This month marks ESPN's MALIKA ANDREWS' one-year anniversary at the network, but the former Chicago Tribune reporter won't have much time to celebrate with the start of the NBA season this week. With the league achieving a level of parity not seen since the mid-00's, covering the NBA has never been more unpredictable and intriguing in recent memory. Andrews: "I almost feel like I need to see every game because I want to find out which preseason storylines come to fruition and which don't." Before taking THE DAILY through her schedule for the weekend, it was time to set the record straight: Which city has the best in-arena food options? "The best arena food in the league is in Milwaukee -- hands down," Andrews said. "No question about it."
GAME DAY READY: On Friday, I have Knicks-Nets at Barclays Center and Saturday will be Celtics-Knicks at MSG. The fact that the Knicks and Nets are matching up against each other after JIM DOLAN got on local radio and said that the Knicks were going to have a very successful offseason is an interesting topic. Usually on game day mornings, I'll get up and drink way too much coffee. The Nets rarely hold morning shootarounds -- they are one of the bottom-five teams in the league when it comes to that -- so I'll probably spend that morning writing, going over my notes and making some phone calls. I'll get to the arena two-and-a-half to three hours before tip, depending on what TV hits I have to do. Once I've done that, I'll meet with both coaches during their media availability. I also like to go to the open locker room availability, which lasts around half-an-hour. Then I'll head back out onto the court to see who's out there, chat with some folks and check in with the news desk at ESPN about what potential story lines might be developing. I'll chat with players and coaches post-game and catch up with any agents that might be there. Once I've wrapped up with all that, I'll take the subway back to my apartment and get home way too late.
Andrews on her off-days likes to get in some physical activity, whether that be yoga or a spin classESPN
WORKING FROM HOME: Gamedays are almost easier than non-game days because there's a structure to them. On non-game days, the coffee is a constant -- it's the one thing I am truly addicted to. I'll hopefully sleep in a little bit on Sunday, but I really like to do some sort of physical activity since I grew up in an active household and my dad is a personal trainer. Whether it's going for a spin class or yoga or going to the gym and getting a quick circuit training in, I try to do that at some point in the day. After I get that exercise in is when I make myself work on the stories I'm working on. Reporting for stories is fun, but sitting down and writing them just makes you want to pull out all your eyelashes and eyebrows and hair off the top of your head. Sunday is the day where I will have to force myself to write. I do my best writing when I'm walking around and listening to a podcast -- I'll think of three paragraphs and write them down in the Notes app on my phone. Sometimes I'll be reading a book and see a word I like and I write it down to circle back to in case it inspires me. By the end of the day, when I sit down, I'll have 10 different notes compiled on my phone, and then when I put it all together, I'm like, "Oh snap, I've written 700 words today and didn't even feel like I did."
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: In terms of specific games this weekend, I'm going to keep an eye on Bucks-Heat. The Heat could be a dark horse team in the East and the Bucks are one of the favorites. I'm also interested in seeing the 76ers because I'm intrigued by what a JOEL EMBIID-AL HORFORD pairing looks like. Pelicans-Rockets lost a little bit of its zest after Zion went down, but I still want to see RUSSELL WESTBROOK and JAMES HARDEN together and it gives me a chance to evaluate the supporting cast of the Pelicans this year.
OFF THE CLOCK: I am super lucky that my best friend lives in the city, and I love to spend time with her. We are avid consignment shoppers -- it is so much fun to find good deals. It's thrilling to me to find a $600 shirt for $5. I really enjoy yoga. My dad really enjoys it too, so we always try to one-up each other with new moves. Inevitably, my dad pulls out something that I can't do, but it's always a goal for me to come back with something new to try.
Know of someone who should be featured in Weekend Plans? Shoot a note over to lsmith@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
