High Above Courtside
To make the shot, I attached my Nikon FA to the catwalk that runs across the ceiling of the old building directly over center court, using a piece of hardware called the Bogen Magic Arm.
Have you seen the original King Kong? Remember the tree trunk that the ship's crew used to cross the ravine filled with manned eating spiders? Remember Kong shaking the trunk as the men fell to an agonizing death?
That’s basically the Boston Garden catwalk.
I was lying on my stomach, high above the court, framing the photo and adjusting the camera settings. It was OK at first, but that tingly acrophobic feeling was beginning to set in.
Just when I had everything set up to my satisfaction, I saw through the viewfinder that one of the many banners flying from the rafters of the building was wafting into my shot.
I descended to court level and found my friend, one of the electricians, who shall remain nameless. He shut off all the ventilation to the building for the entire game, which calmed the air and caused the offending banner to drape motionless.
Though it was winter, Kareem looked uncomfortably hot through that whole game.
I was at Kareem's last game at the Garden. When the Celtics gifted him a collection of jazz albums, I remember asking my dad what jazz was. This may also have been the game that Magic won on a running bank shot 3. Perhaps that was another year.
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