The Summer League Diaries – Part 2

For Part I of the Summer League Diaries, click here.

I awake to the buzz and nondescript jingle of my iPhone. It’s 9:30 am. The plan was to meet up prior to Summer League Day 2, record a podcast, then head over to the Thomas & Mack. I’ve got some free time, and the Aussies were sleeping off their jet lag, so I head down to the casino level in search of coffee.

The Starbucks line is shockingly short. I jump in, grab a rare treat in the form of a latte, and walk away with a $13.00 charge to my credit card. No one warned me just how expensive even the small amenities are in Vegas.

I step out into the bright, hot sunlight of Las Vegas Boulevard and go for a stroll. It’s 105 degrees and feels positively mild after the 120s of yesterday. It’s an enjoyable jaunt down to Ceasar’s Palace and back to my room. After a quick shower, it was time to head over to Ben’s. The Aussies have risen. We congregate for a brief period, then it’s an Uber to the Thomas &Mack. The Celtics play in a few hours.

The Uber drops us off in the left-hand parking lot, we jump out and are immediately greeted by a parking attendant. He bellows, “the champs are here!,” in reference to the three of us donning Celtics gear. It would quickly become Jake’s mantra for the weekend.

For Day 2, we were in the Michelob Ultra (TM) VIP section, which comes with free food and drink. And by free, I mean, once you pay the inflated price to get into the VIP section, then you have access to the “free” food and drinks. We were faced with two complicating factors, a war on two fronts.

The Celtics were playing next door in the Cox Pavilion, which doesn’t have its own Michelob Ultra (TM) VIP section. So, to catch the Celtics, we had to dart over from Thomas & Mack to Cox and leave our overpriced seats and the comforts of free food and drink in the Michelob Ultra (TM) VIP section. Cox fills up fast though, so were regularly engaging in conversation about when to make the transition, and the first game in Thomas & Mack started an hour after the first in the Cox. It was a cavalcade of complexity. I can feel the anxiety rising in us as we make our way to the Michelob Ultra (TM) VIP section.

We enter into the Michelob Ultra (TM) VIP section and are greeted by a gregarious usher. After I walk in, I hear Jake’s Aussie-soaked “the champs are here” behind me. The usher absolutely loves it. He grabs the three of us and brings us directly to a private table in the front row of the section. It’s a great view and we are primed for a perfect day.

Game 1 in Thomas & Mack is Knicks-Hornets, and we are sitting next to a pair of Knicks fans, a father and son. We start chatting with them, Jake immediately joking about the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein and asking them how much they believe in Jericho Sims. “He’s a nice guy,” the father responds. It’s not a glowing endorsement and we exchange a few words about Rokas Jokubaitis — a conversation that only occurring in two places: Summer League and around the Jakubaitis family dinner table.

The game itself is a fun one. Brandon Miller instantly stands out, as does Nick Smith Jr. The Knicks have a variety of interesting players including Obi Toppin’s brother Jacob and new draft picks Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek. We watch with one eye on the court and the other on the gamecast of Bucks-Bulls, who were playing in Cox Pavilion prior to the Celtics. We want to time it perfectly, but Jake and Ben have a quest they need to accomplish.

Jake has developed a relationship with Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. Golliver has a gift for us: confetti from Game 5 of the Finals. It’s of the utmost importance. I’m to head over to Cox and snag us some seats while they meet up with Golliver. Halftime hits, and we execute the plan.

The plan immediately hits a snag. There’s massive line to get into Cox Pavilion, Luckily, we have connections on the inside, CelticsBlog compatriots Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance. I, admittedly, have a minor anxiety attack about not being able to get into Cox. I walk away and try to contact Ben and Jake, but they don’t respond. Then I DM Jack and Sam, they meet me at the entrance. I’m through.

It’s a beautiful sight, and my timing is perfect.

Cox is essentially a glorified high school gym. You are nearly on the court, an almost overwhelming feeling to hop out there, call for a pass, and brick a jumper in front of a couple hundred people. It has to be the most unique venue in the country where you can regularly watch NBA players.

I climbed the dozen or so rows from the bench to our seats, and it was gametime. Jake and Ben arrive shortly after. They regale me of meeting Golliver, high fiving Tim Bontemps, and scoping out NBA media. It’s clearly their favorite part of the experience so far and I’m glad I missed it. . .

The Celtics are playing the Heat, and just like the actual Miami Heat, the Summer League version doesn’t miss. It’s very annoying. A collection of thoughts as I watch the game:

• Baylor Scheierman’s shot was way off early, but it’s immediately clear he understands how to play basketball at a high level. Shot comes back late, and things really click for him
• Once Anton Watson came on, things started to flow a bit. He’s always moving, screening, getting into handoff actions. You can see what Brad Stevens saw in both draft picks.
• JD Davison doesn’t look any different, which is disappointing. Still dangerous in the open court, and when he gets downhill, he’s making the right play. The defense is still very bad, he’s regularly getting bullied, or worse, completely blown by. If you can’t stay in front of Summer League guards, there’s no way you can do it when the real games start.
• The chasm between Killian Tillie’s defense and NBA level defense is Grand Canyon-sized.
• It’s a rough one for Jordan Walsh. Yikes.
• What in the world is Jamie Jacquez Jr. doing here?
• Jaden Springer looks great, but hesitation strikes me. I hear Jake’s voice echo in my head from a recent podcast: “he led Summer League in scoring last year.” I refuse to get my hopes up.

The Celtics game ends with a whimper with the Heat taking the win. We file out of Cox Pavilion and meet up with Dan Greenburg of Barstool Sports. Greenie’s been on our show many times, but I was looking forward to meeting him in person. Ben calls him the “Final Boss” of Celtics Twitter, which I think is apt. In other words, he’s much more important in the media sphere than the three of us.

Greenie was awesome. Absurdly welcoming, greeting us with an echoing “THE BOYS!” when he saw us. Daps and half hugs were had by all. We snag this picture which has me at my best. Eyes closed, shirt hanging awkwardly around my stomach, only one with an arm on a shoulder. Just a world class photo.

The rest of the day is spent bouncing between Cox and Thomas & Mack. Catching a few quarters here, a few there. We eventually decide to head out and Greenie offers to give us a ride back to the Strip. A gentlemanly proposition that we accept. We even somehow convince him to come up to Ben’s hotel room and record and episode of the show.

After the show, we part ways with Greenie, have a very nice dinner of about 100 different types of steamed dumplings, and hit the gambling floor in the Aria for a bit. At one point, feeling fairly confident due to the handful of beers coursing through my veins, I spot Jarrett Allen.

There are about a million things Jarrett Allen and I do not have in common, two big ones being basketball ability and height. However, there is one thing Allen and I have in common: we are both computer nerds.

I remembered this tidbit from the draft, so I approach him with whatever miniscule amount of swagger I could muster. I hit him with a quick, “Hey, Jarrett,” like we are long-time buddies. He looks over.

“What type of graphics card you rocking these days?” The moment of truth. Much to my surprise, his eyes light up, and a smile overtakes his face.

His response is almost sheepish, “aww man, I’m still using the 1080Ti.”

“You gotta upgrade, man.”

“I know, I know.”

“Alright, have a good night.” It was simple, it was short, but it was awesome. It was Summer League.

The next day is Jake’s and my last day of the trip. We are both flying out that evening. We engage in what is now rote. Meet at Ben’s, record an episode, head to the Thomas & Mack. The highlight of Day 3 of Summer League is the Rockets-Wizards game. As I detailed in Part 1, the Rockets have a wildly entertaining team. This game is no exception. Sheppard and Whitmore are destroying the Wiz. Whitmore would end with 5 steals and 25 points. Justin Champagnie would lead the Wiz in scoring. Grim.

There was a subplot during this game, however. As Alex Sarr misses his fourth shot, and Reed Sheppard dazzling again, Jake breathes out a non-sequitur, “I can’t believe some people had Alex Sarr over Reed Sheppard in the draft.”

I could ignore it, but I’m a man of honor, one who admits when he’s wrong and owns his gaffes, of which there are many. I close my eyes, breathe out, and simply state, “I had Sarr at #1.” Jake meets it with a “Oh, Spooney.” It’s drenched in disappointment, and perhaps pity. Well, Alex Sarr would shoot for 4-14 this game. Every time he misses, and it’s a lot and many are not close, Jake is playfully nudging me in the ribs. It’s an indictment on my draft evaluation skills, but it inarguably makes the game more fun. By the end we are laughing at every Alex Sarr failure, and “oohing and ahhhing” at every Reed Sheppard or Cam Whitmore highlight. It’s the perfect cherry on top of the Summer League sundae.

Eventually, Jake heads out, off to the airport and then Australia. We say our goodbyes, it’s that melancholy moment where the trip is effectively at an end. There are no words that can sum it up properly, so instead of trying, everyone just says, “see ya, man.”

I have about an hour before I’m on my way back to home, so Ben and I just wander around the Thomas & Mack for a while. We take in the final sights and sounds of Summer League. By that I mean we walk by a bunch of very tall people that look vaguely familiar, and almost bump into Shams who has his head buried in his phone.

We also see Mike Zarren, but he’s locked in conversation. Instead of bothering him, we awkwardly orbit around his conversation waiting for it to end. He meets our eyes and frankly, I detect a bit of worry in his. We make another lap, hoping that Zarren will be available for us to bother him when we get around again. Then, like a morning dew, he was gone. Vanished.

I check my phone. It’s time. I turn to Ben and let him know I’ve got to hit the road. We dap and hug it out, he says, “see ya, man. Have a safe trip.” I say the same to him. Then we awkwardly walk in the same direction for like 15 steps until I can finally figure out how to exit. Neither of us comment on it.

And then, like that, it was over. I was on a plane, landing at 5 AM in Pittsburgh, driving home to my wife and kid, and sleeping most of Monday away. Until next year Summer League.