Ron Artest, aka Apocolypto, guards up at the Watson Classic
This weekend at the Watson Classic streetball fans were in for a treat. After a game between two defeated teams, where both put forth a strong effort to get that first dub, there was a Ron Artest sighting in the park. Sean Bell’s All-Stars head coach, Lil’ Rah (better known as The Black Bobby Knight, as Joe Pope puts it) made a grand entrance with lots of “Action” as Watson faithful know it.
Lil’ Rah brought a cheering squad to the game that had some of the fellas in the park a little… distracted
Who says Sean Bell’s All-Stars are not gentlemen? They gave up their bench for their guests to have a seat. On the court, despite having Ron Artest and what appeared to be a superior squad the game was always just a little bit too close for comfort for Lil’ Rah’s NBA championship-laden crew.
Ron Ron took a deep fadeaway off a tough spin move
NFP was never scared. They started “The Eighth Grader” and he wasn’t scared as he drained an early trey bomb from deep. NFP wasn’t scared when Sean Bell’s All-Stars muscled up and pushed them around. Airbender, aptly named by Joe Pope, took it right at the heart of the defense for NFP. He’s the kind of player who never really looks like he’d dare attempt a dunk from where he takes off, then all of a sudden – BONG! You just got dunked on. His hops and wingspan are crazy and a lethal combination if he gets room to take off – from anywhere. The man known as “Mike Tyson” showed no fear whatsoever as he pressed up on Ron Artest full court and denied him the ball.
Sweet lookin’ jumper at Watson
It’s always a pleasure to watch a game where you have an underdog team with nothing to lose give their best effort. This time, they actually pulled off the upset! Down the stretch, Ron “Apocolypto” Artest missed a crucial free throw and Airbender neglected the laws of gravity and twisted in the air to finish on a dubious reverse layup plus the foul. It was a thriller at Watson indeed.
It must be a good feeling to have the opportunity to compete against a pro, especially one who just won a championship
Then again, there are pros and cons to everything
The game was representative of Watson in many ways. Competitive. Entertaining. Nobody got hurt and a heavily favored crew took a fall to an underdog. PN Secure Security took care of the safety part. All fans entering the park were quickly introduced to security before claiming their spot among the crowd. Watson is rarely mentioned in the conversation of top tournaments in NYC, but they sure are making a claim for themselves. The teams and top players are there. Joe Pope does his thing on the mic. Aunt May got the food poppin’. All they need are some bleachers to accommodate more fans and Watson deserves a seat among the elite.
Watson draws some NBA players and politicians into the park just off the Morrison Soundview stop on the 6 train (you can get off at the stop prior and walk a few short blocks during construction on weekends).
Airbender blasts off to finish off Sean Bell’s All-Stars, well at least for the day
“MIke Tyson” smiled when he felt the victory was in reach for NFP
Directing traffic for NFP
Airbender makes his move against world-class defender and NBA champion, Ron Artest
Airbender leaped from beyond the paint for this dunk attempt. It didn’t go down, but it never looked like it had a chance until he actually went for it
Block Party – Sean Bell’s All-Stars were invited
Defining how to stretch the defense
The 8th Grader gets his pocket picked here, but he showed that he wasn’t intimidated by the opposition
Sean Bell’s All-Stars head coach, Lil’ Rah debates a call
In game one Irv got a lotta buckets as he finished off The Gym Rats, led by Bang Lee and Bobbito Garcia, who wouldn’t go away without a fight
In the end, it was a great afternoon of basketball. A fan couldn’t have asked for much more than what Watson provided on Saturday. Games there take place on weekends. It is definitely worth the trip if you’re looking for exciting streetball. By the way, in case you were wondering, the artwork on the barber’s canvas that is Ron Artest’s dome piece read: ESPN Rules. Also, if you’ve never been up to Watson the court is located behind all the baseball fields.
Some people in attendance proclaimed that Ron Artest was exposed. I wouldn’t quite go that far. He took some tough shots that didn’t drop for him and he missed one clutch free throw, but he played a good game when he was on the court. He had one particular drive where he took a lot of anger out on the rim, in traffic. However, it is always good to see an upset and you would think it’d be a safe bet to say a team on the street featuring Ron Artest should be an automatic W. Not this time.
