Celebrity fan's playoff tour hits fieldhouse

(May 25, 2004)

Sitting next to the basket on the north end during Game 2 was one of the most eccentric spectators to regularly attend NBA playoff games.
Jim Goldstein, a wealthy Los Angeles resident, wore a wild outfit consisting of leopard print mixed with pastels, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat pulled low over his graying hair.
Goldstein said Monday's game at Conseco Fieldhouse between the Pacers and Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals was the 27th he has attended in the playoffs this year. He has had courtside seats for 26 of them.
He was in Minneapolis on Sunday night for Game 2 of the Lakers-Timberwolves series.
"I try to take in as many playoff games as possible," he said.
Goldstein said he started traveling to playoff games about 20 years ago.
"With so many games in Los Angeles, it never occurred to me to go traveling (during) the playoffs," he said. "I started traveling regionally, going to Utah and Phoenix, and expanded from there."
Goldstein is as mysterious as he is visible, usually showing up on television during breaks in game action and being profiled in Sports Illustrated.
He seems to enjoy the publicity but reveals little about himself. He refuses to discuss his age, how he made his money or how wealthy he is.
"Let's just say I've had some good investments that have worked out for me," he said.
He said he pays for his courtside seats at all but one NBA venue but wouldn't say which team gives him free tickets.
He said his outfits, certainly unlike anything routinely seen in Indiana, come from trips to fashion shows in Europe.
"I'm very close with the top fashion designers in Paris and Milan," he said. "Every six months, I go to the fashion shows. Sometimes I get pieces made for the shows that never go into production."
That's my chef
Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal likes the craziness and the crazies, especially when they're Pacers fans. During Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Miami, O'Neal looked behind the bench and spotted a man with a bald head and blue and yellow paint all over his face.
"I said, 'This is a crazy guy,' and I looked at him a little bit closer," O'Neal recalled.
Disbelief engulfed him. It was his personal chef, Scott Matheson.
"He cut off all his hair and painted his entire face," O'Neal marveled. "I said, 'Like, wow, there are some big-time fans here.'
"Hopefully, we can keep this mania going and close this series out. We need those crazy people making all that noise and making it hard for the opposing team to come in here and play."

jim@jamesfgoldstein.com

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