NBA Stadium Blog Day: The Pepsi Center

Completed in 1999 and nestled between the downtown Denver and Rocky Mountain skylines, the Pepsi Center is home to the Denver Nuggets. Despite being one of only six teams to make the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Nuggets are near the middle of the NBA in average ticket price (61.50) and sit in the lower third in parking ($10).

Affordable prices keep hardcore hoops fans like myself coming back for more and top-notch entertainment keeps kids and casual fans glued to the action on-court. The Nuggets employ cheerleaders, a dance team, and a ‘party patrol’ that tosses “tees for threes!” anytime a Nuggets player makes a three-pointer. Denver’s mascot — Rocky — keeps fans entertained with his acrobatics, skits, and incredibly accurate back-to-the-basket halfcourt shots, which I’ve seen him hit on more than one occasion.

I love everything about the Pepsi Center, from the Rocky Mountain backdrop to the ticket prices to the arena lighting. It’s the only NBA arena that I’ve been to, and while there may be arenas that seat more fans and offer more amenities, the game is the same.

I moved to Colorado in late 2002 and attended my first NBA game in early 2003. I’ve seen almost every NBA team, sat courtside, two rows from the top, and in the press box. I don’t care if the Nuggets are playing the Bobcats or hosting All-Star weekend. It doesn’t matter if I’m sitting courtside or in the nosebleeds either — there’s no place I’d rather be. Each game is a different experience. But a few games stand out more than others.

November 2nd, 2005: Lakers-Nuggets

My second most memorable Pepsi Center moment came when newly reacquired coach Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant came to town for Denver’s home opener in 2005. I had attended more than a handful of Nuggets games, but had yet to see the Lakers. The home opener was a perfect opportunity. Denver’s crowd was especially hostile that night and as you might expect, Kobe Bryant was public enemy number one. The Eagle Colorado incident was still fresh on everyone’s minds and boos rained down on Bryant whenever he touched the ball.

I sat about twenty to thirty rows behind the basket (my favorite seat in the house) and watched an overtime thriller that was decided in the closing seconds. In a surprising turn of events, Jackson designed the final play for Kwame Brown. This was the first year of the failed Kwame Brown-Smush Parker experiment and Jackson probably wanted to give Kwame the opportunity to start the season with a bang. But Brown missed his shot attempt, rebounded the ball, and handed it off to Bryant for the game-winning jumper with less than a second remaining.

The crowd was stunned and in celebration, I slammed both of my hands on the seat in front of me (the guy in front of me was standing up of course). My watch broke upon impact. I felt it slide off my wrist, looked down, picked it up without even thinking of the costly repair, slid it in my pocket, and continued to celebrate.

One of the great things about sports, and basketball in particular, is the most emotional attachment that fans feel towards their favorite teams and players. Their victories are our victories, their losses are our losses. I had followed Bryant’s career since his rookie season and had seen every one of his triumphs. But it was a special thrill to watch Bryant get the last laugh against a very hostile crowd.

March 30th, 2003: Wizards-Nuggets

Longtime readers know that my favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers, but like millions of kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan. I felt a deep sense of regret when Jordan retired in 1998 because I never had the opportunity to see him live. That’s why my first NBA game was so special. It couldn’t have been more perfect … well except for the sprained ankle I suffered in a pickup game the day prior.

My family and I arrived at the Pepsi Center about two and a half hours before tipoff so that we could be the first ones to enter the building. We had hoped to get a glimpse of MJ warming up before the contest so I limped my way up to the arena as fast as I could. MJ never made an appearance before tipoff, but we did see Wizards assistant coach Patrick Ewing go one-on-one with Jahidi White and Brendon Haywood. At one point in their drills, Ewing caught the ball in the post, squared himself with the basket and took three steps without dribbling before launching an off-balance fade-away. Ewing’s ’steps’ brought laughter from Haywood and White, and Ewing responded with a sheepish grin.

We were seated a few rows above the visitor’s side tunnel but made our way down to the floor as the Wizards made their entrance. The atmosphere was incredible. I stood about fifteen to twenty feet from Jordan and watched his every move in the layup line. Camera lights flashed everywhere and I remember thinking to myself, “he’s real.” I had watched Jordan play hundreds of times on television and had read every MJ article I could get my hands on, but it was truly surreal to see him in the flesh.

The Nuggets presented Jordan with a Harley Davidson before the game and he and the Wizards started off well. Jordan scored eight points on 4-of-4 from the field in the first quarter, and I remember hoping that he would be able to turn back the clock one more time so that I could see him score 50. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be as he scored only 11 points the rest of the way in a 88-72 loss to the fifteen win regular-season Nuggets.

Jordan’s mind was clearly willing, his body just wouldn’t respond. There were times when he would elevate to shoot and be forced to pass in midair because his defender was about to block his shot. MJ’s game may have declined, but his mannerisms were the same. His distinctive backpedal and ever-present tongue wag brought smiles to my face.

I didn’t care where the ball was or what types of offensive and defensive schemes the Nuggets and Wizards were playing in that game. For 37 of the game’s 48 minutes, my eyes were fixed on Jordan. When he went to the bench, I spent as much time watching him interact with his teammates on the sidelines as I did watching the game that unfolded on the court. I knew this was my last chance to see the greatest player ever. And I wanted to savor everything from Jordan’s helpside defense to the way he worked to create space before catching a pass.

I’ve never bought into the adage, “it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” But I didn’t care if Jordan won or lost that game. He could’ve scored two points and I would have been happy. I already had a lifetime’s worth of Michael Jordan memories, but seeing him in person is something I will always cherish.

[Check out JONES ON THE NBA, for more stories about NBA stadiums and memorable moments]