“There’s a raccoon loose in the building.”
That could have been the tag line for the warmup portion of tonight’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, which was broadcast on TNT. There was certainly something amiss.
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As the Warriors took the court, the last man out of the tunnel was a little chubbier and a lot hairier than the rest. He was also wearing a Flint Tropics uniform.
The Warriors are known for unusual pregame warm ups — think Steph Curry’s tunnel shots — and tonight, their warmup included none other than Tropics owner/coach/power forward Jackie Moon himself.
Moon, who bears a striking resemblance to (and may actually be) Will Ferrell, was the subject of the 2008 film Semi-Pro. Warriors guard Kay Thompson is a huge fan, having dressed up as Moon for Halloween a few years ago.
Moon did not disappoint. He put on a free-throw clinic, D’d up Thompson and made a shot from the logo.
On his way out of the building, Moon stopped by to warn the refs about the raccoons. One ref hit Ferrell, er, Moon with a line straight out of the movie: “I went to the bank to cash the check…” Ferrell didn’t miss a beat, responding, “Well, you went to the wrong bank.”
Interviewed on TNT afterward Thompson, who has just come back from the latest of two serious injuries, indicated that Moon provided inspiration.
“Through my rehab I would watch Semi-Pro when I had a dark day, and that movie would always keep me in a good light. So I appreciate his coming out and…What a hooper. He can play!”
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