The great barnum of the NBA took up residence at the Accor Arena this Thursday for the third edition of the Paris Game (111-102 victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Brooklyn Nets). An evening that RMC Sport tells you from the inside.
The experience is intended to be immersive. And since the NBA never does things by halves, the thermometer shows two degrees this Thursday evening near the Accor Arena. As a nod to the cold waves that frequently hit the northeastern United States, where the evening’s heroes come from.
>> All the information on the NBA Paris Game LIVE
With these polar temperatures affecting the capital in recent days, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets have brought back a little bit of Ohio and New York in their suitcase. But more was needed to discourage the public. By 5 p.m., many of them have already braved the cold to make sure they don’t miss a single bit of the show. Among the British, Spanish, Germans and Italians, French fans are almost not in the majority around the room, proof that this third edition of the NBA Paris Game is bringing all of Europe together in the City of Lights. “We want to wait for the NBA to come to Rome, but I have the impression that we will have to be patient,” says Simone, who came from the north of Italy with a handful of friends, with a smile and broken French. .
At the various doors of the Accor Arena, the one dedicated to VIP guests is close to rivaling the general public access points in terms of attendance. Media and marketing event, where the sports poster is only a showcase – even a pretext – for the development of the largest basketball league in the world on the Old Continent, this NBA Paris Game is (largely) organized in the aim of conquering a new audience. And on point, those who got acquainted with the NBA this Thursday evening did not take long to discover the great barnum which accompanies the North American league in each of its outings.
Pleiad of stars
The lucky ones accredited or invited by the NBA were first able to see how easy it was to approach the participants of the meeting. During the warm-up, it is in fact possible to wander on the floor at the famous court side seats, a few centimeters from the touchline. It is also here that a host of stars will take place a few moments later, including Kylian Mbappé, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Ciryl Gane and Pharrell Williams.
A few meters higher, about ten minutes from the half-time interval, four French friends have just spent the entire warm-up standing in front of their seats. “It’s incredible to experience this up close,” says Maxence, eyes wide and smiling from ear to ear. “I’m tall, but it impresses me to see such athletes just a few meters from me.” The four friends admit to having let go over the price of the tickets. “But it was worth it to see all that,” cuts Nicolas.
“The impression that the United States and the NBA have come to us”
Maxence, Nicolas & Co are not fans of one of the two franchises in particular. Like many, they are there to experience the sensation of a little ride on the NBA merry-go-round. “The teams, the settings, the music, the entertainment… We really have the impression that the United States and the NBA have come to us,” relishes Chloé. The feeling of having crossed the Atlantic simply by taking line 6 of the Paris metro is indeed palpable. It must be said that everything is there: entertainment at every timeout, mascots in great shape, loud music – even during the game – and appearances on the giant screen of all the stars present in the stands. In short, everything that makes up the daily life of NBA fans used to watching matches on television.
Even the very cozy atmosphere at the start of the third quarter, when a good part of the spectators were slow to return to their seats after the break, was part of the trip. But the public at the Accor Arena was quick to warm up with the tribute paid to several players who had left their mark on French basketball. At the end of the third quarter, a very big clamor – one of the biggest of the whole evening, almost as high as the explosion at the time of the 10,000 euro shoot registered by a fan between the 3rd and 4th quarter -time – even came down from the bays when Joakim Noah and Tony Parker arrived in the center of the floor.
The start of a fight on the floor raises the temperature
In the fourth quarter, the start of the fight between Tristan Thompson and Nic Claxton raised the atmosphere again, with Ciryl Gane, the specialist in this area, even getting up from his seat in the front row. In the money time, it is finally Donovan Mitchell who brings one last thrill into the Parisian enclosure. Untenable this Thursday evening (45 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists), the Cavs guard buries the Nets’ last hopes of a comeback with a killer three-pointer 3min50 from the end (97-87).
“I was in Brooklyn two weeks ago to see the Nets match against the Milwaukee Bucks. Frankly, the French responded this evening, the atmosphere was there,” confides David after the meeting. “It was a great experience,” says Thierry. “The last match I saw was an NBA final between Golden Stade and Boston (June 2022, editor’s note). The atmosphere is necessarily a little more vibrant in the United States, because there are the real fans. But there the atmosphere was still warm! It’s incredible to have an NBA match in Paris, it’s the American show. We hope that it will continue.” This should be the case from next year. This time with Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs expected… and a setting – the Defense Arena – potentially twice as large.
Felix Gabory, at the Accor Arena
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2024-01-11 22:45:50
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