known as US Airways Center, where the Suns play.
ReplyDeleteIt's my hometown, first place I saw a game played and with the renewal of the floor and Phoenix using black now....DWAM. When the game is over I'm able to walk into some of the best dining and nightlife PHX has to offer.
Let's be real, the game of my life is just being able to strut the floor. I would hit a three, or two, but that'd be it.
Zach