NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder to play its first regular-season game at

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Oct 29, 2008 by Kelley Chambers

Tonight's the night.

After months of anticipation, planning, court battles and a citywide sales tax vote, the Oklahoma City Thunder will play its first regular-season game at the Ford Center against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Downtown has geared up for what is likely to bring tens of thousands of people out to attend the game, eat dinner, or just hang out downtown as the team plays its inaugural regular-season game.

Area merchants are also offering perks for basketball fans from free parking to dinner specials and shuttles to and from the game.

Before people can do anything associated with the game they usually first need a place to park.

Several city-owned and privately owned parking options are available downtown, but two Bricktown parking lot owners are offering 1,000 free spaces for the first game.

Spots in each usually cost about $5.

The Bricktown Parking Garage and BPI Parking have about 500 spaces each.

The owners of those two lots hope fans will remember them when returning for future games.

"Our goal is to have basketball fans realize that we never charge more than five dollars, plus, with the closing of the Robinson street exit, we know that more fans will be using Sheridan to access downtown," said Marsh Pittman from Pittman Resources.

Hotel general managers are also hoping to get a boost in room sales and in their restaurants from the Thunder home games.

John Williams, general manager at the Skirvin Hilton, said the hotel's restaurant, the Park Avenue Grill, will offer an a la carte menu to get diners fed and to the game on time.

Valet parking will be free for people eating dinner at the hotel before the game.

"Being a few blocks from the game, you're far enough from the crowds at the stadium that after the game you can zip right out of the Skirvin," he said.

Williams said he also expects large crowds in the hotel's Red Piano Lounge before, during and after the game.

Jeffery Oliasami, general manager of the Renaissance Hotel, said the hotel will offer drink and appetizer specials throughout the evening. He also plans to set up a stand selling snacks and water as people pass from the Santa Fe Parking Garage through the hotel en route to the Ford Center.

Both Williams and Oliasami said on Tuesday that they still each had a few rooms available for game night.

The Trattoria Il Centro, at 500 W. Main St., plans to continue a service it started offering when the New Orleans Hornets played at the Ford Center.

Manager David Hucks said the Trattoria offered a shuttle to and from the games, and usually dropped off and picked up about 50 to 100 fans who first dined at the restaurant.

Hucks said he is expecting 25 to 50 people to eat at the restaurant and then hop on the shuttle for the Thunder's opening- night game.

But the party downtown is expected to start early on Wednesday.

Beginning at 2 p.m., the stretch of Reno Avenue in front of the Ford Center will become Thunder Alley with a block-party atmosphere including music and entertainment leading up to the start of the game at 7 p.m.

The team announced Tuesday that a block of about 200 opening- night tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on game day. Fans can begin lining up at 2 p.m. at the Ford Center and the tickets will be available for purchase at 5 p.m.

The prices for those tickets were not disclosed.

"We want everyone to be able to witness this historic night," said Dan Mahoney, spokesman for the Thunder. "We will always have tickets available on game night and this game is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to see history in the making."

Kim Searls, director of marketing with Downtown OKC Inc., said from cleaning crews to the police department the city is ready for the first game.

"The good thing about opening night for the Thunder is that we've done this before with the Hornets," she said.

The displaced New Orleans Hornets spent two seasons playing at the Ford Center giving the city a crash course in planning for NBA games.

In July Professional Basketball Club LLC, the owners of the Thunder, settled with the city of Seattle to move the former SuperSonics to Oklahoma City.

Earlier this year Oklahoma City voters approved the extension of a 1-cent sales tax to fund a $120 million renovation to the Ford Center.

The festivities will also likely not be dampened by a thunderstorm on the Thunder's opening night.

On Tuesday the forecast for Wednesday predicted a high of 71 and a low of 47 with no precipitation.

Those factors and more have led up to what many hope will be the biggest event Oklahoma City has ever seen.

"It will be a night to remember," Mahoney said.