Over the weekend, I went to my first Suns game of the year. It was a typical 2006 affair for my chosen team: Three-and-a-half quarters of stylish, graceful, high-octane offensive basketball, followed by a near-catastrophic six-minute collapse against a lineup of rookies and third-rate reserves. It ever it were possible for a crowd to feel unhappy after a win, that's what we felt on Friday after the Suns finally disposed of the Nets. Also, I felt a little mopey because Jason Kidd has definitely lost a step or two. If he's old, then I'm old. That said, at least he's getting old for another team.

I enjoyed the game very much, but I enjoyed getting the tickets almost more. Both of my brothers-in-law and one of my sisters wanted to go, so I put myself to work. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I assaulted Craig's List looking for tickets. Finally, after dozens of phone calls and emails, I located two pairs.

For one, I had to drive to what, when I was growing up, was a horse pasture in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains. Now it's a housing development surrounded by other housing developments. My destination was a nondescript house. The inside had been lit in purples and blues, and it was full of mirrors, like a strip club circa 1986. A sad-looking woman with a baby on her hip handed the tickets off to me. She'd won them in a contest, she said, but hadn't been able to find a sitter. For some reason, this exchange made me feel very glum about human nature.

The other pair came with less foreboding. Back in relative civilization, I pulled into the parking lot of a Circle K. A handsome, smiling man stepped out of a FedEx truck. He handed me an envelope containing two tickets and a parking pass.

"I wish I could go," he said. "But Thanksgiving is crazy."

"Yeah," I said. "It's gonna be a good one."

"Jason Kidd versus the Suns? Who wants to miss that?"

"Not me."

"Hope we win!"

"Me, too."

The other tickets had felt like I was buying heroin from an orphan. Or, even worse, they felt like I was selling heroin to an orphan. This felt like I was buying tickets from a fan. It felt like victory, and I knew the Suns were going to be all right.

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