It’s been debated for decades: Which city has the best ball players? Well yesterday, the Red Bull Midnight Run Finals gave us the answer.
In a day full of fun laughs and intense competition, teams from New York, Boston, D.C. and Chicago came together in an attempt to defend their cities’ names. Only one came out on top, and boy was it a sweet victory for them.
Yesterday we gave you a brief summary about what happened in the first two rounds in the tournament, and it couldn’t have ended in more exciting fashion in the wee hours of the night.
Each team got settled in the Shearaton hotel in downtown Brooklyn on Thursday night. Friday morning the players from the four cities woke up, ate breakfast and got prepared for an afternoon practice – you can only imagine the amount of trash talk going on. Each team was more than ready to finally defend their city and back up the trash talk on the court.
Once we arrived at Barclays, the players were astounded. They were more than impressed with the new arena and were just enjoying the atmosphere. We walked through the arena and the players became more and more excited to finally pick up some basketballs and get on the NBA floor. The four teams rotated between practicing on the main court, and taking pictures in the auxiliary gym. This was an important time for each team to really develop the chemistry needed to win and get a good feel for each other on the court.
After spending the day with each other, the players became close like an actual team. If you didn’t know better you would think they had been playing together for an entire season.
Once we got back to the hotel we ate dinner and got ready to head back down to the arena for the Nets game. This time, when we arrived at the arena the entire vibe was different. The players (in their specially-made Reebok sweatsuits and Skullcandy headphones) really got an opportunity to take in the entire Barclays Center experience. We enjoyed the first three quarters of the game from the stands before heading down to the auxiliary gym. The players were given their official Reebok game kicks and they all suited up.
While a wildly entertaining double-OT Nets/Pistons game was happening just few away, the players couldn’t wait for it to end so they could finally start playing. Over the course of those overtimes the vibe in the room transitioned. The players became more and more focused and it got more and more quiet. When Joe Johnson finally hit that mean game-winning three over Tayshaun Prince it was finally time for the players to get on the court.
A nice sized crowed stayed after the Nets game to catch the action and made the experience even more special for the players. Once they all got introduced individually, it was finally game time.
Boston and New York played the first game and New York would come out on top in a tough victory. A tough steal in the closing seconds of the 4th quarter lead to a game tying layup for New York that sent the game into overtime. Eventually New York would pull it out even though Boston put up a good fight.
Chicago and D.C played the next game, and it was a scrappy one. D.C. got off to a slow start, trailing 12-1 at one point. Chicago was looking sharp and you could tell they had than extra edge that other teams didn’t really have. But D.C didn’t go down easy. They came back in the end and had a chance in the closing seconds thanks to a deep three by Baby Shaq. Down by three with one last chance, a successful inbound pass to the opposite corner gave them an opportunity to send the game into overtime, but the shot was no good.
The championship game between New York and Chicago was almost as exciting as the Nets game. In the first half New York got out to an early lead and went up double figures at the half. During halftime, Chicago’s huddle was a motivated one. They realized what was at stake and played their hearts out in defense of their city in the second half. They came back for the win and exploded in happiness as soon as the buzzer sounded.
When I asked them how they were able to fight it out and come away with the victory, one of the players responded, “Really you just have to leave your ego at the door. Everyone on the team can play, but when you drop your ego and play selfless basketball, that’s when you’re at your best and we were at our best in that last half.”
After holding up that trophy and celebrating the victory, the players had nothing left to do but look forward to defending their title next year. Until next years Red Bull Midnight Run, the first Red Bull Midnight Run championship trophy will live in Chicago.
Be on the lookout at the start of the week for the crazy highlights from the finals at Barclays Center.
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