MIKE:

Ken and I are going to the Golden State Warriors vs Miami Heat Game.  Thanks a lot Nam!  Nam could not make it with us because he had to attend his company party.  Thank you Nam for these awesome tickets!

KEN:

I am actually quite excited for the game as it slowly inches closer to game time.  I decide to look for my “We Believe” playoff shirt.  It has to be collectors item since its the only time the Warriors’ made the playoffs in the past 15 years.  This one is truly special as it holds the “Bdizzle smackdown on AK” moment.  Will tonight’s game offer us any highlights?

MIKE:

This is Shelli, Kens wife.  She doesn’t get to go with us!

It’s OK, because she recently kicked it with Weezer.  Ken and Shelli also have the cutest baby in the world by the name of Lily.  Lily was at Grandma’s house at the time.  Shelli takes us to the Bart station and on our way there we listen to some good ol’ Weezer.

What an awesome start of the weekend.

I haven’t seen Ken, Shelli, Lily or Nam in the longest time.  We’ve all been very busy and I missed them dearly.

I’ve been excited all week to kick it with Ken and see the Warriors vs the Heat.  I’ve always wanted to see Dwayne Wade and Lebron James.  I especially wanted to see Ken Lin’s twin, Jeremy Lin, in action.

Ken and I hopped on the BART and headed straight from Fremont to the Oakland Colisium.

KEN:

Bart is definitely one of the most convenient ways to travel.  What could get better than pre-drinking with a good friend, catching-up, and avoiding the Friday Night rush-home traffic?  Its unfortunate Nam couldn’t be with us, but we heard he was having a fun time wearing a crown and cape.

MIKE:

We end up talking the whole way through.  It seemed like Ken and Shelli had the most amazing time watching and meeting Weezer.  I was very jealous, but very happy they had a great experience!  It’s amazing how much life changes in a matter of a day.  I still can’t get over Ken and Shelli being parents and me being an Uncle.   The ride seriously felt like five minutes.

The weather’s beautiful, not to cold and not to hot.  Here’s a HOT picture of Ken,  I call this pose, “Gold & Blue Steeeeel.”  

KEN:

Oakland Coliseum, glad we weren’t going there.  Sad that the Bay Area has two of the most outdated venues for Football.  Not sure how this completely happened, but I almost forgot about the new changes to the warrior uniform.  I was delighted to see all the billboards displaying the new warrior logo donning the bay bridge and best of all, without any orange trim in sight.

I wasn’t that surprised to see a good amount of heat fans as we entered.  I can’t complain too much since Dwaye Wade is one of players I like to watch.

It’ll be interesting to see how the crowd responds to the player introductions for Dwayne Wade, Bosh, and Lebron.

MIKE:

We could feel the energy rising from the fans the closer we get to the Oracle.  Entering the Oracle Arena we become two excited little school boys wanting to meet some basketball superstars.  

Reggie Williams in the House!

It’s 80 minutes til the game and nobody is here!  We came early hoping to get some free prizes and possibly meet some of the players.  We walk our way to court side and immediately get stopped by one of the ushers.  I get into a minor argument with the usher.

USHER:

“You guys gotta go back to the blue seats.”

MIKE:

“Can you just take a picture of us?”
USHER:

“I told you go to the blue seats!”
(We end up going to the blue seated area and remain standing in the aisle. The arena is empty.)
“You’re smart kids, right, I told you to go to the blue seats?!”
MIKE:

“Yeah. You’re a smart guy, right?” 
USHER:

“Stay out of the aisle and go to the blue seats! If you were smart you wouldn’t argue with me.”

“This guy is smart, he isn’t arguing” Points at Ken who can’t stop smirking
MIKE:

“You’re the one arguing.” 
PERSON SITTING DOWN:

To the usher, “He wasn’t arguing,”

(I have no idea what just happened.  30 seconds pass.)

USHER:

“I know you guys are just excited, come down and I’ll take your picture.” 

Was all that chat really necessary for a court side picture in an empty arena?

Hahah, sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and others.

It’s GAME TIME!
MIKE:

Ken and I didn’t talk the whole entire game.  We were both enamored with the environment.  The arena was intense and the Warriors fans were electric!  The experience of watching the NBA in an arena is crazy compared to watching the NBA  on a couch.  I haven’t seriously kept up with the NBA since Michael Jordan was playing basketball.

The only people I know this season are Biedrens, Monte Ellis, and Ken Lin’s twin.  I knew the Warriors from the last couple of seasons after playing NBA 2K8 with Nam.

The only words you would hear from Nam during a game of 2k8 would be, “Bieeeeedrens!  Davis! and Make it Rain!?”  I always picked the Bulls and Hinrich was my main man.

The Warriors were doing really well the first couple of quarters, after that, it was all down hill.  There was a bunch of times where the Warriors would almost catch up, but the Heat would just answer back.  All I have to say is Lebron and Wade are Ridiculous.  Lebron should write a book called, “How to Shoot 3 Pointers One Foot Away from the Line while Fading Away, Three times in a Row.”  Yes, can you believe that happened?

Come on Warriors! WE BELIEVE!

There’s only 2:21 minutes left in the 4th Quarter with a score of  77 Warriors and 100 Heat.  Everyone was leaving, but there was one Warriors fan still rooting them to go on!  The Warriors fans and the team definitely got heart.  Jeremy Lin finally gets to play in the game!

MIKE:

Unfortunately, the Warriors did not catch up to the Heat.

We had a sad trip back and a great time and Shelli picked us up from BART.

Guess what great news we hear after the game?

Nam is voted Employee of the Year at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners!?  Nam, is Ridiculous!  I’m not even surprised.  This is one of the hardest working guys I know.  He also has the biggest heart and the ability to take 3 point shots a foot away from the line, while fading away, three times in a row (only on NBA 2K of course).  He actually made those shots with Biendren’s one night!  I was pissed and I accused him of using secret codes.

Congratulations, Nam!  A job well done.  You deserve every bit of it and this calls for celebration!

KEN:

I missed Shelli’s cooking so much!  She’s making chicken adobo.

Ken and I got together on Sunday to try and write a blog entry.  Lily being almost two years old,  climbs into our laps and starts keyboard smashing!

She did it the whole evening.  With many failed blog attempts, Lily and I end up sword fighting (with the free throw distraction balloons). We also watch Dora the Explorer and Sunday Night Football.

Thanks to Nam,  the Warriors game was the center for my weekend and it gave way for some extra quality time with my closest friends and niece. I used to see Shelli and Nam every day.  I would see Ken almost every weekend.  Now I would be lucky to see them once a month.

It’s crazy how much life can change within a year, a day, or even in a second.  The whole weekend felt like one quarter of the basketball game.  I hope to reconnect with you guys soon!

What an awesome =W=eekend.

Happy Holidays!
Mike & Ken

Mike:

P.S. It is Wednesday morning, 12:00AM to be exact.  I still want to add to the blog.  I look back at the weekend and it is still affecting me.  I just finished watching the documentary, “More Than a Game.”  It’s about basketball being more than just a game.  It’s about basketball showing everyday people how to live.

LeBron James is one of those every day people the documentary focuses on.  I just saw the guy play basketball?  The documentary was heartfelt and  it made me realize how much I love growing up and being able to share great memories with the people I love whether it be watching or playing basketball or riding in a vehicle.

In the beginning of the documentary, Coach Dru Joyce II says, “Basketball is a vehicle, it’s not the end all be all.  It’s the vehicle to get you from point A to point B.  Use basketball, don’t let it use you.”  Check out the documentary if you haven’t!