For the first time in three years I attended a non-neutral site pre-season NBA game. The last two seasons I have attended pre-season games in London, England (2007) and Champaign, IL (2008). Last Tuesday, I also attended the Bulls game in London versus the Utah Jazz.

Last night, with the wife not getting back home until 9 pm, I decided to attend the Chicago Bulls pre-season game versus the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the first NBA pre-season game I have attended at the United Center since October 12, 1999.

Parking
As I did a few times last year, I parked for free in the 2100 block of W. Warren Blvd. The spot on the street is directly across from a Red Top Parking lot making the walk from the car to the United Center quick and safe.

Obtaining Tickets
I thought I had a high probability of receiving a free ticket since it was a pre-season game. However, after walking around the United Center once I had no luck and instead bought a $10 ticket from the box office. I came up with a theory as to why there were not many extra tickets outside the arena – the tickets did not show up. With a regular season game, fans will show up with their extra tickets because they want to attend the game themselves. However, fans with tickets will not show up for a pre-season game.

The Madhouse on Madison
The 300-level at the United Center had a makeover over the summer – a throwback to the old Chicago Stadium. There are now three bars that over look the court (or ice in the case of a Blackhawks game) and 144 flat screen televisions around the concourse – although there are now 800 less seats in the upper deck for both the Bulls and the Blackhawks.

I was impressed with the new look and, given the fact I spend most of my time at the United Center on the 300-level, appreciate the new changes. Last night was a good night to try it out since not many people were in attendance. I’ll find out what it is really like once I attend a regular season game.

The Game
The Bulls hit a free throw with 24 seconds left in the game to win 87-86. Joakim Noah led the Bulls with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Derrick Rose did not play again with a strained right ankle.