NBA players often talk about the difficulty of playing on back-to-back nights, citing jet lag, tired legs and other factors that make it difficult. ¶ We're sure it is. We're also sure that Peter Casey is not an NBA player. But still, his attempt at a back-to-back-to-back … keep going … is even more grueling and impressive.
Casey is attempting to see 30 NBA games in every NBA arena in just 30 days. So yes, pretty much one game in a different location every day. The only exception is he is taking Thanksgiving off, but he's making up for it on Dec. 1, when he is seeing a doubleheader in L.A. at Staples Center, the arena the Lakers and Clippers share.
"My wife said I had to be home by Christmas," Casey said.
When reached Wednesday in Utah, Casey was exhausted from 15 hours of travel the day before that left him scrambling to arrive in Dallas just before tipoff. Those types of travel disruptions are his greatest fears, but he made it through unscathed.
His odyssey brings him to Minnesota on Saturday, where he will see the Wolves and Celtics. It's not only his first time at Target Center, but also his first time in this state.
"When Ricky Rubio is healthy, they're always one of the top teams to watch on League Pass," Casey said.
The impetus is part personal, part business. Casey, 32, describes himself as a "basketball junkie." His day job is working for a digital company called Team Epiphany. On the side, he recently launched Basketball Passport, which acts as a virtual collection of ticket stubs that lets similar basketball fanatics complete various challenges — attendance-based and otherwise. One of the "stamps" a user can collect is based on attending games at every NBA arena. So Casey is leading the way.
Does he recommend completing the mission in just 30 days?
"I am getting a lot of support. I had one guy tell me he was going to try to top me. I don't recommend it, but I have heard from a bunch of people," Casey said. "I would recommend doing it at a more normal pace.
"This is like 'Amazing Race' meets Basketball Passport."
michael rand
