MADRID — Regular readers know about me and photojournalism. I’ve said it many times before and I suspect it will always be true: I’m a words guy.
However …
I do try to stay alert, especially when abroad, for photo opportunities on my phone that convey some local flavor and basketball culture that hopefully resonate with you like they do with me.
Not that things always go to plan. I couldn’t quite work out, for example, how to take a picture of the young fan wearing a Dzanan Musa Bosnian national team jersey — pretty much the most unique jersey I saw anyone sporting at Tuesday night’s game — without being overly intrusive. On this trip to see the Dallas Mavericks play Real Madrid here, I have also yet to find any retail displays of NBA merchandise that rank as particularly eye-catching, but as always will stay tuned for something from that genre before I head home.
With an assist from photo editor Aaron Stein on mashing up some of the images below … let’s scroll through the collection:
Top half: How the emptied WiZink Center looked from across the street after I left the building late Tuesday night; Botton half: All of Real Madrid’s signage for the game treated Josh Green as the Mavericks’ third star. Newly acquired Grant Williams, rather than Green, is generally regarded as the only sure-fire starter for Dallas at this point along with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
Something else regular readers already know: I have always loved the tranquility of an empty gym. I was able to snap this pic when I made it inside Real Madrid’s Valdebebas practice facility before the Mavericks arrived for the only substantive practice of their 12-day trip.
The first hint, in retrospect, that something was amiss with Dončić: During the very brief open portion of the Mavericks’ morning shootaround Tuesday, No. 77 was pedaling away on an exercise bike. A left calf strain he sustained in practice would limit Dončić to just 4:53 of game time Tuesday night.
Some Spanish colleagues told me that Real Madrid’s press conference room doesn’t get especially full after its Liga ACB or EuroLeague games. The room was absolutely packed front to back for Dončić’s Tuesday morning press conference. (Bonus points if you can find the American in the garish 97.1 The Freak cap.)
I was most definitely not expecting to see two signature chain restaurants well known to denizens of both Lakerdom and Clipperland very close to my Central Madrid hotel.
Top half: Another surprise since my last visit: Madrid is now a hockey town … or, at the very least, a Tim Horton’s town. Saw multiple outlets from the hockey legend’s coffee-and-doughnut chain that apparently began to pop up late in 2017 shortly after my most recent España trip; Botton half: Somehow I expertlymanaged to cut off the most important word on the face of the building in question. butit felt serendipitous to see that my hotel was literally steps from the country’s Asociacion De La Prensa.
I wouldn’t dare to try to shoot game action because there was no shortage of real photographers there taking quality pictures. But I couldn’t resist borrowing this one from my Slovenian colleague Iztok Franko of D Magazine. The picture that tells us all very loudly: Find someone who looks at you like Rudy Fernández looks at Luka Dončić.
What a thoughtful parting gift I received from Gigantes editor David Sardinero: A special Kobe Bryant edition of his tremendous magazine for the flight home … and Gigantes’ dedicated NBA season preview edition.
PS — This obviously isn’t a photo taken by me, but I saw it in the new Yahoo! Sports AM newsletter curated by Axios alumni Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy: Chris Ford sank the first official 3-pointer in NBA history on this day in 1979 in the Giphy clip below.
Ford, who coached the Celtics, Bucks, Clippers and 76ers after a 10-season playing career, died in January at age 74.
As Baker and Tracy note, NBA teams combined to attempt a mere 5,003 3-pointers (2.8 per game) during the 1979-80 season.Last season? Teams attempted 84,165 3s combined … 34.2 per game.
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American spotted 😀
Great work, Mark. Best NBA piece I’ve read this pre-season!