I know I keep on saying I’ve peaked, but now I really have. I had the best day of my life when I was in the Macy’s Parade (I’m literally never going to stop talking about that, so you should get used to it). And now, I have had the best night of my life, attending the Heat v. Knicks game in the FIRST ROW, center court. You may remember how my friend got me into The Parade, well another friend of mine got me in to see this game! I am really #winning at this “friends” thing.

Here’s how it happened: My best friend and college roommate works in media. When you work in media, you tend to have reps for companies you work with, and they have perks. Lots of perks. My friend didn’t even ask for this these tickets! She just casually mentioned being a Miami Heat fan, and the rep was like “let me see if I can get you tickets next time they are in town.” He didn’t mention they were ROW ONE!!

It was a girls’ night with four of us, and we met up 30 minutes before the game. These top-notch tickets also come with access to the Delta Sky Club lounge, which means FOOD. FREE FOOD. There is a catered buffet with lamb, mashed potatoes, shrimp cocktail, burgers, the whole nine. Then there are also hot dogs, soft pretzels etc. AND there is a sushi bar with fresh sushi and all of the condiments. After we finished our pre-game food, we stocked up on food-to-go to bring to our seats. There were bags of cotton candy, bowls of candy, boxes of popcorn and cracker jacks. We were loaded up. I should have brought a bigger purse. We didn’t have time for 16 Handles. Shame. Booze wasn’t included but I was already too full. Plus, one of my friends is pregnant, so #Solidarity, or something.

Once we got to our seats with our many snacks, we realized how AMAZING the seats were. Center court, right behind the announcers. This came in handy for replays. We could see them on the announcer’s screens in front of us! Let me mention the celebrities. SO MANY OF THEM! First of all, the legend, Carmelo Anthony was in the house as well as Sophie Turner. But better yet, we were sitting directly behind “comedian row,” courtside in front of us were Hassan Minhaj, John Mulaney, and Leslie Jones! Also in front of us was CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees.

I was so busy staring at the celebs in front of me, that as I was mindlessly chatting with the random guy to my left about my love for Dwyane Wade (natch), I got a text from my friend sitting on my right. “Do you know who we think you’re sitting next to? Elton from Clueless.” Aka Jeremy Sisto. It was true! I couldn’t place him, but it was definitely the famous “rollin’ with the homie” and I was was rollin’ with him! I tried to google him a few times during the game, but he was literally sitting next to me, so I waited until halftime. I finally got up the courage to ask him if he was in Law and Order (I didn’t want to date myself with the Clueless reference) and he said yes! He sort of rolled his eyes and he said “that’s me, Detective Lupo,” to which the guy he was with replied, “You were in Law and Order? Detective Loophole?” HA! Little did I know, the guy who thought he was Detective Loophole was actually his costar on his current show, FBI! Who knew!?

The night would not have been the same if the Heat hadn’t won. That is the whole point of the game, right? It was so awesome to be courtside, it felt like we were IN the game! We were much more invested because we felt like we were on the court. And the game was CLOSE! The Heat pulled through in the 4^th quarter and won 106-97. YASSS. It was amazing to be there to witness Dwyane Wade’s last season, and to wear his jersey, the same color they were wearing that night! When he left the court, he received a standing ovation, as he should have.

The fun didn’t end there. My friend (the same one who got us the tickets) is from Miami, and her sister knows a few of the guys on the team. My friend, therefore, knows them, too! One of her Heat friends left us post-game passes at will call, so we were able to go to a special section of the stands after the game and mingle with the players. Wade is too cool for that, but a couple of the other heavy hitters came out and chatted with friends and family all around us! Whiteside, Richardson, Winslow, etc.

It was a dream come true. Everything from the free food, to the girls’ night out, to the celeb spotting, to the Heat win… it was magical. And now I can never go to a Heat Game again because it will never compare.