With "Loud and Proud" in Section 1

Scattered through Section 1, standing from tip-off to final horn, were the usual gang of crazies, bonded by their love of a team once down-trodden but now on the rise, copious amounts of Brooklyn Lager, and appreciation for their benefactor, Gotham Gooner. Gooner once again supplied the tickets and the 28 fans who accompanied him, including your intrepid correspondent, supplied the noise.

Toto (you, too, Toko) I've a feeling we're not in East Rutherford or Newark anymore. This is Brooklyn, NY!

To say everyone had a good time would be an understatement, perhaps criminally so. As the lead built and chants of "Brook-lyn," "Let's Go Nets," "Proky" and, "Gerald Wallace" filled and lifted the section, cameras from BCTV and YES Network caught the merry band, time and again, their attire monochromatic, their signs simple but specific.

By chance, the group was seated on four sides of a lone Bulls fan (who should be taking legal action Monday against StubHub). He remained silent other than a few inappropriate comments not repeatable in a family forum ... and delivered sotto voce as not to offend ... or rile up.

Nothing, of course, electrified the group and the rest of the arena like the Deron Williams Dunk Contest audition, when Loud reached a new level, as did Proud. People held their heads as if to ensure they did not explode. At game's end, Section 1 emptied into the lobby, chanting and hollering, setting up a group photo that passers-by joined in.

There have been other nights, other great games here and in New Jersey, but the combination of the great game, the playoffs, the theme and the atmosphere, Blowout in a Blackout has no equals.