2 Games in 2 Days. 1 in Los Angeles. 1 in Oakland. Both games were nail biters until the very last second. And, man, what a helluva time!

My buddy Mista Hippo has the hook-up to Laker games. And being the swell guy that he is, he invited me and some of our other basketball lovin' friends to watch the 1st game at the Los Angeles Staples Center this past Sunday.

These weren't just any seats...we had the grand privilege to sit in the first row directly behind the Laker bench. For a second there I felt like Hollywood royalty!

It was fascinating seeing the players discuss bits of the game during timeouts. At one point, Derek Fisher was expressing his awe of Monta Ellis quick move to the basket to Kobe Bryant. Turiaf got some tips on how to avoid a foul from Kurt Rambis, Kobe Bryant, and the ref who made the call (after Fisher brought the ref over). I was also surprised to see what a fierce competitor Jordan Farmar was. After being pulled out of the game as a result of a few uneffective bouts of offensive execution, Farmar was furious at himself for his performance. The dude was cussing to himself for at least 5 minutes... I almost wanted wanted to step in and tell him he shouldn't be so hard on himself!

Even though it was an amazing game, there were two bad bits about it. First off, the Lakers lost (Stephen Jackson just HAD to take away Kobe's thunder with 2 huge shots in the closing seconds!) and second, the view sucked. It was nice being close... but since those Laker players and coaches are so darned tall, when I was seated, I could only see the players in the game from the waist up. It was impossible to see the court floor which takes a lot away from appreciating the strategies of the game.

All in all, it was a great experience... and the pains of defeat stung a little less since the Lakers won the second game in Oakland (in overtime no less!). Thanks Mista Hippo!