Knicks at MSG

My best friend from Penn, Samir, got me Knicks tickets for my birthday. The game was last night, and it was New York versus Memphis. Granted, not the most exciting match-up considering both teams are struggling this season, but it turned out to be a pretty fun game and a great experience. We had awesome seats, in the Citigroup suite. So I got to feel a little bit like a VIP, which is always a nice way to celebrate your birthday. Also, I figure every New Yorker has to go cheer the Knicks in MSG at least once during their time in this great city.

So, anyway, here are my biggest surprises from last night:

5. It turns out Samir could have asked for courtside seats. Since he knows nothing about basketball, he thought the suite sounded like a better option. That cracked me up.

4. Citigroup doesn't provide food or drinks for its employees. They locked the suite refrigerator. I guess they only shell out when the suite is being used to schmooze with clients. Anyway, we were able to order ourselves, and a six-pack of domestic beer (that's the minimum you can buy) only set us back $24. In New York, that's a steal.

3. Samir and I didn't want to go to the restroom during the game, lest we miss something terribly exciting that would later turn up on ESPN. We also didn't want to go to the restroom at halftime when everyone would be there. Also, halftime was not an option for Samir because he didn't want to miss the cheerleaders, the Knicks City Dancers*. So we waited and waited and waited. When we finally had to go, we realized there's a private restroom in the suite. That was NICE! We also felt sorta stupid for not realizing that earlier.

* It turns out they perform at the quarter breaks. There was a kids' talent show at halftime. Samir was bitter. lol.

2. The Knicks played team basketball and they are not known for that. I was impressed, especially when the ball ended up in Eddy Curry's hands in the paint. He was monstrous last night, with 26 points and 15 rebounds before he fouled out.

1. New York won a game at home, even though they almost blew their huge lead. There was a point when the Grizzlies were clawing their way back into the game, and it took Quentin Richardson's fateful prayer-of-a-shot to stop Memphis' momentum.

All in all, good fun. Thanks, Samwise!