Basketball Anyone?

Gaffo

Just looking for anyone interested in a natter about bball. Irish or american leagues.

Channel 4 and ITV have both deserted showing highlight programmes of the NBA so I've kinda lost touch with whats going on in the states.

Either way, its a popular sport and to be honest I'm surprised there's not a thread for it already.

Ro

I've been to loads of NBA games in the US. Once you've been to an NBA game you'll never watch Irish/British basketball again It's like watching the Champions League! It's a fairly expensive hobby though - tickets to the Knicks don't come cheap and then add the flights to that and it adds up fairly quickly. I was in Oakland a few years ago for All Star Weekend and I was sitting beside a guy from San Diego - he was kind of shocked when I told him where I was from. He thought his trip was a long way

The best place to watch NBA games is definitely Madison Square Garden and if your planning to go to a game then I'd go there. As for TV - Sky Sports show a live game and a taped game every weekend. Hopefully NASN will get the rights to it next time they come up.

I think the reason basketball isn't as popular here is mainly due to the weather. There aren't enough outdoor courts either.

SoundWave

sky sports 3 / extra are showing live nba games plus they do weekly roundups of the weeks action, and promise to show all the playoffs [yay]

as for irish ball, its always good to see star loose in the cup final for somthing like the 5th time in a row

Gaffo

Well as a UCD Marian fan and with Darren O'Neill coaching, our victory over them in the last game of the season to stop them having any chance of winning the league was nice to watch.

Ro, that sure is one expensive hobby. I've been to NY twice, once out of season and once not but I believe tickets are just like gold dust for the garden. Definitely up there on my 'before I'm 30' to do list though.

SoundWave

how did UCD marain do this season, i havnt kept up with much of the league action???

Gaffo

how did UCD marain do this season, i havnt kept up with much of the league action???

We finished fifth in the league and then went out against Vincent's in the top 8 down in Limerick. Don't know who won the top 8 actually. Neptune took the league and Star were very unlucky to come second in both the league and cup.

Sorry for quoting you. I'm just testing some vB code.

Ro

When I was younger I used to go to a lot of the Killester games in the IWA. It's good fun, but it's no MSG. Like everything else sports related in Ireland basketball doesn't get enough funding so no one wants to play it. There's no fun playing on a court with broken rims or on the outdoor courts with that crap tarmac that chips up and you end cutting half your skin off if you fall

Most schools don't have proper courts and the ones that do don't have proper vandal proof equipment, so they either lock the place 90% of the time or else it's destroyed.

Back to the NBA - last time I got Knicks tickets I bought them here:

http://www.nwtix.com/basketball/nba/NBA_Regular_Season_Basketball_tickets.html

You can also get them from the NBA site now:
http://teamexchange.ticketmaster.com/html/eventlist.htmI?l=EN&team=knicks

Washout

DO TG4 not do an NBA round up program anymore...it used to on in the morning on saturdays and sundays

SoundWave

nah, not ne more, they had hoops zone instead, a weekly round up of stunning irish basketball.

there seems to be a lot of crappy courts going up around dublin, personally ill take mount joy square (the mecca of dublin city streetball ) over them any day.

Gaffo

Yeah, saw one going up in Island Bridge. Whatever about it not being a hub of irish b'ball the kind of courts they're building are terrible. The backboards are literally made from a strong mesh like metal.

If they want to encourage younger kids to play they need decent places to play.
Either way I think it is getting bigger cos young kids don't want to be out on a rainy cold winter morning(although I know some gyms aren't much warmer).