Your Money's Worth: NBA Back-to-Back Games

A friend of mine calls saying she has a special through her work  (the Olympic Training Center) where she can get decent upper-level seats to a Nuggets game for $10, and we get to play on the court after the game. I don't get to go to as many games as I'd like to, so I'm so there!

Unfortunately, I see this game is against the Washington Wizards. In a back to back game for the Nuggets. Also, the game is a back to back for the Wizards.

Dear sweet Doug Moe's grandpa pants I was upset. Heavens to Betsy.

Watching it live was ugly - even from the "Oh-so-freaking-Cheap-Seats". Some players like 'Melo, JR, and Nene still put in an effort, but weren't in their usual form and it showed. It was like watching a preseason game, despite the Nugs being in the thick of battle for playoff position in a heavily stacked Western Conference and challenging for the top seed... The energy was just down that night and everyone kind of went through the motions to an uninspired yet predictable outcome.

So, I agree with Andrew - I think it was he - who thinks teams should charge less for back-to-back games. I think they should be discount nights or something. But, perhaps as many fans have alluded to, not as many people that actually know about basketball attend games anymore. The focus has been taken off the sport and put on to gag reels, dancing, poor impersonators, mascot stoogery, radio DJ style announcers and blaring pop music.

Ayhoo, playing on the court and shooting around with fans afterward was fun. I spent most of the time laughably positioning my 6'7" frame for rebounds as 6-12 year olds scuttled around for loose balls. It was kind of cool to swish a few NBA 3-pointers and one J.R. length one. Decidedly more fun than the 15 or so I clanked off the rim.

I learned two lessons that night: $7.25 frozen margaritas at the toucan bar are like a lime ICEE with tequila in it, and and if you are picking out tickets for an NBA game, don't go to a back to back.