As night fell, the Staples Center was brilliantly lit. The 2001-2002 season playoffs, Western Conference first round, the game between the first and the eighth seed was about to begin.
Earlier, the Eastern Conference's first game concluded with the Boston Celtics easily defeating the Miami Heat on their home court, claiming the first victory.
In another less noticeable game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons, the Hornets won by a single point at home, securing the victory.
The reason it was less noticeable was that only over 9,500 spectators attended in Charlotte, with more than half the arena left empty.
This was the playoffs.
The wealth gap among the 30 teams was quite evident.
Everyone's attention was focused on the popular teams, while the smaller, underdog teams were ignored.
Not only was there no subscription for paid TV broadcasts, but even local fans were unwilling to watch the games live.
