DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE & Me

Last night I went to the Utah Jazz v. New York Knicks game. It was a present to myself from my Bonus check. The reason I wanted to go - WAS BECAUSE Dee Brown and Deron Williams (and Roger Powell) play for the Utah Jazz. These 3 guys are some of my all time favorite Illini Basketball players and they were all on the Illini team in 2005 that went to the National Championship Game. oohhh and the one small fact that I just happen to LOVE DEE BROWN and have loved him since the day that he started playing ball at Illinois.

So my friend Ramin and I walk into Madison Square Garden and my tix were floor tix, we were only 15 rows from the court. AMAZING. When we walked in I spotted Dee right away, he was on the ground stretching - I was like a little girl, poking and prodding Ramin saying "look there he is, look there he is." Deron was also on the court shooting around.

Ramin and I quickly found our seats with our beers in hand already. I started immediately snapping photos of Dee and Deron. While they were warming up, a man in bright orange pants walked up to Dee on the court. I turned to Ramin and said "HOW come HE gets to go on the court and talk to DEE and I DONT???" Ramin said "Uh Karin, that is Bill Murray." So there stood Bill Murray with Dee and Deron mid-court in his bright orange pants. (Those of you who are Illini fans know very well that Bill Murray is a huge Illini fan!)So there I sat 15 rows back from them in my bright orange Illini sweatshirt watching them Chat it up with Bill. *SIGH* wish it had been me.

However, I am pretty sure they saw me with my bright orange sweatshirt on before they were talking to Bill Murray because Dee and Deron were standing there talking and pointing in my direction.

It turned out to be an amazing game. The first quarter the Jazz ran away with the game, with Deron at point (he has improved so much, if you could even think that was possible!) He is such a good point guard. Dee, who is Deron's substitute, got about 9 minutes during the game and he played pretty decent too. It's definitely a different game for Dee than Illini basketball, but I know in time it will come to him. He still handled the ball excellently. Every time Dee entered the game, I screamed a little bit - not too much like a girl - I tried hard to not be too crazy. Even at one point in time when Dee came into the game, I caught the eye of one of my coworkers that was there and he gave me a thumbs up.

The Knicks ended up coming back and they were ahead. However, Deron playing some Illini ball threw up one of his beautiful 3 pointers at the last second of the game and tied the game to go into OT. That is just the Illini way baby! And you had me in the crowd jumping up and down yelling "That's MY BOY!! That's MY BOY!!" In the OT the Knicks took the lead again, and at the end of OT Deron hit another beautiful shot to put the Jazz back in the lead by 1 point. Everyone thought it was a 3 pointer, but it turned out to only be a 2 pointer. However, somehow one of the Knicks players ran down that court with the ball and laid it in and scored at the very very last second to win the game.

Regardless of the Jazz losing and that I didn't get close to Dee to get pics with him. I had a fabulous time! It was a great game to watch, Deron and Dee are as good as ever. And to see the 2 of them back out on the court again was just like poetry in motion. I can not wait until next year when the Jazz are back here again to watch them play again.

I will say it was a bit odd to see them in baby blue uniforms (almost north carolina blue - yuck - makes the sting of the loss in the National Championship Game 2005 come back a little bit). Just weird not seeing Dee in his Orange and Blue. BUT BUT BUT - As Dee was dribbling down the Court towards me I saw a glimpse of something - his ORANGE mouth piece that he always wore. Some thing never change.....

ILLINI FOREVER!!

Thanks RA for going with me and putting up with me drooling over Dee all nite! I had a great time!

Also before the game, someone from New York Style Interviewed me on camera asking me my thoughts on the previous game where the Knicks got in a brawl and the suspensions. I told them I was a Jazz fan and Rooting for Dee and Deron - so the suspensions, if they came down before the game, would help us out, oh and that Carmello Anthony threw a sucker punch and ran away like a little girl. So maybe somewhere I am on TV talking about DEE in my ILLINI Sweatshirt.