My life as a season ticket holder

I live about 8 blocks from Key Arena, home to the Seattle (Super)Sonics. If you are a basketball fan you know that Seattle has made its mark on this basketball season in two ways:

1. It managed to draft Kevin Durant, supposedly half of the pair of 19 year olds who are going to save professional basketball.
2. It's the only NBA team to have the owner suing the city and threatening to take the team to Oklahoma City, and the only NBA host city to be countersuing the owner of its basketball franchise.

This, of course, sets the stage for a fantastic season. Young team, two-time failed head coach who is mainly known for being choked by one of his own players, and an ownership group investing $0.00 in the franchise... How could I not get involved?

I managed to find a pretty great deal on a 25 game plan: $25 per ticket for lower bowl seats, kind of behind and above one of the baskets. Key Arena may be old, and may not have enough corporate boxes to keep the franchise in business, but it is a fantastic venue to watch a game. I picked out my 25 games to maximize weekends and games against Duke players (easier to do these days).

I've always been a sports fan (Orioles, Redskins, Duke basketball, Wizards/Bullets), but it has never been convenient enough to get to sporting events to warrant any sort of season ticket purchase, so I've never really been able to see the progression of a team with my own eyes. I can tell you this after 5 games: I can see how being a beat writer wouldn't be a great deal of fun. To be sure, the games I've attended have all been close, with the Sonics being tied for or in the lead in the last couple of minutes.

Unfortunately they've lost all 5 of those games.

And the two other games they've played at home.

And seven of the nine games they've played away from home.

Since I don't have anything invested in the team I don't care that much; I've been able to see pretty fantastic teams (Suns, Jazz, Pistons, Spurs, Nets), and at some point I've got to believe that the team will get better, because they actually don't have very bad talent. But if the momentum builds for the team to leave for OKC I could see the 2nd half of the season being pretty brutal, especially after Durant and Jeff Green realize they are moving to the 44th largest TV market in the country where it is 200 degrees in the shade in summer. (I don't know this to be true, but I figure OKC has to kind of be like Dallas, which mean it has to kind of be like the worst place in America.)

What's likely to be way more entertaining than the basketball is the row of seats behind me. They seem to be reserved for the 2nd tier friends and family of the opposing team. On opening night there were a bunch of kids who were "DJ's cousin". It took me the entire game to realize they meant "DJ Strawberry", and I would have gladly bet $250 that he couldn't possibly be an NBA player. (Turns out that bet would be a loser.) Against the Nets some guy walked in with a 3" in diameter piece of diamond-encrusted jewelry. In the center read "#21", encircled by "The Truth." Turns out Antoine Wright is The Truth. Unless there is another 21 I don't know about.

Anyways, in honor of the best sports blogger in the land, I'll keep bringing you updates on the friends and family of 2nd tier players for the Sonics opposition. Not a full time job, but a job nonetheless.