There are few places cooler than courtside at the United Center two hours before an NBA Finals game. (OK, courtside during the game would have been da bomb, but get real!)
Our first impression was that Michael’s playground looked smaller than it does on TV. Yet on this day it was vibrating with excitement and anticipation. Those lucky enough to be there, from vendors to NBA VIPs, knew they were seeing history in the making.
We were there to check out the behind-the-scenes production of a Finals game and the NBC kid show “NBA Inside Stuff.”
The first person we met was Dave Zubryzycki, operations manager for NBA Entertainment. We found him fiddling with tangled wires near one end of the court. As the video coordinator, he directs video crews – who take 250,000 images per game – to capture every action and sound on the court. “In this job you’ve really got to know all the angles of the game,” Zubryzycki said.
Across the way from him, standing near the team benches, were two stellar athletes: Olympic swimming champ Summer Sanders and football great Ahmad Rashad. The “NBA Inside Stuff” co-hosts were busy preparing for the popular Saturday morning TV show featuring NBA players, but they took time to chat with Sam.
While Sam quizzed Rashad on his football career, I caught the Luvabulls practice. I cracked up when the squad was joined by a clowning Jayson Williams. The New Jersey Nets forward, onboard to do commentary for the NBA, imitated the squad’s moves – and looked pretty smooth! (When Sam asked him what he’d do to beat the Bulls, Williams laughingly replied, “If we got a lead, I’d steal the ball and run down the clock.”)
After that, we headed outside the stadium to the World Feed Truck, a tiny truck with a big job: broadcasting the Finals around the globe. The folks inside coordinate 93 international telecasts – 90 percent of them live -to more than 175 countries via satellite in 41 languages.
“The only words they say that everyone can understand are `Michael Jordan,’ ” says Teri Schindler, director of broadcasting for NBA Entertainment. “It’s `blah, blah, blah… Michael Jordan.’ “
In honor of our visit – and to ease pregame jitters – the crew distorted footage of Bob Costas on a video wall monitor. With the twist of a dial, Costas’ talking head resembled a light bulb with hair.
After thanking the satellite gang for the impromptu comedy show, we headed back into the stadium, where we ran into the Jazz leaving their locker room. That meant it was getting close to showtime, so Sam and I allowed ourselves to be escorted (read: dragged kicking and screaming) to our “seats” near the NBA cameras above the first tier of the stadium. (We had to stand, but we weren’t complaining.)
As the Bulls ran over the Jazz, Sam said he couldn’t believe he was actually there. “It’s like a dream.”
As the final seconds ticked away, I looked into the rafters and mentally made room for a sixth championship banner.
On this night, with this team, it seemed anything was possible.
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“NBA Inside Stuff” airs at 11:30 a.m. Central Time Saturdays on NBC.
