noah

I find myself in a restaurant on 2nd avenue in New York between 49th and 50th street watching the final period in a triple overtime basketball game. It is sometime close to 11 eastern time. The Boston Celtics are playing the Chicago Bulls in a series that some have already called one of the greatest playoff series ever. This is now the fourth game of six that have been played to go into at least one overtime. A player for the Celtics named Ray Allen eventually will score 51 points in this contest. A fellow who is shouting for the Celtics at every shoutable opportunity gives me a high five when the Boston team takes the lead deep into overtime.

Paul Pierce--a star if there ever was one for the Celtics-has the ball when a second year player named Noah, the son of the tennis great Yannick Noah steals the ball from Pierce races the length of the court and slams a dunk as Pierce commits a 6th and disqualifying foul. The bartender who had spoken in nothing other than a thick brogue from the moment we arrived, sees the play and says sans brogue, "where the hell did he go to college." Another patron to my left is shaking his head while stringing a profanity laden sentence together commenting in general on the vicissitudes of sport.

I could have walked into any restaurant on second avenue at that time and observed/been an actor in a very similar scene. The Bulls won the game because of Noah's outstanding play (which has now been replayed on highlight shows nothing short of 100 times since the Thursday game). Tonight is the 7th game. I will find another restaurant at which to watch it and be part of a scene that will be almost as interesting (no credit to my abilities) as the events on the screen.