Friday, January 19, 2007

the trip: surfin' usa, jokin' nba


just during the christmas, me and a girlfriend of mine decided to go traveling across the united
states, so we're gonna be off on our travels for a longer while.
the journey begins today, friday 19, and we have a plan to check out 29 american nba cities plus
las vegas, the place of 2007 nba all-star game weekend, but everything's possible - as long as the
nature, tickets and good luck of course, is involved.
i have no aim to write any 'the lonely planet guidebook', but if you don't know much about usa and
are a basketball junkie, or a hoop-o-maniac as charley rosen would say, i wish you a good time
reading this text.

a stop no. 1: NEW YORK CITY
new york city is the most populous city in the united states and one of the world's major global
cities, with a population of 8.1 million; nyc since world war II has been the center of the world's
financial system and home to the world's most influential stock markets and financial institutions,
it is also the birthplace of many american cultural movements, including hip hop in music; the
city's cultural vitality has been fueled by immigration since its founding and is also notable for
having the lowest crime rate among major american cities.
a basketball standpoint: knicks vs. nets, jan. 19.
an attraction no. 1: isiah calling to kidd's wifey: *break him that f***** foot!*
a 2: the possibility of j-kidd's x-th triple-double
a 3: "not-very-smarter vs. warbury" battle

a stop no. 2: EAST RUTHERFORD
east rutherford is a borough in bergen county, new jersey; as of the united states 2000 census,
the population was 8,716; east rutherford's claim to national fame is that it is the home of the
meadowlands sports complex, which includes continental airlines arena, where the nets play
their home game; it's the only town of fewer than 10,000 people to be home to five professional
sports teams.
a basketball standpoint: nets vs. magic, jan. 20.
a 1: mikki moore against dwight howard
a 2: grant hill's last game, er... season
a 3: is j.j. redick alive?

a stop no. 3: PHILADELPHIA
the city of philadelphia is the largest in pennsylvania and is known as the city of brotherly love; it
is the fifth most populous city in the united states, the population (at the 2000 census) was
1,517,550; philly is the second-largest city on the u.s. east coast; it's one of the oldest and most
historically significant cities in the united states.
a basketball standpoint: sixers vs. spurs, jan. 21.
a 1: mo cheeks as a puppet of larry brown?
a 2: million dollar q - who's the oldest, barry, finley or horry?
a 3: bruce bowen hunting kyle k.

a stop no. 4: BOSTON
boston is the capital and the most populous city of the commonwealth of massachusetts and the
largest city in new england; a population of 596,638; boston is one of the oldest, wealthiest and
most culturally significant cities in the u.s. and is recognized as a global or world city; citizens of
boston are called bostonians.
a basketball standpoint: celtics vs. spurs, jan. 22.
a 1: gerald green, guys!
a 2: gregg popovich launching james white for green-white dunk contest... just dreamin'...
a 3: will td get more than 30 pts anytime yet?

a stop no. 5: WASHINGTON, D.C.
washington, d.c. is the capital city of the united states of america; "d.c." is an abbreviation for the
district of columbia, the federal district coextensive with the city of washington; the city is named
after george washington; the centers of all three branches of the u.s. federal government are in
the district.
a basketball standpoint: wizards vs. suns, jan. 23.
a 1: hibachi hitting a game winner from halfcourt
a 2: more than 300 pts combined
a 3: steve mvp getting t'd twice

a stop no. 6: CHARLOTTE
charlotte is the largest city in north carolina and the 20th largest in the united states, with a
population of approximately 610,949; nicknamed the queen city, charlotte was named in honor of
queen charlotte; a resident of charlotte is referred to as a charlottean.
a basketball standpoint: bobcats vs. pistons, jan. 24.
a 1: adam morrison's 'stache
a 2: c-webb plus sheed together... fired?
a 3: cats' 20-sec timeout, 2.4 to go, 91-93 and micheal jordan calling his caddie: *what about my
handicap?*

a stop no. 7: CHICAGO
chicago is a major city in the u.s. state of illinois and is the largest in the midwest and the
third-most populous city in the united states, with close to three million people; chicago is
located along the southwestern shore of lake michigan and is informally called the "windy city",
recognized worldwide as an alpha global city.
a basketball standpoint: bulls vs. mavericks, jan. 25.
a 1: mark cuban ripping into one of three blind mice
a 2: scott skiles wearing a pink headband with white flowers
a 3: dirk nowitzki's classic stat line - 28 pts and 12 rebs

a stop no. 8: TORONTO
the city of toronto is the largest city in canada and the provincial capital of ontario, located on the
northwestern shore of lake ontario and has a population of 2.48 million; residents of toronto are
called torontonians; the city is home to the cn tower and its population is cosmopolitan, which
reflects its role as a major destination for immigrants to canada.
a basketball standpoint: raptors vs. celtics, jan. 26.
a 1: rajon rondo trying to stal the ball from t.j. ford
a 2: raptors fans chanting "bar-gna-ni, bar-gna-ni" after he hits 2 treys off 7 attempts
a 3: if i just have a shot to see olowokandi or ratliff play sometimes...

a stop no. 9: INDIANAPOLIS
indianapolis is the capital city of the state of indiana with population listed as 791,926, making it
indiana's most populous city, the 12th largest city in the u.s. and the third largest city in the
midwest; a fairly "american" city, indianapolis is well known as a city with a strong sports
reputation; common nicknames include indy or circle city.
a basketball standpoint: pacers vs. raptors, jan. 27.
a 1: showdown - dunleavy versus garbajosa
a 2: straight up - baby face versus chris bosh
a 3: winning the lottery - tinsley is healthy! for a while...

a stop no. 10: CLEVELAND
cleveland is the most populous county in the u.s. state of ohio; the city had a total population of
478,403, making it the 33rd largest city in the nation and the second largest city in ohio;
cleveland was ranked as the most livable city in the united states, and the city was ranked as the
best city for business meetings in the continental u.s.; residents are usually referred to as
clevelanders; nicknames used for the city include the forest city.
a basketball standpoint: cavaliers vs. suns, jan. 28.
a 1: lebron james vs. nash, bell, marion, stoudemire, diaw
a 2: anderson varejao trying to block amare
a 3: bill simmons news - *the suns are the best team in the nba history! invincible!*

a stop no. 11: ATLANTA
atlanta is the capital and the most populous city of the state of georgia with a population of
5,249,121; a major city in its own right, atlanta is considered a poster child for cities worldwide
experiencing rapid urban sprawl and economic development; common nicknames for the
city include a-town or hotlanta.
a basketball standpoint: hawks vs. magic, jan. 29.
a 1: childress or josh smith would win an olympic gold in the high jump
a 2: darko vs. zaza. i love this game!
a 3: speedy claxton and tyronn lue... cute guys... if they were olympic sprinters...

a stop no. 12: MIAMI
miami is a major city in southeastern florida, the u.s. census bureau estimates that the population
is 379,724; it is sometimes called "the gateway of the americas"; the city has been involved in
numerous political controversies with nearby cuba and fidel castro, plus wider concerns with
terrorism, immigration and drug issues throughout the region.
a basketball standpoint: heat vs. bucks, jan. 30.
a 1: shaquille the man!
a 2: dwyane wade's and michael redd's heroics
a 3: padre pat, put your quinn out on the floor please! don't put your queen named walker!

a stop no. 13: ORLANDO
the city of orlando is in the state of florida with population of 213,233; the city is best known for
the many tourist attractions in the area, particularly the nearby walt disney world resort and is the
2nd largest city in the country for number of hotel rooms; the city's nickname is "the city
beautiful".
a basketball standpoint: magic vs. bucks, jan. 31.
a 1: d-howard
a 2: rubben patterson
a 3: andrew bogut ... very, very special players (but i still haven't figured out what they have in
common)

a stop no. 14: AUBURN HILLS
auburn hills is a city in the u.s. state of michigan; the population was 19,837 at the 2000 census;
auburn hills is home to the united states headquarters of daimler-chrysler or volkswagen of
america as well as the palace of auburn hills.
a basketball standpoint: pistons vs. bucks, feb. 2.
a 1: oh, the bucks again? get rid of them!
a 2: 'rip hamilton - dan gadzuric' melee
a 3: the palace atmosphere

a stop no. 15: MILWAUKEE
milwaukee is the largest city within the state of wisconsin and 22nd-largest in the united states
and has a population of 578,887; milwaukee residents are known as milwaukeeans; milwaukee is
known as "the city of festivals", it has also been called "brew city", due to milwaukee having been
home to several major breweries throughout its history.
a basketball standpoint: bucks vs. heat, feb. 3.
a 1: 4th consecutive bucks' game... and where's ersan ilyasova?
a 2: jason kapono. noone can loathe this fella
a 3: who will occupy the 8th seed, mia or mil?

a stop no. 16: HOUSTON
houston is the largest city in the state of texas and the fourth-largest in the united states, has a
population of more than 2 million; houston is internationally known for its energy, particularly oil,
and aeronautics industries - the city is home to nasa's space center, giving houston its official
nickname of "space city".
a basketball standpoint: rockets vs. timberwolves, feb. 5.
a 1: dikembe mutombo on his ways to rebound here and there
a 2: mark madsen on his ways to hustle here, there and everywhere
a 3: i bet my girlfriend that yao with t-mac won't play

a stop no. 17: MEMPHIS
memphis is a city in tennessee; memphis has an estimated population of 680,768, making it the
largest city in the state of tennessee, the second largest in the southeastern region and the 17th
largest in the united states; even though memphis is the state's largest city, it is the youngest of
tennessee's four major cities.
a basketball standpoint: grizzlies vs. rockets, feb. 6.
a 1: that tony barone has a gangster face!
a 2: just kidding, but... bonzi wells has a gangster moves (off the court)!
a 3: i'm gonna ask steve novak: *don't you want czech or slovak citizenship?*

a stop no. 18: DALLAS
dallas is the third-largest city in the state of texas and the ninth-largest in the united states with
population of 1.2 million; dallas is one of 11 u.s. world-class cities; the city is known globally as
a center for telecommunications, computer technology and banking.
a basketball standpoint: mavericks vs. grizzlies, feb. 7.
a 1: mavs' p.a.: the maaavs are up fooourty-oooone!
a 2: avery johnson getting ejected after throwing a nasty bark on the ref (score 132:88)
a 3: cuban wearing a t-shirt "josh howard is all-star, you *******"

a stop no. 19: OKLAHOMA CITY
oklahoma city is the capital and the most populous city of the u.s. state of oklahoma, it is one of
the larger cities in the great plains region and the 36th largest city in the nation; the city's
estimated population is 531,324; the city is characterized by its location in america's tornado
alley.
a basketball standpoint: hornets vs. bucks, feb. 8.
a 1: chris paul
a 2: bobby jackson
a 3: david west ... i wanna see them healthy in those nice yellow uniforms

a stop no. 20: PHOENIX
the city of phoenix is the capital and the most populous city of the state of arizona and its
physical location is along the banks of the dried, partially restored salt river; with a population of
1,321,045, phoenix is the sixth-largest city in the united states and largest us state capital; it is
called hoozdo, or "the place is hot".
a basketball standpoint: suns vs. hawks, feb. 9.
a 1: joe johnson scores 44
a 2: steve nash dishes out 22
a 3: amare blocks 11

a stop no. 21: SALT LAKE CITY
salt lake city is the capital and the most populous city of the u.s. state of utah and has a
population of 178,097; the city became nicknamed the crossroads of the west and served as host
to the 2002 winter olympics.
a basketball standpoint: jazz vs. knicks, feb. 10.
a 1: david lee's hot hands
a 2: nate robinson's hot hand
a 3: *deron willimas... pick-n-roll with boozer... okur in the corner... buzzerbea... he got it! he
got it! un-be-lieee-vable!*

a stop no. 22: SACRAMENTO
sacramento is the capital of the state of california, it is the seventh most populous city in california
with a population of 457,514; typical of california informality, sacramento is referred to by many
nicknames - the most common names are river city or the city of trees.
a basketball standpoint: kings vs. supersonics, feb. 11.
a 1: i have a gut feeling ron artest will do something to x.y.
a 2: then ray allen will do somehing to x.y.
a 3: and then david stern will do something to r.a. & r.a.

a stop no. 23: DENVER
the city of denver is the most populous city and the capital of the state of colorado; denver is
located just east of the southern rocky mountains; residents of denver are known as denverites;
the population of the city is 557,917, 26th most populous u.s. city, denver is nicknamed "the
mile-high city" because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level.
a basketball standpoint: nuggets vs. warriors, feb. 12.
a 1: you know what? ai and melo. my goodness!
a 2: the bets - s-jack still in the season or in the prison
a 3: baron davis piles up 31 pts, 11 rebs and 14 asts and the warriors lose

a stop no. 24: LOS ANGELES
los angeles, often called simply l.a., is the largest city in the state of california and the
second-largest in the united states, it is an alpha world city, has a estimated population of
3,844,829; the city and its immediate surrounding vicinity lead the world in producing popular
entertainment - such as motion pictures, television, and recorded music - which forms the base
of los angeles' international fame and global status.
a basketball standpoint: lakers vs. knicks, feb. 13.
a basketball standpoint II: clippers vs. hawks, feb. 14.
a 1: la vs. ny. west vs. east.
a 2: andrew bynum vs. eddy curry.
a 3: zeke yelling on kobe, then on phil j.
a 4: this is the time sam cassell celebrates his 47the birthday
a 5: this is the time chris kaman gets his role in the horror movie
a 6: this is the time shaun livingston celebrates his 14th birthday

a stop no. special: LAS VEGAS
las vegas is the most populous city (591,536) in the state of nevada and an internationally known
vacation, shopping, entertainment, and gambling destination; it is the largest u.s. city founded in
the 20th century; the center of gambling in the united states, las vegas is marketed as the
entertainment capital of the world, also commonly known as sin city or vice city, due to the
popularity of legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages at any time and various forms
and degrees of adult entertainment; the city's glamorous image has made it a popular setting for
films and television programs.
a basketball standpoint: friday's night rookie challenge, feb. 16.
a basketball standpoint II: saturday's night session, feb. 17.
a basketball standpoint III: all-star game, feb. 18.

a stop no. 25: SEATTLE
seattle is the largest city in the pacific northwest region of the united states and is located in the
state of washington; the city has an estimated population of 578,7003 and its official nickname is
the emerald ity, it is also referred to informally as the rainy city or the gateway to alaska; seattle
residents are known as seattleites; coffee companies founded in seattle include starbucks.
a basketball standpoint: supersonics vs. grizzlies, feb. 20.
a 1: rashard lewis back!
a 2: ray allen suspended
a 3: pau gasol shaved after the allstar break

a stop no. 26: OAKLAND
oakland is the eighth-largest city in california with a population of 411,755; major employers in
oakland include the local, state and federal governments, united states postal service or ask.com.
a basketball standpoint: warriors vs. grizzlies, feb. 21.
a 1: warriors vs. grizzlies. a new name of movie by spielberg
a 2: bet your dollar that this will be a heck of game. and i dunno why...
a 3: ...maybe a real grizzly will show up

a stop no. 27: PORTLAND
portland is a city in the state of oregon with a population of 556,000, it is oregon's largest city and
the third largest in the pacific northwest; portland lies in the climate region marked by warm
summers and rainy but temperate winters, ideal for roses - indeed, for more than a century
portland has been known as "the city of roses" and has many rose gardens.
a basketball standpoint: trail blazers vs. grizzlies, feb. 23.
a 1: "open season - free grizzlies available"
a 2: aldridge, roy, jack
a 3: darius miles buying a bunch of roses for nate mcmillan

a stop no. 28: MINNEAPOLIS
minneapolis is the largest city in the state of minnesota in the united states with a population of
382,618 and sits on both banks of the mississippi river; minneapolis is known as the city of lakes
and the mill city; residents are called minneapolitans;
a basketball standpoint: timberwolves vs. wizards, feb. 24.
a 1: kevin garnett
a 2: kevin garnett
a 3: kevin garnett

a stop no. 29: SAN ANTONIO
san antonio is the second-most populous city in the state of texas and seventh-most populated in
the united states with a population of over 1.2 million; san antonio is the county seat of bexar
county; the city has a strong military presence and is famous for its river walk, the alamo - the
city is visited by 20 million tourists per year.
a basketball standpoint: spurs vs. raptors, feb. 26.
a 1: the spurs playing elite basketball again
a 2: eva longoria as the spurs back-up point guard
a 3: david robinson as the spurs starting center


i just hope i'm capable of surviving this road trip.

p.s.: trust me when i tell you this: we've never seen anyone remotely resembling kevin durant on a
basketball court before.
if you stuck him in a time machine and transported him back to the russell-chamberlain era, he'd
probably average 55 points a game. (-bill simmons)

Posted by Foreigner in CS - Jan 19 2007 11:50AM

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