The BIG3 is off to a fantastic start

Trailing 60-59, Rashard Lewis established post position on Ricky Davis, received the entry pass and made short work of the smaller defender for an and-one lay-in. The 15,177 fans in attendance at Barclays Center went nuts as Lewis got in Davis’s face, pounded his chest, and knocked down the ensuing free throw to seal the game.

The moment was electric, and potentially historic. It concluded the first ever game of the BIG3’s debut season, a standout achievement on its own. Many have tried to bring NBA alumni together for a summer league that could attract fans, but none of them succeeded. Until now.

“It was amazing, atmosphere was great,” Lewis told FanSided following the game. “I didn’t know there was going to be that many people, I didn’t think it was going to be sold out. Walking out there just felt like being in the NBA all over again.”

There was certainly an NBA feel in the building. Ice Cube, the league’s founder, pulled out all the stops to make his 3-on-3 summer basketball tour come to fruition. How it recovers from missteps and grows from here on out are questions for another day, because with that Lewis game-winner, and the three games that built to it, the BIG3 became real, and (hopefully) cemented a formula for longevity.

In the months leading up to this past Sunday, BIG3 advertisements were out in full force in Brooklyn. Fans were promised familiar faces and competitive hoops in a streetball-esque setting and, in other words — a good show. The basketball itself was never going to be world-class, with rosters filled out by retired NBA players. But as an entertainment event, it lived up to its promises. Think the annual All-Star Celebrity Game on steroids, or if the WWE took over NBA event planning. If it sounds silly, that’s because it is, but everybody at Barclays Center bought in, which made for a day to remember.

This was especially the case for the fans. They came in donning the best vintage jerseys they had stored deep in their closets, with Allen Iverson and Kenyon Martin throwbacks dominating the crowd. The energy in the building topped nearly every Brooklyn Nets home game this past season, with deserved ovations for local and national legends like Iverson and Julius Erving. The former was one of the main reasons hoops junkies came out in droves, to the point where Barclays Center bombarded him with multiple “we want A.I.” chants.

Celebrities brought the festivities to another level, with current NBA names James Harden and D’Angelo Russell sitting courtside, Brooklyn-born rapper Fabolous performing at halftime and other well-knowns like Whoopi Goldberg and LL Cool J taking in the action. The halls of the arena were abuzz, the merchandise booths were crowded, and the entire atmosphere felt like an important moment.

But at the end of the day, the BIG3 only works as a league if the product on the court stands out, and although the basketball itself wasn’t amazing, there were enough differences and inspired efforts to make it fun. The games had a summer pick-up vibe, with everybody playing super competitively, diving for loose balls left and right, all without any sets or cogent basketball strategy. It was a nice break from standard organized basketball, with the post-up making a strong return and the four-point circle enticing the crowd with every Stephen Curry-esque attempt. There was plenty of sloppiness to be sure, but it fit the aesthetic. The little details felt right, like players having nicknames on the back of their jerseys, such as Brian Scalabrine’s “W. Mamba” and Lewis’s “Sweet Lew.” Fans also get a game-winner every contest, as the first team to score 60 wins.

Two things tied it all together. The first was players we’ve grown to love bringing back their styles, mannerisms and go-to moves back. Jermaine O’Neal’s post fade was on the money, Ricky Davis couldn’t hit the East River with a tennis ball and DeShawn Stevenson whipped out the three-goggles. The second was the physicality. Having these teams going at each other 100 percent is good. The officials allowing that to pour into the game was fantastic. Hand-checking was allowed, as was whacks to the head at times. After his press conference, Lewis said it felt like the WWE out there, and that he expects every game to be competitive. Stevenson touted the aggressive play as a boon to the league.

“I think it was very physical but at the same time I think it was good,” Stevenson told FanSided. “I think the NBA needs to get back to playing like this. We definitely don’t want to hurt the people that we play against, but I feel like it’s really going back to the old days, 3-on-3, on the blacktop playing.”

Next: 10 BIG3 matchups we can’t wait to see

It would be difficult not to characterize the BIG3’s first day as a win. It was easy to walk into the building indifferent or skeptical, but nobody left feeling that way. How could you when team Power celebrated like they had won the NBA title after Stevenson hit a 30-footer to seal the deal despite only needing a 2-pointer. Or when one fan walks in with the full Iverson getup, down to the white elbow pad and black shooting sleeve on opposite arms. The league has a ways to go, but if it continues to be what it was on Saturday, consider it a can’t miss when in town.

“It’s going to grow,” Cuttino Mobley said at a post-game presser. “It’s going to be something special. It’s definitely going to be something special.”