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Peers and Seers

Game 7-043: Georgia State at Northeastern
January 30, 2011 10:55 am ET by Kyle Whelliston

Georgia State Panthers at Northeastern Huskies

January 29, 2011 1:00 pm
Matthews Arena
BBState Stats/Recap
Northeastern has always been frustrating. Back at Drexel, the team always helped make the America East hell for the hooping Dragons. It's got to be frustrating to be a sports fan there, too. The school is generally the fourth wheel in the Beanpot, dropped football last year, and has a fragile customer base for the other money sport: men's basketball. Since joining the Colonial Athletic Association, success has been fleeting, and when they're losing, hardly anybody shows up. We're talking hundreds of fans. So, frustrating. But there's nothing as frustrating as the place where the team plays.


This is Matthews Arena. It's nothing less than the oldest hockey arena and the longest-surviving multi-purpose athletic building in the world, dating back to 1910. This is what it used to look like, back then.


It used to be called Boston Arena, because, well, it was the Boston Arena. The Celtics and Bruins played their first games there, in 1924 and 1946 respectively, before they both moved on to bigger Boston Garden. My father took the train to games at Boston Arena when he was a kid (and the conductor even let him drive once). When I was a kid, after he got a divorce from my mother and moved to Charlestown, we took the Green Line to Celtics games at the Garden.

Boston spends all its reverence towards aging structures on Fenway Park. It doesn't have much left over for anything else. I got to see first-hand how the Garden was left to decay and die, then get razed to the ground and paved over in the name of steel-plated progress. My father has vowed never to set foot in TD BankNorth I-Can't-Say-It, and he still hasn't. I once showed him a picture of what Matthews née Boston looks now, and it made him awfully sad. Frustrated, even.


April will mark the 100th birthday of the building. In recent years, it has undergone renovations and upgrades to ensure that it can last another 100. But it's clear that not much thought or effort went into maintaining the feel of a classic, the assiduous process of blending new and old that Fenway's upgrades took. The contrast is even more apparent because the lobby has been brushed with a dignified early-century patina. But that's not where the games are played. In the arena proper, bright molded plastic clashes with dusty painted concrete.




New and old in the same context can be jarring. There are quite a few old houses in New England that have vinyl siding or add-on sun-porches or readymade three-car garages, and the effect on visitors can be one of general discomfort and annoyance. So it can be with old basketball arenas. Nothing disturbs a general gestalt like giant aluminum contraptions.

Another arena of my youth, Madison Square Garden IV, underwent the same sort of slow, unwieldy renovation schedule during my lifetime. But I remember how going into the bowels of the World's Most Famous Arena on my first visit as an actual credentialed journalist changed my perception about it. Deep inside MSG, underneath all the layers of crust, there's an actual soul -- an ugly yet intriguing one. Before I could leave Matthews, I had to go deeper.

There are some design cues that 100 years of so-called improvements could never erase. For instance: actual "box seats!"


And there are radiators that keep the place heated, nearly identical to those at The Palestra.


The further you go into the depths of Matthews, the more you find the oldness of it, the things they wouldn't, couldn't, or didn't bother to overhaul.



This room rumbled and shook and coughed loudly. In a place worthy of pilgrimage, those sounds would likely be attributed to ghosts.


It's sad what's happened to the world's oldest multi-purpose sporting venue, all the plastic and metal that it's had to ingest over the years. But there's still a beating and broken heart in there, it's just hard to find.

@midmajority Game Tweets

12:56 Game No. 7-043: Georgia State at Northeastern. CAA-booooom!
12:57 Matthews née Boston Arena. We have been here before. http://img.ly/2Tf9
13:00 Here come your Huskies. Who "your" is: that is the question. There are about 250 people here. http://img.ly/2Tfe
13:02 Five of them are wearing "green man" body suits that are red and black, spelling out "CHAIS." (as in Chaisson Allen).
13:03 It's one of those name things, like Kleenex or Xerox. No matter the suit color, it goes back to the original. Will always be "green man."
13:04 Georgia State is 8-12, 3-7 in the CAA, on an L6 streak. NU 6-15 (2-8), and those two league wins were their last two games. #youareinformed
13:07 Tip. The pump-up music is the "Baba O'Riley" intro. #theyreallWASTED #dun #dun #dun http://img.ly/2Tfi
13:12 How much of a hoops town is Boston? Fouls are kept on an obvious hockey scoreboard here at Matthews. #twofortripping http://img.ly/2Tfo
13:12 Sophomore Huskie Jonathan Lee opens the scoring with a #superhoop; Chaisson Allen & Joel Smith with their own. After five minutes, 9-5 NU.
13:14 The band opened with "Johnny B. Goode," like last year. Kazoo memories.
13:17 This is our first time in the Matthews press box, which (I think) is new. Either way, excellent stuff. http://img.ly/2Tft
13:18 Northeastern making it rain. With #superhoop showers, that is. Perfect 4-for-4 from 3 so far, Huskies up 13-9 at 12:13 1H.
13:20 I am so rooting for that. RT @dhm: @midmajority If the game goes to overtime, please let us know if the scoreboard says "Period: 3."
13:21 Matthews Arena will turn 100 this April. This was the site of the first Boston Celtics game, and the Bruins' original home.
13:23 We were at Loyola (Ill.)'s Alumni Gym one week ago... so how a school treats its historic building is a considered thought today.
13:25 Lots of upgrades in recent years, but there's never been a general feeling of history. Not much of an effort to tell you what happened here.
13:25 RT @This_SIDs_Life: @midmajority it is - got a view of the facility earlier this year. Shout out to my peep A. Braun on the #northeastern admin to help effort.
13:26 On the court, today, a tech on GSU gives Northeastern two FT's and a bonus basket, so they're up 22-12 at 8:50 1H.
13:29 By that I mean this: the CELTICS, the most successful team in NBA history, played their FIRST GAME here. That might seem important.
13:29 At Matthews Arena, it's worth a tiny banner in the upper rafters with text so small you have to squint to see it.
13:33 7:50 1H, N'eastern up 24-14. Joel Smith has 9, C. Allen has 7. NU probably thought they'd win more games with this kind of backcourt speed.
13:35 More Matthews: my dad used to straphang on the T to Celtics games here when growing up in Everett. There's a #S1 entry about it somewhere.
13:36 I showed him a picture of how it looks now, & it broke his heart. It's like those old houses where folks move in and plasticize everything.
13:37 Well, they are good at it... RT @JeffACherry @midmajority they only care abt hockey. Paint the ball black & put on pads, more might show up
13:39 3:52 1H, NU 26-16. 6-1 Husky froshhh Alex Harris just went down in a heap, limped to the locker room w/ extra assistance. Didn't look good.
13:41 Imagine if Hinkle Fieldhouse took one side of the rafters and plastered "You're In The Doghouse" in gigantic letters. #pissonhistory
13:42 F___ cancer. RT @PTNetherton Today is CvC when all coaches wear sneakers with their suits. @midmajority is against cancer every game!
13:45 Ain't no party like a green man party. http://img.ly/2TfX
13:47 It appears that the NU pep band has added Jay Sean's "Down" this year. I would have totally rocked Lil Wayne's part on the kazoo.
13:48 And just like that, one half of play is over. 33-23 lead held by NU, a ten-point cushion that was gained early and rarely adjusted.
13:50 Well, this is a first. We are witnessing a green man-on-human basketball game.
14:01 Just so you know, greenman basketball is f___ing EPIC. http://img.ly/2Tge http://img.ly/2Tgd
14:01 Stop sleeping on Mason! RT @midmajority360: George Mason 85 William & Mary 69 | GMU 17-5 (9-2) CWM 6-16 (2-9) | http://tmm7.me/9ou #CAA
14:04 We are back for the second half. At some point, the greenman basketball video will be properly uploaded for your enjoyment.
14:05 Greenman basketball: YOU ARE THERE. http://twitvid.com/GXLR4
14:05 In one minute, the Panthers cut the Northeastern lead in half. 33-28, 10:50 2H.
14:07 But Chaisson Allen with some getback, and it's 37-28. Allen with 14. Love how the PA announcer prefaces assists with "thank you ____" here.
14:08 The greenmen are back on the sidelines, but they've taken the masks off. Now they just look like speed skaters awkwardly out in public.
14:09 RT @devyanks90: @midmajority ODU had a greenman jumpshot contest during halftime vs. VCU last week. 1 shot Combined made by 4 people in 1 minute.
14:10 Greenmen by 45 RT @chrispalm: @midmajority Who would win in a game between the green men and the cows?
14:11 This game wants, desires, NEEDS to have a double-digit Northeastern lead. It's like water finding its own level. 15:31 2H, 41-30 Huskies.
14:13 A sad display of civilian FT shooting at the MTO. If anybody can get me a .wav of the NU PA announcer yelling "You're HORRRRIBLE!", TIA.
14:14 Lots of games today, especially on #pixelvision. For example: Butler and Valpo are underway now. And Xavier just dissolved Richmond.
14:16 Georgia State not putting up much of a fight here in 2H. In six minutes, Huskies have outscored them 14-7. 47-30, 13:36 left.
14:18 So why is Northeastern bad? Three reasons: bad defense, no rebounding, and a hellish CAA sched. Have played Mason, VCU, JMU 2x each so far.
14:19 But this will be the Huskies' third win in a row (CWM, UNCW, GSU). At the very least, they know where they are in the CAA hierarchy.
14:23 Javonte Maynor with a long #superhoop for Georgia State to keep it barely respectable. As per CAA/FCC regulations: no relation.
14:24 Looks like the crowds are starting to come back. RT @cwhitted58: #BallState leads 12 to 7 over #Ohio @midmajority http://twitpic.com/3ulaii
14:26 End of the third quarter, and Northeastern leads 51-36. Chaisson Allen with 18, 20 of GSU points are paint ones.
14:30 Chaisson Allen goes down hard to the floor, and 250 fans hold their breaths. He's up and walking gamely to the locker room, so that's good.
14:31 Meanwhile, Alex Harris, who crumpled similarly in the first half, is back on the bench and has played four minutes in 2H. Tough dude.
14:33 Without Allen on the floor, Northeastern looks confused and disjointed. A 7-0 run for Georgia State cuts the NU lead to 57-45 at 5:30 2H.
14:36 And Allen bolts out of the locker room, back to the bench. Larry Bird used to do this all the time, but fans actually noticed and cheered.
14:37 Sometimes, it feels like Boston is to college basketball what Los Angeles is to lacrosse.
14:39 They're from the future, the one we didn't win. RT @alex_faust These GSU uniforms are the ugliest I've seen all year. @midmajority
14:41 On the video screen: that "In The Air Tonight" video with the gorilla sitting at the drums. I bet that hurt Phil Collins' feelings.
14:44 Even more so than "This is Sussudio. A great, great song, a personal favorite."
14:45 Three minutes left. 61-53 Northeastern. Annnnnnd #SANDSTORM
14:48 1:37 left, 61-53 NU. Gutsy, big-balls performance by Chaisson Allen today. 18 points, inspirational return to the floor after a hard hit.
14:50 I think Chaisson Allen works best within the confines of the group, more than as a solo artist.
14:51 And oh crap, here comes Georgia State. At 1:06 2H, the Panthers have cut it to five: 64-59. 11-5 run over three minutes.
14:53 And a game that was 57-38 with seven to go is now a foul parade.
14:55 :42.1 left, Northeastern up 66-60. Time out. You could have just heard a pin drop at Matthews Arena. That's all I'll say about that.
14:57 Northeastern has escape at hand, though... Chaisson Allen (22 pts) keeps making his free throws. :26.8, 68-62 Huskies.
15:00 This will end as a five-point margin. I made it through the game without mentioning the giant CBI banner.
15:02 That's it! Northeastern wins 70-65. The 2 S's in "Chaisson Allen" both stand for "stones." And GSU isn't good. That's what we learned today.
15:04 And in three hours, we'll do this all over again, several miles from here. Harvard! Cornell! (Hoops, not hockey. But we'll catch the third.)
15:08 By request. http://img.ly/2Thr
15:09 RT @midmajority360: Georgia State 65 Northeastern 70 | GSU 8-13 (3-8) NU 7-15 (3-8) | http://tmm7.me/9p1 #CAA
15:11 RT @D1scourse: Worst part: Plenty of room for additions. RT @Dobber_BtB_SBN: Wow. There are no words. RT @midmajority: By request. http://img.ly/2Thr
15:13 RT @seatonob: @midmajority In 20 years. some kid will ask his dad.. "Daddy, what's the CBI?" and Dad will answer "I don't know, son"
15:16 RT @FuzzDons: @midmajority This should be a lesson for people who have fantasy league trophies. #embarrassing RT By request. http://img.ly/2Thr
15:17 I say this with no authority whatsoever, but they need to take that f___ing thing down. Any lawyers out there? Caselaw. Injunctions. #help
15:21 The CBI banner is about 3x the size of the one honoring the first game in Boston Celtics history. I leave you with that. See you tonight.
15:37 Brief heartfelt media room chat btwn head coaches Barnes (GSU) & Coen (NU). Swapping itinerary details. Tough out here on the CAA edgelands.
15:39 Floor changeover. http://img.ly/2ThU

Boxscore

at NORTHEASTERN 70, GEORGIA STATE 65
01/29/2011

GEORGIA STATE 8-13 (3-8) -- J. Fields 3-7 3-4 10; J. Maynor 4-12 0-0 12; J. Micheaux 2-8 2-2 7; E. Buckner 5-10 3-5 13; B. McGee 4-11 1-2 9; J. Ali 4-7 1-2 11; H. Doby 1-3 1-2 3; D. Curry 0-1 0-0 0; M. Johnson 0-2 0-0 0; J. Taylor 0-0 0-0 0; R. Richardson 0-1 0-0 0; J. Vincent 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 11-17 65.
NORTHEASTERN 7-15 (3-8) -- C. Allen 8-17 4-4 22; J. Lee 4-6 4-5 14; K. Black 2-5 3-5 7; R. Pierson 3-10 4-4 10; J. Smith 6-8 2-2 15; A. Harris 0-1 2-2 2; A. Bates 0-0 0-0 0; D. Marshavelski 0-0 0-0 0; C. Avenant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-47 19-22 70.

Three-point goals: GSU 8-24 (D. Curry 0-1; B. McGee 0-3; J. Ali 2-5; J. Fields 1-1; J. Maynor 4-12; J. Micheaux 1-2), NU 5-9 (C. Allen 2-5; J. Lee 2-2; J. Smith 1-2); Rebounds: GSU 29 (E. Buckner 7), NU 31 (C. Allen 8); Assists: GSU 20 (J. Fields 7), NU 15 (J. Lee 5); Total Fouls -- GSU 20, NU 19; Fouled Out: GSU-None; NU-R. Pierson.