Root, Root, Root for the Home Team

Courtesy of Sobelman's Pub & Grill, we went to the Milwaukee Bucks game last night. It was great to win the tickets on short notice and we were excited to go to the game--I've had more than normal interest in the Bucks this year. They have an exciting team. Plus, I cut cable TV--if I want to see the Bucks, I have to either go to a bar or the arena!

Unfortunately though, the Bucks laid an egg. Maybe it was the previous night's overtime victory over the Celtics in Boston that wore the team out. They played lethargically. Brandon Jennings was only 3 for 13 shooting. Yeesh. That's terrible.

Regardless, here's the thing that disappointed me: fans streaming for the exits with six and half minutes to go in the 4th quarter with Bucks only down 10. C'mon. I've seen enough basketball games to know 10 points is not an insurmountable deficit to make up in six minutes. Heck, I've seen 10 points made up in less than two minutes.

I'll never forget Game One of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals in New York, Reggie Miller amazingly scored 8 points against the Knicks in the final 18.7 seconds: a 3, followed by stealing the inbounds pass and another 3 to tie the game and 2 free throws, erasing the Knicks' 105-99 lead and stealing the game 107-105. That was great.

And you know who missed it? All the fans that didn't stick around to the end. 

Why do people do this? My take is if you are ever going to attend an exciting sporting event, a come-from-behind victory in the final minutes is going to be the most memorable one. Sure, more often than not you will still leave disappointed that your team lost, but every once in a while you'll experience a great comeback.

Very seldom do I leave a game before it's over. And over the years, I've been treated to a couple great games. 

Lastly, if we are fans, shouldn't we support our team till the end? I mean, fans streaming towards the exits six minutes before the game's end doesn't send a very good signal to the team, does it? Maybe us fans could influence a game's outcome by energetically supporting our team and imploring them to play well. But no, instead we mumble obscene epithets about overpaid millionaires and stream for the exits.

I think that's too bad. It's jaded. And I'm not going to be a fan that way.

Go Bucks! Shake it off and return to winning form against the Nets on Wednesday night!

Thanks again, Sobelmans, for the tickets too!