xtcian

3/9/03 Chapel Hill, NC I

3/9/03 Chapel Hill, NC

I don't know how much better a day can get for yours truly, but today was definitely in the running. First off, it's sunny and 70 here in the Southern Part of Heaven, so Chip and I made our usual pilgrimage to the Carrboro Elementary School basketball court for a war of one-on-one attrition we've had since about 1988. We met up with some old-timers whom I've played with over my years here in fact, one of them is the guy I always think about when I ruminate on hoops in my 40s. We had some good runs with them, and then Chip and I got another good one in before it was time for the Game.

Uptown, the scene was a bit sparser than other years, because Spring Break started for the students two days ago. Those that remained crowded the UNC clothes shoppes buying Vince Carter jerseys, Michael Jordan shorts and getting temporary tattoos of a Tar Heel.

top: the unbelievable interior of the Shrunken Head boutique; bottom: me with a gaggle of Carolina chix en route to the game (I always try for pictures like this)

The Duke-UNC game is one I have now attended eighteen straight years. The first game in 1986 – I sat with Kendall and had no idea what I'd gotten myself into. Now, in 2003, the Mecca I call the Dean Dome has lost none of its religion. This is a game I didn't think we'd win, what with all the rumors of coaching problems, our abysmal conference record, and the fact that we are all freshmen playing on a near-empty tank of gas. I even thought the crowd might be slim, but it was a full, deafening, rocking house.

Chip and I couldn't get our usual cushy seats down near the mezzanine and actually had to sit in the very last row up top. Which turned out to be fine: I think these experiences keep you honest, being surrounded by kids that live and die with the team, not to mention that we could create an ungodly amount of noise by banging on the roof of the Smith Center.

top: the view from the rafters; bottom: Chip and me actually IN the rafters

The game was an instant classic, no doubt destined for years of replay on ESPN. The lead was hardly ever more than 2-3 points in either direction, and at one point after Dahntay "Thug" Jones elbowed my beloved Raymond Felton in the face, a fight broke out between the two benches that required six state cops to calm it down.

We made 5 of 6 foul shots to extend our lead to three with 3.1 seconds left in the game; then Dahntay sprinted down the court to bury a three unfortunately for him, time ran out a tenth of a second before the ball left his hands, and the evil forces of Dook were finally vanquished, and students stormed the court, as Chip and I screamed our goddamn heads off. It was one of the best games I have ever seen.

I have traveled from all over the world to get this game every year, and the last four times, I have left demoralized and dejected. This year is different. All is well with the world, and the celestial kingdom has righted itself. Even another 8-hour drive back to Brooklyn won't be bad, because both the Land Rover and I will be floating on air.