Basketball fans in Singapore were not left high and dry while the Singapore Slingers were away in Brunei. With the National Basketball Association (NBA) still in its pre-season, fans were caught in the thick of the action with NBA’s rookie all-star, point guard T.J. Ford of the Toronto Raptors and the dazzling New Jersey Nets Dancers when the NBA Madness Tour hit VELOCITY @ Novena Square for the first time on Aug 31.

But amid the basketball clinics with T.J., the exciting dance auditions and the amazing display of much-practiced skills, one thing was clear: basketball’s not all about balls but also about quality entertainment and crazy fans.

The Madness

Explosive performances by the unbelievably hot New Jersey Nets Dancers, whooping cheers of young fans, crazy stunts by a mischievous mascot, and a 24-karat gold-plated trophy made for a potent concoction of madness.

Normally reserved Singaporeans gave in to frenzied applause when the 3-day Madness Tour opened with the Nets Dancers doing their thing to Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback” and then the crowd proceeded to go wild when T.J. Ford burst onto court signing autographs and giving everyone high-fives.

But when the much desired Larry O’Brien trophy made its way center stage, the subdued crowd could only exchange looks of undisguised awe.

With the trophy as a backdrop, the unending repertoire of games like virtual basketball (on the Xbox that is) and harrowing slam-dunk contests continued to keep adrenaline pumping. While the response to the games was not too shabby, the most popular in the extensive line-up had to be the auditions by the Nets Dancers.

Professional and amateur dancers from our tiny island came running for a shot at glamour and fame. And that, the two winners, Akane, 31 and Muhd Sidik, 19, certainly got when they danced with the Nets Dancers on the last day of the tour.

Who’s who in the Madness?

The crowd who attended was just as eclectic as the events. The first day saw tie-donning office workers in polished leather shoes plastering themselves on large boards printed with a larger than life Tracy McGrady. So thrilled they were, that they giggled hysterically when their minute arm span could not measure up to Grady’s impressive 2m.

The matches on the second and last day held court outside VELOCITY with young b-ball enthusiasts squeaking away in their Adidas sneakers and who could forget the shoppers who happened to pass by but could not resist the photo-op with the alluring Nets Dancers.

Fun and exciting as it was, the NBA Madness proved that basketball wasn’t just about having a ball.

More than the Game

Who would have thought that basketball didn’t revolve around technical fouls or supremely tall people scoring 3-pointers?

Speaking to UrbanWire during the tour, Loron Orris, Managing Director (Asia Pacific) of the NBA says, “games are not just about the skills but also about the building of a personality”. The NBA does this diligently and before each season begins, players like T.J. go on tours much like this one.

With the foundation established, the personality of the players continues to shine on TV and throughout the season. This, Orris says, contributes to the immense popularity of the NBA and the game of basketball.

Sharing this school of thought is the modest 25-year-old T.J. He says, “It’s the only sport where you can get close to us so this gets fans identifying with an NBA player.”

Entertainment Tonight

But it doesn’t stop there. Orris says that the NBA is also all about the “crazy fans” who want to be entertained and like the NBA Madness which had something for the clueless sports-phobe to the sweaty sports-enthusiast, there’s something in every NBA game that attracts.

No one knows this better than the 6 Nets Dancers who stress that they appeal even to people who might not be interested in the technicalities of the sport. Adar, captain of the Nets Dancers explains that the girls and she would “make visits to the stands and have t-shirt throwing contests during time-outs to keep the energy level up”.

One must also not forget Sly Fox since, as Orris says, “basketball crosses with lifestyle and entertainment” and the laughable antics of the mascot are an integral of the attraction.

So the next time you tune in to ESPN on week nights for a game of basketball, you know that there’s method to this madness.