NBA London: A celebration for European fans who fit out

When the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers square off on Thursday, it will be little more than another run-of-the-mill, mid-January matchup for most. Both are teams whose best case realistically appears to be scraping into the playoffs, while missing the postseason also remains a distinct possibility.

As the latest entry in the NBA’s Global Games series, this meeting of the Pacers and Nuggets will at least have some added importance for one section of the league’s ever-growing global fanbase. Taking place at The O2 in London, the game marks the fifth straight year when regular season NBA action has made its way to European — and more specifically British — shores.

The event offers those who were lucky enough to get their hands on the highly prized tickets an opportunity to get an up-close glimpse at some of the world’s greatest athletes and a taste of the NBA spectacle in person. The true NBA die-hards will be able to take something even greater from the experience, though.

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Following the world’s most famous basketball league from Europe is no easy feat. It’s a grueling and tiresome challenge, but one that can generally be classified as a labor of love. To really be a fan of a league with a relentless 82-game schedule played multiple time zones away involves sacrifice more than compromise.

Trust me, as someone from Ireland who has been an NBA fanatic for the best part of a decade, and will make the trip to London for the fourth successive year this week, I speak from experience. It’s easy to watch and support soccer clubs in domestic leagues throughout Europe, as the vast majority of sports fans on this side of the world do, but an NBA team is a different kind of devotion.

Watching games live is a luxury that can’t be afforded to many. On most nights, the earliest games on the slate won’t start until 12:30 am for those in the UK and Ireland. Make that 1:30 am for those in Spain or 2:30 am for those in Greece. Even for the lucky few, like me, with flexible living and working conditions, the luxury of being able to make those late nights work can still come at something of a cost.

There’s probably no better example of that than how in preparation to watch a game and spend a few days of vacation time in my own time zone this week, I’ve had to spend a few days re-acclimatizing. Yes, for the most hardcore of European fans, jet-lag comes into play without even leaving your home.

None of that is explained in search of sympathy. Instead, it’s to highlight that the opportunity to watch the NBA on your own terms is rare in these parts. It’s about having the kind of dedication that will allow you to bend your will (and often, your body) to match up with the league itself.

Long before 3-1 jokes and “The Block,” while questions still surrounded the team and David Blatt had only recently been fired as Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, LeBron James got the NBA world talking with one single tweet. When the King speaks, everyone stops and listens. Then, everyone hurriedly searches for subtext, and subtexts within the subtext.

In this case, the intention was thinly veiled. Kevin Love, the subject of the highest profile trade upon James’ return to Cleveland, was being sent a message. Once the star of his own small market franchise, Love was being forced to adjust and buy in. From James’ perspective the concept of fitting in likely doesn’t seem all that complex. As the next big thing from an early age, fitting in has always been a priority for LeBron’s various teammates, rather than a focus for James, himself.

Fitting in can be heavily reliant on timing and circumstance, though. Love proved this, when after having been the most beleaguered Cavalier for much of the year, he got his chance to excel when it mattered most. Forcing Stephen Curry into a missed triple in the closing minutes of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, rendered a year of being a far from seamless fit entirely irrelevant. In the end, it only took one memorable moment of fitting in for Love to be immortalized.

Although European fans likely won’t experience an equivalent glory to Love’s unless Adam Silver can deliver on his idea of bringing the All-Star Game to London, in many ways their role in the NBA landscape throughout the season is reminiscent of what Love’s was in Cleveland in 2016. A tough year of marching to someone else’s beat justified by a night where they’re suddenly at the center of what once felt like mere fantasy.

That’s not to suggest that these games feel perfect.

Played in front of a crowd consisting of spectators with all levels of NBA knowledge and experience, it would be a lie to say that the atmosphere is electric for an NBA Global Games matchup. Some pockets of the crowd erupt for scintillating basketball, while others get excited by the t-shirt gun. Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a special energy in the air.

The approach to the arena is dotted with walls adorned by great NBA moments and housing memorabilia. On first sight that’s a feeling that’s quite surreal for those who live and breathe NBA basketball in Europe.

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On every other day of the year, NBA fandom is like a well-kept secret here. It’s not that there’s anything shameful about it, but more a direct relation to the fact that very few people care. You’re not going to hear about the NBA on the radio or read about it in the newspapers. Unless you go looking for it, you won’t necessarily find NBA on TV either. Yet here in one of Europe’s most famous cities, there’s a brief moment where it’s out in the open.

As thousands gather to watch what for the rest of the NBA world is just another run-of-the-mill, mid-January matchup, for those who spend most of the year and their NBA-watching life fitting out, this is a rare opportunity to fit in.