I’m not what you might call a Wizards fanatic. To tell you the truth, I don’t know much about the Wizards, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to go to a game one Saturday night with fellow Beacon member, Noah Gross.

On the Metro ride to the game, Noah laid out the basic facts for me about the night’s matchup: The Wizards were playing the Toronto Raptors, but the Raptors star player Kawhi Leonard was sitting out for the night. We discussed our basketball-watching history. I said I had probably been to one Wizards game in my life; Noah had been to several more.

When Noah and I took our seats, it became clear that, like Noah had explained to me on the train, Wizards games are a production. There was a hanging flame that ignited during the pregame show and a video of the players projected onto the court. Then, the game began.

From the beginning, it seemed as though the Wizards weren’t playing their best. I pointed this out to Noah, who agreed. They were missing shots that seemed easy enough for even me to make (I probably couldn’t have made them). I soon found myself getting really into the game—I was cheering and booing and even took part in some of the chants led by the guy on the loudspeaker.

The game’s halftime show was a walk to honor breast cancer survivors. It didn’t take up much time, so we were left sitting with little entertainment. We were both thankful to see the Wizards come back onto the court for warm-ups.

It was an action-packed third quarter. By the end of it, the Wizards were down 90-82. Noah told me that the fourth quarter is either the best or worst quarter of the game, so I was eager to see how it would go. I was also excited to see whether or not the Raptors would miss two free throws in a row, because if they did, the Wizards promised everyone free Chick-fil-A sandwiches the next day. Unfortunately, the Raptors made pretty much all of their free throws, so we didn’t get free sandwiches. And to add insult to injury, the Wizards didn’t complete their comeback, eventually losing 117-113.

Even though we lost, it was a successful night. I have been converted into a Wizards fan.