I got really lucky on Friday with a pair of NBA tickets in Row 6 and invited my Ukrainian-Nepalese friend Neesa (who grew up in Moscow) to come along and attend her first ever pro-basketball game at the Air Canada Centre. Lemme tell you, the timing couldn’t have been better as I was feeling burnt out with work and welcomed the entertainment. This game did not disappoint!
I’m pretty vocal about my preference for spectating basketball over hockey, and after this game Neesa might be inclined to agree, although she hasn’t been to a NHL game yet. Maybe next time I’ll land a pair of Leafs tickets and she can see what I’m talking about.
The photo above is pretty grainy as I shot this in ISO 1250 with my 17-55mm f/2.8 lens (which is pretty much the opposite of a sports lens; it’s a wider-angle/portrait lens, not a long-range lens at all) and cropped out the crowd. But shooting at 1250 allowed me to reach a shutter speed of 1/800 sec and capture lots of airtime under the net.
To the dismay of hockey fans all over Canada, I will admit that I have always preferred basketball to hockey. (As a player, I prefer hockey to basketball.) Watching a basketball game is a much more intimate experience than a hockey game: you are closer to the action, there is occasionally direct interaction between the players and the spectators, there is no dividing plexiglass, and there is far less equipment — players aren’t wearing layers and layers of clothing and helmets and carrying sticks.
If you’re wondering (as we were) why the Raptors are wearing jerseys that say Huskies, this jersey was introduced in December 2009 to commemorate the original team pre-NBA. The Toronto Huskies were a team in the Basketball Association of America (a forerunner of the National Basketball Association) during the 1946–47 season.
Music for today is uncredited, because the performance took place in the space between Union Station and the Air Canada Centre before the basketball game.
Just booked a floatplane joyride tomorrow morning (10:00), departing Billy Bishop Airport. You still have time to get in on the flight! #fb10 hours ago
Calling all #aviation buffs! Booking scenic ride in floatplane tomorrow am out of YTZ, takes up to 3 pax & need 2. DM me if interested! #fb13 hours ago
