Last Sunday (the triple-10 date), I went for my first KL Dragons game in the Asean Basketball League. The ABL is in its second season, and only now I have to opportunity to see a regional basketball league. Mainly because now I have a group of friends who share a common interest in basketball after I have been out of the hoops scene for so long.
Well, it was the first home game of the season. Our opponents were SatriaMuda from Indonesia. I went who a fellow Spurs fan who help reintroduce me to the basketball scene, Ean. Tip-off was at 5pm, we reached the stadium around 4pm. We sat as court-side as we can get.
The SatriaMuda team were first out to warm-up. The home team came out a while later.
The SatriaMuda team had 2 American imports among their ranks. Both athletic dudes and one of them, Marcus Morrison really loved to entertain the crowd. SatriaMuda were very loose in their pre-game preparations.
A loud cheer erupted when the Dragons came out. The whole team had stoic-game-faces on. Probably focused on the job, and getting a win after the season opener loss to Thailand Slammers.
After the tip-off, both teams opened the game with 3-pointers. SatriaMuda mixed it up a lot. Their game included long-range shooting, drives into the paint and well as slick passing. The Dragons relied to much on shooting, which was their undoing.
Three of the Dragons big men fouled out, and SatriaMuda took advantage of the lack of size inside.
Only one Dragon came out of the game with credit, Filipono import Raymundo. He was doing everything, getting the offensive boards and 2nd chance points. The only player who played with any hustle. Sadly the offence didn't go through him, so he had to create and find his own shot. He finished the game with a Dwight Howard-esque 20 points and 21 rebounds.
The Dragons lost 68-77 in the end, after a late comeback. Despite the loss, I enjoyed the experience and will be looking to go to more home games.
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