"Finish them!"

Does anyone out there remember the sweet sweet movie known as Mortal Kombat? (yes, with a K) In this classic film (not to mention the video games), perhaps the most unforgettable line is, "FINISH HIM!" The opponent who has been weakened by repeated blows and barely able to stand is then decimated by a stunning, final blow.

Oh, nostalgia.....

So, anyway, why am I talking about epic films that will live on forever in the minds of those who were kids in the early nineties?

Last week I went with some friends to a pro basketball game. So much fun. And loud. And hot. And crowded. It perfectly embodied all that is 热闹. (this is a word that describes the prior adjectives I just used, and is something that East Asians generally love)

In America, there are certain sounds I associate with being a spectator at a basketball game. The sound of the rock as it rebounds off the wooden floor, the squeaking of shoes as players turn on the dime, guys cryptically calling out plays, etc.

At this game, I heard no such thing. People cheered. The. Entire. Time.... Music played. The. Entire. Game.

You know how when a real huge couple of points are at stake and the home team has to play defense? That's when people generally stand up and cheer, "DE-FENSE!" Thud, thud, thud. "DE-FENSE!" Thud, thud, thud.

Well last week, the defense cheer started from the first play in the first quarter to the final play of overtime. I am not joking.

There were plenty of other cheers as well, some spoken in the standard, national language (such as the "Defense" cheers; or another fan favorite, "Crooked ref!"), and others shouted in the local dialect.

At one point the audience was screaming as one person in the local dialect, and I had no idea what they were saying. I asked my friend (who was screaming this at the top of his lungs) what it meant, and he said it means, "Kill them!" (or "Finish them!").

Needless to say, we did finish them in overtime. Great game.