After watching the Big 3 for its first two seasons and writing about it for its current third, i was able to secure a media credential for Sunday's event from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The match ups on the docket were:
Game 1: Triplets (Joe Johnson, Al Jefferson, Alan Anderson, Chris Johnson, Jannero Pargo, Sergerio Gipson; Coach Lisa Leslie) vs. Tri-State (Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson, Yakhouba Diawara, Robert Hite, Corsley Edwards; Coach Julius Erving)
Game 2: Bivouac (Josh Smith, Will Bynum, Shawne Williams, CJ Leslie, Anthony Morrow, Dion Glover; Coach Reggie Theus) vs. 3 Headed Monsters (Rashard Lewis, Mario Chalmers, Reggie Evans, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tre Simmons; Coach Gary Payton)
Game 3: Killer 3s (Stephen Jackson, Franklin Session, Donte Greene, CJ Watson, Josh Powell, Eddy Curry; Coach Charles Oakley) vs. Trilogy (David Hawkins, Sam Young, James White, Carlos Arroyo, Patrick O'Bryant)
What is the Big 3? It is retired NBA players playing competitive 3on3, still quenching their thirst for the game they've loved and played at the highest level for so long. Games are to 50 points, with the first team to 25 points ending the half. There is even a 4 point shot to add some excitement. There are twelve teams, with games being played Saturdays and Sundays in cities across the United States. Saturday has a slate of 3 games, as does Sunday. Teams consist of former stars like Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, and Gilbert Arenas - on this day Johnson and Stoudemire were in action - and also have overseas journeymen like David Hawkins. Ice Cube, the hip hop mogul eho co-founded the league along with Los Angeles-based entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz sits courtside, with some industry friends like LL Cool J, Jadakiss, and Fat Joe also looking on.
What is refreshing about the league, and where Ice Cube and Kwatinetz ace the test, is that it has similarities to an NBA game in terms of time-out entertainment. The crowd is involved and engaged at all times. There are dancers, four-point shot challenges, acrobat dunkers, and t-shirt giveaways. All of these take place during breaks in the action, at one point or another. There are even small halftime shows - in today's case, rapper Jim Jones and his 2006 hit "We Fly High". With games up to 50 going by rather quickly, there never seems to be a lull in any of the action, on court or off.
Then there's the contrasting styles of the coaches, where you really get to see their personalities.
Gary Payton, coach of the 3 Headed Monsters, could be seen - during play - glaring at the opposing team Bivouac's bench, in full trash talk mode as if he were going up against Michael Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals. Reggie Theus, the opposing coach, was the opposite - reserved, calm, and cool. Reserved, calm, and cool also describes the coaching styles of legends Julius Erving and Lisa Leslie. For more fire, see Charles Oakley coach his Killer 3s or Kenyon Martin coach his Trilogy squad.
There's the chance also to see your favorite players of the past. If you were a big Stoudemire fan and were dejected when he retired from the NBA at the early age of 33, you can watch him in the Big 3 and see him work once again. The same goes for Johnson, who can still get a bucket at any time. And there's also Jason Richardson, who showed that, even with his past knee issues, he still is quite the athlete.
The games offer a little change of pace from the NBA too in terms of rules. There is hand checking, which the NBA got rid of in 2004. And the play is a bit more physical. It is also cool to see former NBA players play a 3on3 half court game that even further accentuates some of their skills. For example, 7-time all star Joe Johnson is able to get a rebound, take the ball quickly out to the three point arc, turn and drill a three pointer, all seemingly in the blink of an eye. Even the way he stepped into the 4 point shot to win his team's game was as smooth as could be. It really puts into perspective how effortless and easy scoring comes to a guy like him.
Another cool thing about the league is that you get to see seasoned NBA pros go up against guys who may have had a cup of coffee in the league but never truly made it. The cup of coffee guys have a chip on their shoulder, and it is exciting seeing them battle against their counterparts who have years of experience under their belt. Take a guy like Frankin Session - a Los Angeles native and Drew League legend - who has never made it beyond the NBA's development league, and match him against a 14-year pro like Carlos Arroyo. What you get is a match up where one guy - still 30 years old - wants to prove himself against a former NBA veteran to see if he measures up. There's also a guy like David Hawkins, Trilogy's forward scoring threat, 37 years old without an NBA game to his name, going mano e mano with 41 year old 14-year vet Stephen Jackson. It creates interesting match ups where guys are out to prove themselves both ways - NBA vets wanting to show that they still have it, and overseas veterans wanting to show that they are on equal footing. From my vantage point, section 115 at Barclays, you could see that the entire crowd was on its toes when Jackson and Hawkins matched up late in their contest. Oooos and ahhhs were plentiful in the final moments when Hawkins drew a foul on the Killer 3s' Donte Green and iced the game at the line. The crowd roared, and Trilogy coach Kenyon Martin ran out onto the floor and fist pumped and yelled in jubilation.
What the Big 3 is is your favorite players that you didn't want to see leave the game playing in a setting that we all grew up playing in. 3on3 basketball is backyard basketball in its purest form, and the Big 3 is the closest you will get to that at a professional level. As a media member, the added bonus is getting the thoughts of former greats and players. For me, i was able to get some sound from Trilogy coach Kenyon Martin. Being able to get inside the minds on what they see on the floor, getting an understanding of their basketball IQ, and how they view it after being in it for so long is a great thing.
Brooklyn was great, save for the dreadful traffic and questionable driving. The downtown area, though crowded, is very nice, with high rise buildings and the BAM Harvey Theater in the vicinity.
As far my first media day went, it was cool and unforgettable. It doesn't get much better than seeing players go to work and then getting a first hand look at their post game press conference to get inside their heads and learn what they know.
Comentários