Our most spontaneous game to date, and 24 hours of sheer madness!!
January 17th 11pm, Washington D.C.
We were in DC for a research conference, and were attempting to spend our last night together in a romantic restaurant with live jazz for Sapna’s birthday. Sadly, the evening didn’t turn out as expected, and we were left returning to our Airbnb apartment with little to no hope of creating a better night for ourselves. And, of course, we had a cloud hanging over us reminding us that in 20 hours, Sapna would be getting on a flight back to LA and Rich would be getting on a train back to NYC. In a sheer reach of desperation to spend a few more hours together, Sapna decided to miss the first leg of her flight, so that she could take the train up to Philly with Rich, and leave from there. A familiar look landed on both of our faces as we thought for a brief second, “how great would it be to catch a 76’ers game in Philly before a flight?!”
11:05pm
“They’re scheduled to play!” Rich yelled
“Let’s do it!” Sapna responded
“Oh, wait,” Rich realized…. “They’re not playing in Philly… they’ll be at MSG…”
There was immediately a feeling of sadness, and after a brief moment of silence, we somehow again got that look in our eyes…. “Do we dare try to get up to NYC for a few hours??”
11:10pm
Rich looks up game tickets as Sapna scrambles to look up options for changing her flight.
11:12pm
Game tickets, check
Train tickets, check
Cancel DC to LAX, check
Purchase JFK to LAX, check
11:15pm
Sapna sends out the following text to her closest friends in NYC:
“Totally random, but I’m coming into the city tomorrow afternoon around 1pm to catch a Knicks game. Should be done in a couple of hours, would love to see you all for a late lunch/early dinner before I take off to the airport if you’re around!”
Some of the highlight responses:
“Have plans, but consider them officially cancelled-- see you at 4!” Kate C.
“Wouldn’t miss catching you guys for a bit” I-Chin C.
“You guys are absolutely nuts! But I’m there!!” Anastasiya G.
“Giiirl I got you, we will be there for sure” Jess P.
“I’ll be at the game, too! Can’t do dinner, but let’s have a drink after the game.” Danny M.
11:20pm
Sapna: Can’t believe we’re doing this….
Rich: It’s what we do :)
January 18th 12pm-1pm NYC:
Land at Penn station, run to H&M for sweaters, scarves, and gloves (Sapna was NOT prepared for NYC!), run to Rich’s office (with the help of a very efficient 2 train) to drop off luggage, quick stop at the green monster (aka Starbucks) to partially fill our tummies before the game, run back up to MSG, and shockingly make it in time for tip-off!!
Madison Square Garden. The world’s most famous arena. A sparkling jewel of history in control of a thin-skinned tyrannical megalomaniac who surrounds himself with corrupt and incompetent yes-men and mismanages something beautiful into a dumpster fire. Are we talking about Trump’s America? No, we are talking about Dolan’s Garden.
Nonetheless, it’s always a pleasure to go the Garden. Rich has a long history as a loyal and suffering Knicks fan, but that is not to say he hasn’t seen his share of good times. Rich famously attended Larry Johnson’s legendary 4-point play in the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals against the hated Reggie-Miller Pacers, going to that game on no sleep after partying for the entire night before as a 19-year old.
The Knicks were again pretty awful in 2016. But they were better than when we saw them in DC the prior spring, and Philly was one of the few teams you would expect them to beat. The Knicks jumped ahead to an 18-point lead in the third quarter but in true Knicks fashion, they collapsed and allowed Philly to have a 3-point lead when they had their last possession in regulation. No big thing for Melo, who splashed a game-tying 3 with 3.4 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Say what you will about Melo’s defense, efficiency, and isolation-heavy game, but one thing he always has been is clutch.
In overtime, it was then the Knicks who had a 3-point lead and the Sixers with their last possession and Robert Covington banked (!) in a game-tying 3 to send it into DOUBLE overtime.
Double OT was decided by Langston Galloway (remember him?) taking over the game and sealing Sapna’s birthday present with a win.
4:15pm
Quick stop for tea with Danny, a fellow loyal Knicks fan through all the ups and downs (and more downs…). “It was my nephew’s first game,” Danny said, “I specifically chose a 76ers game so that I’d ensure a win!”
5:30pm
Time to celebrate Sapna’s birthday with family and friends at a tantalizing, underground wine bar in the west village.
9pm
Off we go to pick up our luggage (from Rich’s office) and full speed ahead to JFK. Couldn’t have made it without the help of amazing parents (thanks Linda and Stephen!)
11pm
Saying our goodbyes yet again-- this time knowing that we would literally do whatever it takes just to catch a few tall guys bouncing a small orange ball around.
January 19th, 3am, Los Angeles
Back to the grind--- but this birthday is undoubtedly going down in the books as one of the best birthdays ever!
