Live blogging Duke/MSU and Kentucky/Kansas from MSG.
Damn, it feels good to be back in Madison Square Garden.
Not only is this my first time I’ve stepped foot in MSG since the Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, this is the first time any basketball has been played at the Garden since then.
Granted it’s not NBA basketball being played in the newly renovated Garden tonight…but it’s pretty close.
Tonight, in the inaugural State Farm Champions Classic, four top-tier teams loaded with NBA-caliber talent will bring big-time basketball back to New York.
In the first game of the double-header, sixth-ranked Duke (2-0) will play Michigan State University (0-1). A Duke or MSU game is always notable in its own right, but tonight’s tilt is extra special. With a win, his 903rd, Coach Mike Krzyzewski would become the all-time winningest coach in DI history, passing his friend and mentor Bobby Knight. On a smaller scale, Blue Devil freshman Austin Rivers will be making his first visit to MSG. If he’s as good as we think, he’ll be coming back here as a player for years to come.
In the second and perhaps more highly anticipated matchup, second-ranked Kentucky (1-0) will take on 11th-ranked Kansas. There’s a lot of history between these two schools, but even if you’re not into the rivalry, there are still plenty of current reasons to watch. There are no fewer than six future NBA players on Kentucky’s roster, including freshmen phenoms Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
There are a lot more storylines here and a lot more unnamed talent…but we’ll get to that later during the live blog. For now, let’s get to it!
7:15 PM : Hey, it’s Tzvi. It’s a real pleasure to be here, following this game live with y’all. Sorry it took me so long to get set up, but it wasn’t as easy as you’d think to find my seat. The Garden is freshly renovated, after all.
7:19 PM: At the 15:45 mark, Duke has a 9-6 lead. Of equal or greater interest, on my way (I should say our way—Ben Osborne is here with me) to my seat I bumped into more than a few people in the NBA family. That list includes: Billy King (GM of the Nets), Herb Williams (assistant coach with the Knicks), Kris Stone (Under Armour), Pat Garrity, Stephen Curry and ex-NBAer Wally Szczerbiak.
7:25 PM: A technical foul was just called on Duke. After the shots, MSU leads 13-9.
7:29 PM: Judging by the abundance of KU/UK gear, a lot of fans are really here to see the later game. (That doesn’t mean they’re not enjoying this one, though.)
7:36 PM: Austin Rivers is back in the game for the Blue Devils. Let’s see what the young scoring machine has to offer tonight.
7:38 PM: Seth Curry, Steph’s little brother, steps to the line after drawing a foul on a mid-range jumper.
7:40 PM: Austin Rivers carries himself like he’s the best player on the court, but MSU’s Draymond Green may have the most polished (albeit unorthodox) game. Green’s yet to score tonight, though, but he does have two rebounds and two assists.
7:45 PM: Frosh Branden Dawson leads MSU with 6 points. Dawkins leads Duke with 8. Game tied at 20, 7:42 to go in the half.
7:47 PM: Fan fav D. Green finished with a loud dunk in traffic. He’s a chunky 6-7, but he battles with the bigs nicely.
7:50 PM: A lot of people—us included—came here to watch Austin Rivers. Dawkins is stealing the show, though. He just hit another three, giving him 11 of Duke’s 25 points.
7:57 PM: Ben just spotted Spike Lee sitting baseline. Guess the director-slash-hoophead is fiending for hoops like the rest of us.
8:02 PM: Though he traveled on the last one he attempted, Mason Plumlee is showing off a nice little hook shot.
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