It all started with a winter package.

A friend and I purchased tickets to four Nuggets games during the 2015-2016 season. This included a date against the Golden State Warriors on January 13, 2016, which the good guys won 112-110. I was already a lifelong Nuggets fan, but at that point I was hooked. Two years later, Paul Millsap joined the team and I upped the ante to half-season tickets. Last year I decided to take the plunge and went for full-season tickets, which coincided with one of the best seasons in franchise history. Not a bad time to make that decision, huh?

Of course, I renewed my tickets this year and as a follower of this blog, I thought it would be fun to share my observations from each game that I attend this season in section 374, row 11, seats 16 & 17. Let's start with last night's home opener against the Suns.

1. I heard that concession prices at The Can had been raised (you know, because they have to make up that TV money somewhere), but $10.50 for a domestic draft? That's just highway robbery. There will be many nights where I'm sticking to water this season.
2. During player introductions, Michael Porter Jr. received some of the loudest cheers. People want to see him play and are going to get restless if he remains out of the rotation.
3. David Thompson was in the house to present Nikola Jokic with his first-team All-NBA award. A cool moment and just the latest example of how much Jokic means to this franchise.There was also a banner raised for the Nuggets' 2018-2019 northwest division championship. On the one hand, I'm glad we have something to celebrate from last season. On the other, I hope the next one that goes up is for a conference championship or better.
4. I sat through the atrocity that was the Broncos/Chiefs game, so I can't say that the Nuggets' effort in the first quarter was the worst offense I've seen in the past week. I will say that the starting lineup had zero rhythm or flow to their attack, and if it hadn't been for Jokic and Millsap, things would've gotten real ugly.
5. The Jerami Grant trade is already a huge win for the Nuggets. After a listless start where several players could hardly buy a bucket, Grant came in and threw the hammer down to give the team a spark. The Can exploded and it got the fans back into the game. Later on, he had a putback dunk that garnered a similar reaction. He'll be a fan favorite before long.
6. I made a bad joke to a buddy that suns hurt to look at and that was the reason for the Nuggets' struggles, but you have to give Phoenix credit. They fought hard all game, were active on defense and always had an answer any time the momentum started to shift to the Nuggets. One of the fans sitting near me put it best: "They just won't go away."
7. Adventure Club played during the halftime show. As my fiance said, "Maybe it's because I've never been a fan of dubstep,or that I'm just getting old, but this is all just loud noises to me." Agreed.
8. Unfortunately, the second half of the game morphed into my least favorite style of play: the refs decided that they were the stars of the show. It was brutal to watch and frustrating for both teams.
9. There are some season-ticket holders who sit three rows in front of me, usually rocking Jokic swag and a Serbian flag. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, some moron one section over tried to get the wave started (there are few things I detest more at a game than the wave, so if that's your thing, well, then sorry I'm not sorry). One of the guys up front stood up, looked at Mr. Wave in disgust and yelled, "There's a game going on! What the hell are you doing?!" Then they all started booing him. I knew I liked those guys.
10. On that same note, before the game was even over people were heading for the exits. Even more of the crowd left when it went to overtime. I think it's safe to say that Denver still isn't all-in on the Nuggets.
11. At first, I thought that Millsap might've gotten injured. He checked out fairly early in the second half and Grant played the rest of the way. Then I realized that it was simply Malone's decision to roll with him and Malik Beasley down the stretch. I'm all for keeping the $30 million man fresh now if it means more contributions from him come playoff time, and it speaks volumes about the roster that they have enough depth to do that.
12. Between the ridiculous amount of fouls, some boneheaded plays by our guys (come on Beasley, Rubio wasn't even close to making that halfcourt shot) and Phoenix's near-perfection at the free throw line, this was a prime example of an ugly win. But 2-0 is 2-0.