34 AMERICANWAY
FEBRUARY 15 2009
On the cOrner
of 33rdStreet andEighthAvenue inMidtownManhat-
tan, lifemoves faster than LeBron James driving to the basket. The pace
is one of organized chaos as commuters rush to Penn Station to catch a
train and yellow cabs jockey for their next uptown fare. Here, the ticket
scalpersblend in seamlesslywith thehot-dog vendors and theguy selling
newspapers. Yes, only inNewYork.
Thescene is repeatedeveryday,holidays included.Butoncertaindates,
the buzz on the streets is caused by what is happening inside Madison
Square Garden, self-proclaimed the World’s Most Famous Arena. Only
thendoes the city take abackseat to thegame.
construction on the Ford Center was com-
pleted in2002, OklahomaCity voters have
approved a temporary one-cent sales tax,
which is expected to fund a new grand en-
trance, restaurants, and an off-site practice
facility.
“I believe they’ve put in all of the ele-
ments for success,” saysNBA commissioner
David Stern, who attended the Thunder’s
first homegame inOctober.
The Thunder have the look and feel of a
promising franchise; the club sold its entire
allotment of season tickets, approximately
13,000, in five days. They are one of only
fourNBA teamswith awaiting list for sea-
son tickets. And their roster features a ris-
ing superstar in second-year forwardKevin
Durant.
“We’ve soldout everygame,”Durant says.
“The support has been great. Everyone’s
excited. It’s a good place to play basketball
and to live. The fans are just great.”
The atmosphere in New York is differ-
ent, as the New York Knicks have suffered
through seven straight losing seasons; they
last won the NBA championship in 1973.
About 1,500miles away, on the corner of
WestRenoAvenueandSouthRobinsonAv-
enue inOklahoma City, the pace is consid-
erably more tranquil. Here, the taxis obey
the speed limit and the pedestrians wait
for the traffic light to change before cross-
ing the street. There is nothing New York
about it except for one thing: the National
Basketball Association, which has arrived
in the land of oil derricks, tumbleweeds,
and college football to stake a claim on the
American frontier.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly
the Seattle SuperSonics) are playing their
inaugural season at the Ford Center. Lo-
cated in the heart of downtown and just a
shortwalk from thehistoricBricktowndis-
trict, the Ford Center is a state-of-the-art
venue with all the amenities today’s pro-
sports arenas need in order to compete for
the entertainment dollar.
There are 56 luxury suites, 3,300 club
seats, three restaurants, and 24 concession
stands around the arena. Seating capac-
ity for Thunder games is 19,136, andmore
upgrades are on the horizon. Although
Their titledrought is35yearsand counting,
withno end in sight. The optimisticKnicks
fans believe that hope is right around the
block, but the superstitious supporters of
the orange and blue are convinced that the
franchise is cursed for having unceremoni-
ouslytradedWaltFrazierandPatrickEwing,
apairofHall ofFameplayers fromdifferent
generations.That theory isgainingmomen-
tum; baseball’s Yankees andMets, all three
areaNHL teams, and theNFL’sGiantshave
captured at least one championship in their
respective professional leagues since the
Knicks last raiseda championshipbanner.
Yet there is still something special about
attending a Knicks game at Madison
Square Garden, affectionately called the
Meccaby everyone fromMichael Jordan to
Mick Jagger. You feel the history, tradition,
andpassion as soon as you enter. SpikeLee
still tauntsopponents, andWoodyAllenoc-
casionally nods off when the action slows.
Whether the teamwins or loses, the most
famous address inpro sports is theplace to
seeandbe seen.
“No other building has the ambience of
the Garden,” says Frazier, the legendary
Knicksplayerwhonowservesasa television
analyst for the club. “I don’t think teams
fear cominghere like theyoncedid.But it is
still a stagewhere peoplewant to perform.
There are bigger venues andnewer venues,
but there is only oneMadison SquareGar-
den. It is still ‘theplace.’”
Oklahoma City andNew York City: two
cities offering the NBA experience in their
ownuniqueways.
“Every player, every coach, and every
member of our organizationwho comes to
the Garden understands what he is walk-
Atl Ant A hAwks
PhilipsArena
—A rival teamexecutiveonce
described it as theRobinHood
arena.Onone side, there are four
levels of luxury suites (the rich),
andon theopposite side, there’s
nothingbut seats (thepoor). You’ve
got to try theHot Roast Beef Po
Boys at Headlines Bar &Grill. And
Harry theHawk is oneof themore
entertainingmascots around.
BOst On c el tics
tD
BanknorthGarden
— It lacks the
ambienceof theoriginal Boston
Garden, but at least it smells a lot
better and the air conditioning
works. History is up in the
rafters here, where there are17
championshipbanners and all those
retired numbers.Quiz yourself about
which namegoeswith each number.
We’ll start with an easy one: Number
6 is theone andonlyBill Russell.
Also, restaurant the Four’s onCanal
Street is thebest spot before and
after games.
c hArl Otte B OBcAts
t ime
warner cableArena
—Plenty of
good seats are still available inside
this spacious building, whichopened
in 2005. Try theCharlotteBigDawg
at Rock theRooftop, a fan zone in
the concourse that includes a kid’s
interactive area. This arena has the
largest video screen in use in any
NBA facility.
c hic AGO Bulls
united
center
—Visitors pay homage to
the statueofMichael Jordanoutside
themainentrance. Some even toss
coins at Jordan’s feet. TheCenter
is amassivebuildingwith large
hallways andplenty of concessions.
A visit here is not completewithout
apostgame stop at HarryCaray’s
[Italian Steakhouse] onWest Kinzie
Street.
c level An D cAvAliers
Quicken l oansArena
—Otherwise
known as theKing’sCastle, LeBron
James’s home court is becoming a
morepopular destination than the
Rock andRoll Hall of Fame. It offers
great sight lines, andCleveland’s
famous overstuffed sandwich is a
must-have.Wash it downwith a trip
toColdStoneCreamery.
thehottestticketintown
NewYorkCity andOklahomaCity don’t have amonopoly
onNBA fun and excitement. There’s no shortageof
entertainment at any of the league’s 29 venues.
