FEBRUARY 15 2009
AMERICANWAY 35
closer to thefloor level and installingbarsat
thecheapest seat level, theblue seats,which
are returning after havingbeen replacedby
teal ones in the 1991 renovation.
Dolan is being lauded for preserving one
of the city’s great treasures, especially in a
year when the new Yankee Stadium will
open itsdoorsandtheoldbaseballcathedral
ing into,” says Sam Presti, the Thunder’s
31-year-old general manager. “Our situa-
tion isspecial aswell,becauseof thepassion
of the fansand thesupportwe’vereceived in
a short amount of time. That’swhatmakes
the leaguegreat.All thesedifferentenviron-
ments, differentpeople—but theyall share
the samepassion,which is thegame itself.
Madison square Garden
isthe league’s
second-oldest arena, and it is starting to
show its age.When theRinglingBros. and
Barnum and Bailey Circus comes to town
for its annual three-week engagement in
March, thestench from theelephantsseems
to linger right untilMay. The luxury suites
areoutdated, and theconcourse iscramped.
Theplacecoulduseagoodpaint job.
For years, the venue’s owner, Cablevi-
sion Systems Corporation, explored build-
ing a newGarden across the street, where
the post office currently sits. Plans were
rumored to have included demolishing the
40-year-old arena to build an office tower
at PennStation. But rather than tear down
the arena’s great history, Madison Square
Garden chairman
JamesDolandecid-
ed to rebuild from
within.
The$500million
renovation project,
whichwill begin this spring, calls for anew
lobby entrance on Seventh Avenue, more
restaurants andbathrooms, andwiderhall-
ways. They are also building luxury suites
dallas Ma vericks
american
a irlines center
—The field-house
style arena has plenty of character
and charm.Munchon the smoked-
brisket sandwich (turkey or pork)
while youwatchMavs ownerMark
Cuban taunt referees from his
baseline seat. Thepeople-watching
is great at theWHotel, just steps
away from theAAC.
denver n uGGets
Pepsi
center
—The seats are colored to
look like, well, Pepsi. The arena, site
of the 2008DemocraticNational
Convention, is also home toRocky,
the league’smost creativemascot.
Thebest bet here is theBuffalo
Burger.
detroit Pistons
thePalace
of auburnHills
— It’s a suburban
arenawith a tough city feel to it.
Fans are loud and not afraid to
express their feelings, especially to
opposingplayers. Get there early to
find agoodparking spot, and try the
chilled shrimp cocktail.
Golden state Warriors
oracle arena
—TheNBA’s oldest
arena, it was renovated just over a
decade ago. The ceiling is similar
toMadisonSquareGarden’s, and
there’s not abad seat in theplace.
Avoid trafficby taking theBayAea
RapidTransit train fromdowntown
SanFrancisco toOakland. Don’tmiss
thedelicious Provençal FishStew.
Houston r ockets
toyota
center
—This downtown arenawas
built in 2003 and is adjacent to the
ConventionCenter andHiltonHotel.
Arrive early towatchYaoMing’s
pregameworkout. The applewood
smoked turkey is the sandwichof
choice. Almost every opposing team
stays at theFour Seasons down the
street.
indiana P acers
conseco
Fieldhouse
—The entirebuilding
is a tribute to the history of the
game in thebasketball-crazy state
of Indiana; it’s thebest basketball-
only arena in theNBA. The lobby is
like an Indianabasketball museum.
IndianapolisColts quarterback
PeytonManning is a frequent guest.
Players canbe found at theRuth’s
Chris SteakHouse aftermost games.
l o s a n Gel es c l iPPer s
and l os a n Geles lakers
staples center
—This is theNBA’s
busiest andbest-run arena. Both
the Lakers andClippers play here.
Outside, there are statues ofMagic
Johnson andNHL greatWayne
Gretzky, and inside, you’ll often
find the eal JackNicholson seated
courtside at Lakers games. There
are awide variety of concessions,
and the floors a e so clean, you can
eat off of them. You can spend the
whole night watching reigningMVP
KobeBryant or spotting celebrities.
oklahomac ityandnewYork
c ity: twocitiesofferingthenBa
experience intheirownuniqueways.
l eft
//
MadisonSquareGarden
r ight
//
KevinDurant at theFordCenter
