Seriously, we've won three playoff games against the Warriors? One of which was at The Oracle? Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming. Nope, this is reality! When I first arrived, I didn't pay attention to whether or not Kevin Durant or Serge Ibaka were out. I did notice later on that Kyle Singler didn't stop to sign for anyone, but he did high-five a few people. Guess the Thunder still aren't signing. This would be tricky if the Thunder and Cavs happened to meet in the Finals, although to be honest, neither side will probably sign. I'm just not sure which side I'd take a chance on. If it weren't the Finals, I'd probably not even bother to attend, but hey-- it's the Finals. Ya' gotta. I arrived at about the same time as I did for the last game and was first in line both times, but this time I wasn't able to secure a spot in the front row. That's okay-- I managed to make do on The Rails. I know Curry signed for The Rails last time, so maybe my chances were slightly better to get him. While I was here, I had a great spot to both graph and watch the goings-on of the TNT booth. I actually saw Charles Barkley this time! He didn't sign as far as I could tell, but he had work to do. Because the booth was there, a lot of fans were trying to get selfies with Shaquille O'Neal or Barkley, which made the autograph queue a bit easier to work with. I also met a mid-thirties mom from Salt Lake City, who I got to chat with a bit. For the record, she did NOT look old enough to have teenage children. Just saying. She told me she had just flown in that evening and based her timing on her experiences with Jazz games (no line beforehand, save maybe four or five people). She was surprised the line was so long before tipoff, and even commented that Jazz games were nothing like Thunder games (the energy and crowd are vastly different). Welcome to Loud City, and I hope you enjoyed the game! Shaun Livingston came off first and blew past everyone, but that was okay with me. I have since heard he is a hard one to get, but his autograph wasn't my primary objective tonight. No one made an effort to stop him or complained when he didn't stop. Stephen Curry was next and although the crowd wasn't nearly as large as the February game, you could definitely feel the urgency and tension in the air when he made his way to the locker room. The older African-American gentleman behind me offered to let me go ahead of him (citing the grapher code of honor - let the kids go first) and was nice enough to check/ask me if I had enough room to hold my jersey out. This is what it's all about, guys! Whoever you are, thanks man. Sorry Curry didn't sign the balls for your grandsons. He will sign, you just have to be patient and be in the right place at the right time. You win some, you lose some. I struck out last game, but it was an epic win for me when he signed my jersey on the number this time! I'm not sure how it happened, but Andrew Bogut slipped out while Curry was signing for us. Nice strategy, although it's not the first time I've seen it done (see Chandler Parsons-Dirk Nowitzki, Game 2 of Round 1). I'm still not sure if that was Festus Ezeli or Ian Clark. Heck, that could have even been Leandro Barbosa with hair! Or Kevon Looney! Either way, whoever he was didn't sign again and no one seemed to care. Klay Thompson came around and actually signed for a few people but stopped a few people short of me. So close! Who knows when or if that'll ever happen again? I assume he had already signed for Ty from 101, either moments before or at the hotel, because Mr. Thompson made it obvious when he blew off Ty's request for a signed jersey. Just a reminder, guys, when there is a large crowd, only present one item for the player to sign so that all of us can get at least one. Some of us didn't get any! Brandon Rush came over and signed one for everyone, and I was planning to ask him for a photo op but it just didn't happen. He moved too fast and didn't really make eye contact with anyone -- much like Curry. He was nice though; maybe next time. Marreese Speights came off last again and I only had the logo photo for him, which he signed. It wasn't quite as nice as what he gave me last game, but something is better than nothing and I'll take it. Bogut 0/1 Clark/Ezeli/Barbosa? 0/1 Curry 1/1 Iguodala 0/1 Livingston 0/1 Rush 0/0 Speights 1/1 Thompson 0/1 If the Warriors win at home on Thursday, we'll get a game 6 at home on Saturday. I kind of hope they don't, because I need a break. I don't always sleep well coming home after a game and I usually work early the next day. We'll see though. Go Thunder! Let's wrap this one up! Until next time, J.R.
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Fair warning, I got the title for this blog entry from a tweet I saw on a billboard tonight. Every night after a Thunder playoff game, I drive by this billboard that always has a tweet from someone about the game. This was too good not to share, and if it's yours, let me know so I can give you proper credit! Maybe you'll consider giving my blog a plug? And now back to your regularly scheduled blog entry. While I was in line, I collected some intel when I talked with the family standing to the left of me in line. They had come down from St. Louis, and the dad of the group started it all when he noticed my Curry jersey and thought it was a good idea that I had it rubber-banded on a board and pulled taut so that whenever Curry came by, it would be ready to go. One of the ladies later told me that the other lady in their group had seen Draymond Green (BOOOOO!!!!!) at the hotel (but instead of saying "the hotel," she revealed to me specifically which hotel they were staying at). She knew I was a 'grapher and said, "Don't worry, nobody was signing." Well, that's somewhat of a relief. I knew the visiting teams had recently changed hotels, but I never knew where they had moved to. Nobody on 101 will tell you what players stay at which hotel, and you're considered a dud if you ask or if you accidentally or purposefully give it away. Don't worry, you guys aren't duds, and thank you for the information. For the rest of you, if you want to know the hotel that the players stay at, you'll have to get to know me or find me at the arena. No Thunder players have signed since their last loss to San Antonio, at least as far as I can tell, so this seems to be something they're doing until further notice. Knowing that the Thunder are probably not going to sign, and with a two-time, back-to-back MVP winner in town, the decision to graph the Warriors was a no-brainer. Once in my section, I overheard someone behind me say that KD wasn't out (and he knew because he'd gone over there when the doors opened). I noticed Kyle Singler didn't sign, so that pretty much confirmed their game plan to "stay focused." Anderson Varejao was the first one off the court, but he ran past everybody. Someone around me commented that he would fit in well with the Lakers. I would say more like the Cavaliers -- the Lakers might be a little better about signing now that Kobe's not around to attract gigantic crowds. Remember, Lou Williams, Jordan Clarkson, and Anthony Brown are still pretty much "gimmes" in LA. Most of the Warriors opted not to sign which was not a surprise given their behavior the last time they came to town. The guys I saw that didn't sign included: Draymond Green (BOOOO!!!!!), Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala (hoodie and all), Andrew Bogut, Klay Thompson, and Festus Ezeli/Ian Clark, who I must confess I wasn't sure who he was. Someone said it was Ezeli, but it didn't really look like him. He looked a bit too short to be someone (Ezeli) whose listed height is 6'11", which is why I thought he was Ian Clark. No one said anything else and I wasn't about to announce my presence as a "dud grapher" and ask who that was. I have my pride. Also, whoever he was, didn't bother to sign anyway so any potential embarrassment was saved for another day. Between Draymond Green (BOOOOOO!!!!!) and Shaun Livingston walking off the court, we saw Shaquille (Shaq) O'Neal walk over and for a moment, it looked like he would stop to sign for the usuals calling out to him, but he decided to just keep going -- it looked like his handlers were pushing him to go. The TNT booth was right above the autographing section of the stands. but they were facing towards the crowd. Looking up, I could see Shaq and Kenny Smith, but no one else. It seemed like there were more people interested in getting pictures with Shaq than getting autographs (and I can understand that to a degree). Oh well, that means more standing room for the rest of us! It wasn't anywhere near as crowded downstairs as the February game vs. the Warriors, but when Stephen Curry came out, I definitely felt the crowd push me forward a bit when I was standing on the front row. There was a massive crowd of cameras following him and I thought, maybe I'll find myself on Getty Images later tonight (nope -- I looked). He signed for the section across from me, and we were told he would double back, but when he did, he started at The Turn and went forward from there. I was on the front row and subsequently missed him. That could have been pretty disappointing, but I did get him back in February on a white Swingman so I'm not too terribly bummed. I will be trying again next game as well, so it's not like I don't have options. The next two guys to come off the court were the only other guys who signed at the February game (Brandon Rush and Marreese Speights). I only had one photo for Rush and he signed it back in February, so my only other item for him to sign was the team logo. He signed that and moved on. If I see him next game (and I probably will), I'll ask him for a photo op/selfie. When Speights came to me, it looked like he was going to scribble across his face, but he hesitated, looked at it, and then signed a neatly-placed "MSpts" across his shoulder. For a Speights signature, that was a pretty neat one and it was certainly a lot nicer than the one he signed for me in February. Nice guy; I wish the other guys were like him. Bogut 0/1 Curry 0/1 Ezeli/Clark? 0/1 Green 0/1 Iguodala 0/1 Livingston 0/1 O'Neal 0/1 Rush 1/1 Speights 1/1 Thompson 0/1 Varejao 0/1 The Thunder blew out the Dubs tonight and I'll be seeing them again for Game 4 at home. I'm hoping Curry will sign my jersey this time; I paid full price for it and even though I don't plan to return it if it stays unsigned, I'd really like to see that "SCy" on it (hopefully on the number this time)! Until next time, J.R. Before you have me committed to a nut house for the title of this post, allow me to explain.
For reasons that I discussed in the last blog entry, I decided to try for the Thunder again tonight. I'm hoping Kevin Durant will be out and signing on the Thunder side this time. I'll save you all the time, not a single player on the Thunder signed. The only people who walked by that could have signed were Kyle Singler, Randy Foye, and assistant coach Maurice Cheeks (who signed for a few on the opposite side). I guess they were wanting to stay focused on winning the game (which they did), but hopefully the non-signing thing doesn't become a more permanent thing -- I love my Thunder graphs. Getting denied by everyone was eerily familiar to the Cavaliers and Lakers. Is OKC the new Cleveland? I did learn one thing from tonight, and that's that the other side is the side to be on if you want to reduce your chances of getting skipped. You don't want to be too high up, though, so if that's the case, you're better off on the side behind the net. The opposite side is parallel to the side I graph the visiting team now. On the Thunder side of the court, a lot of kids stand on the opposite side and the players do sort of make eye contact in that direction when heading back to the locker room. I may try standing over there next time, whenever that may be. Cheeks 0/1 Foye 0/1 Singler 0/1 I'm cautiously optimistic on how the rest of this series will go. If the Spurs win the series, this is quite possibly the last game of the season for me. Until next time, J.R. For tonight's game against the San Antonio Spurs, I've decided to go back to my roots and graph the Thunder. Most of the Spurs don't like signing autographs -- you're lucky if you get Tony Parker and extremely blessed if you get Tim Duncan or Kawhi Leonard. I decided to take a chance and pass on the Spurs this time. I haven't reloaded on Spurs stuff since the last game, and honestly, we can't call ourselves the ThunderGraphs blog without getting some Thunder 'graphs, right? Right. With my luck, this would be the one time Tim Duncan comes out and racks. Oh well, go big or go home! You have to take some chances when you graph. It's the nature of the beast. When I first arrived, it was like a buffet. KD was out, Serge was out, and Leonard was out. I know Leonard doesn't like signing, so I had no realistic expectations for him. I have seen Thunder players sign on the visiting team's side, but I've never seen a visiting player sign for the home team's side (if you've seen it, let me know)! Serge Ibaka came out first, and I was ready for him this time. I already pulled out the photo I wanted him to sign way before I ever left my house. N00b tip? Know the players' habits and use them to your advantage. If a player is the type that leaves the court as the fans are entering the arena, have your stuff out and ready to go before you get to the designated signing area. Your chances of getting the autograph are a lot better if you're not fumbling with your items! He signed my 8x10 for me, and as he was doing so I asked him if I could get a picture with him, but he said no pictures before the game. I already had my camera out, primed and ready to go, so all he had to do was look up right then and smile. He moved down the line but reflexively, I pressed the shutter button. So I'm looking at the camera, he is showing off his profile. You can still tell it's him, but it wasn't a great shot. Oh well. I don't know if that's his rule all the time or if it was just for tonight's game. Either way, it'll be a long time before I ask again. Kevin Durant was next to finish his warmups and he signed for the fans waiting on the Spurs' side of the court and never came back. Some fans waiting on the Thunder side ran over to the other side and presumably got him, but they gave up their spots in the process. I didn't want to run over there because I didn't have anything much for the Spurs since I didn't bother reloading after the last game. I noticed the Thunder players were all warming up on this side of the court (next to their tunnel), and they do this occasionally, but I haven't figured out the pattern yet (whether it is based on their opponent or something else, I don't know). If you know and want to share, please let me know! This blog has probably helped out a few fans this season -- please return the favor if you can! Randy Foye signed one for everyone, and I think he gave me a nicer one than ones he gave on programs (See my shootaround question post) and even added his number 6. Speaking of programs, I have noticed the fans presenting these are getting lazy -- a lot of them aren't even bothering to turn to the player's page, instead opting for the front or back cover. Seriously, the back cover? That's a Midfirst Bank ad. Who knows what happens to these programs when they leave the arena? Anyway, I digress. Mr. Foye may not be the best player on the court, but I'll give him credit for a nice signature. It's legible and it was my first one from him -- but hopefully not my last! Anthony Morrow and Nick Collison signed for the Spurs' side only, but this didn't surprise me as much as KD going over there. How many times have I been over there with my KD swingman ready to go, only to watch him sign for the home crowd? Countless, I'm sure. I wasn't as surprised to see Morrow and Collison signing on the other side, because I saw them there at the last Spurs game I attended, as well as the Grizzlies game. That might be a pattern, but I can't see any real reason for it as the Thunder side didn't have a very big crowd. Other than wanting to break patterns and breaking out of a rut/funk, I have no other explanations. Kyle Singler came out after the Morrow observation and I was thinking about asking him for a selfie, but the Spurs fan behind me started talking to him about his (Kyle's) recent birthday, so I let him pass even though he was there a fairly long time. Andre Roberson is a really nice guy who truly loves his fans, but in his effort to get to everyone, he rushes his signature so sometimes all you get is a sloppy mess that only sort of resembles his initials. I didn't get a #21 from him as I usually do, but points to Mr. Roberson for coming back and signing for the fans he inadvertently missed! This was my first attempt at getting an autograph from Nazr Mohammed, but I never saw him come by. He disappeared, and I'm not even sure he went down the Spurs' side. He sure didn't do that when I was graphing the Spurs last game. It's entirely possible he went down a mysterious third tunnel like Andrew Wiggins did at the Cavaliers game. With surprise appearances by Sam Presti and Maurice "Mo" Cheeks, there were lots of opportunities to graph big names tonight. After the game, I heard posts from the guys in 101 (Ty) that none of the Spurs players had signed, and that the only player they got was KD. I saw some of the autographs he was handing out, and some of them were nice (Ty's photo) and some were just plain ugly (Ty's jersey). In retrospect, I have no regrets with my decision tonight. Every Thunder player that came by, I got -- nobody skipped around. Foye 1/1 Ibaka 1/1 no selfie, sort of Roberson 1/1 Singler 1/1 I won't comment on the game itself, we were behind by nine points throughout most of it except for a brief moment in the fourth when we actually took the lead, only to squander it like we typically do. There's also more bad news for this series; even if the Thunder win a second game and force a game 6, I won't be able to attend as that game is pending for Thursday and I have to work. Oh, the joys of being an adult! In all seriousness, I don't mind, I love what I do, and it helps me pay for Thunder tickets which aren't cheap. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I've finally made the big commitment and joined the True Blue club in an effort to get season tickets. You may have already thought I had season tickets, considering the ridiculous amount of games I go to, but getting season tickets just makes sense and I actually did the math -- I will actually end up saving money this way. I'm not sure how long I will be on the list though -- I've heard it may be years-long, but I'm only looking for a single seat so I wouldn't think it would be that long, right? Anyone out there who's been a member of the club and come off the waiting list, let me know how long the wait was. Let's keep it real. Until next time, J.R. |
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