Up North: Physical, Social

Friday, March 30 - Minnesota Timberwolves 77 Miami Heat - 92

In an attempt to curb my little sister Holly's appetite for basketball (I'm not sure this will ever actually happen), my brother Chad, his girlfriend Alicia, and I arranged a trip to Minneapolis (close proximity....for them) for her to watch one of her favorite NBA superstars, Shaquille O'Neal play.
Ok, so when Chad and I used to play our childhood pick up games, we used to fight over who got to be Shaq (we like him too).


Aware of the fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves have been less than impressive for the past few years and Shaq's sidekick, Dwayne Wade, has been sidelined for the season due to a dislocated shoulder (now reported to play Wed 4/11), I had no expectations of the game itself. I must admit however, I was not prepared for the atmosphere was created, or wasn't created, during the game. From the pre-game lights display, to the intermittent promotional activities, the energy in the arena seemed rather bland and uninteresting. Even the a cappella group that was awkwardly stationed at center court during half-time seemed a bit, off. Hopefully this was a one-time affair, or perhaps the energy put into every Phoenix Suns games (which are a source of engaging entertainment, in addition to exciting basketball) has tainted my perspective.

Game and atmosphere aside, I must admit that watching Shaq from the standpoint of movement analysis was undoubtedly impressive. The athletic, 7'1", 325 lb., 35 year old frame not only meets the demands of this physically challenging game, but does so remarkably well. Check out this YouTube video of Shaq moving to a different beat.

Although initially the focus of our trip, the Timberwolves-Heat game, ended up being the least of our entertainment (let's be honest, there was family involved - entertainment in the form of dysfunction is to be expected, right?). The lasting memories will most likely be those of Holly and I spending excessive time in the airport after being bumped to a later flight (something she described as a "gong show" until she realized that she would be getting a fee ticket out of the deal and could potentially visit her sister again in the near future) or Chad's interesting conversation during the cab ride to the game which included school and marriage advice from our driver (who a) thought I was Chad's mom, b) hasnt gone to school, and c) has 3 girlfriends). Fortunately, our quirkiness was nothing out of the ordinary and a good time was had by all!