Going to the Heat-Nets game tomorrow!

[Nitro]

So, as an early birthday present, my dad got tickets to see the Heat-Nets game tomorrow! I've never been to the Prudential Center, so I am very, very excited. I'll try and take pics, but I pawned my camera last year so I may not be able to if my dad can't find his. I'll still give a full report of the game and new arena.

 

For anyone who has been to the Prudential Center, is there anything I should take a few minutes to check out? Like restaurants, stores, etc...?

[Cobb]

Courtside right? :glasses:

[Clutch]

lucky, you get to see the prodigy that is jordan farmar

[Nitro]

Courtside right? :glasses:

 

Ha, I wish. I don't know where the seats are yet as I don't live with my dad and he just got them today, but I am assuming they will be somwhere in the upper level of the lower bowl. most likely behind the basket (where tickets are cheapest).

[Check my Stats]

awesome dude, if it wasn't for school expenses I would have loved to go to the Heat-Raps game this year. hopefully you get treated to a good game, not just a blowout.

 

EDIT: wow he bought them today? I figured ust about all heat games would be sold out already.

Edited October 31, 2010 by Check my Stats

[ChosenOne]

awesome dude, if it wasn't for school expenses I would have loved to go to the Heat-Raps game this year. hopefully you get treated to a good game, not just a blowout.

 

EDIT: wow he bought them today? I figured ust about all heat games would be sold out already.

 

Probably got them off of stubhub or some place like that were people sell tickets for profit or when they cant make it to the game.

[Teletopez]

I'm going tomorrow as well. Hoping to see the Nets' home louder than it's been in years.

[xx.]

Lower bound behind the basket?

 

You better have cardboard cutouts of Delonte West and one of his mom if you can do that and wave them high so LeBron can see em when hes shooting free throws, do it [expletive]gott

[The Lone Granger]

That's pretty awesome man! Congrats, and if you can take pictures that would be pretty awesome. Either way have fun!

[Nitro]

DAMMIT!!! I just wrote up this big report, but my IE just closed up out of nowhere. Ugh...I'll do a more shortened version this time. Anyway, just got back about 20min ago, had a great time. Dad got tickets from stubhub for $50, the seats bein in section 108, row 1. Basically, there are 3 different leveled bowls in the middle to corners of the area, and 2 bowls at the end. I was in the 2nd of the 3 bowls at the corner, behind the opposing team's bench. Here's a little report....

 

-The arena is easy to get to via car, and is situated right between the nice® and crappy areas of downtown Newark. For those without a car, Newark Penn Station is only like 2-3 blocks away, so mass transit is easy. There is plenty of police and security outside the facility, so anyone that is afraid of going to Newark shouldn't have any worries. Parking is plentiful, but pretty much all the lots are privately owned and ridiculously expensive (we payed $30, but the lot was right in front of the arena). Be careful, as many of these lots make you give them the keys because they fit as many cars as the lot will fit, and as a result they will purposely block in cars. Some may not care, but it can be a major pain in the [expletive].

 

-The Prudential Center is AMAZING!! Seriously, the difference between the Pru and Izod Center is night and day. The Izod Center was solid white on the outside, had only one thin concourse (with no advertisement of the Nets or Devils) that gave entry to the upper and lower bowl, it was rundown, the food was like carnival quality, they had nothing for fans besides very small souvenier stands, there was simply and upper and lower bowl, the box seats were crappy, there was one thin LED strip, a horrible scoreboard, crappy lighting that made the court look yellow, the sound was terrible, etc... The Pru, on the other hand, is completely the opposite. The outside has a beautiful glass facade with a giant LED screen, there are multiple, spacious concourses that are ultra-clean and have awesome Devils theming, there are various lounges where you can get some great food, the food stands are great, there are plenty of souvenier stands, and the actual arena has plenty of LED strips, bright lighting, the scoreboard is beautiful, and overall the architecture is great. For a comparison, from pictures I've seen, the inside of the Pru looks a lot like the Bobcats arena. It is an awesome place to watch any sport, and it kills me that the Nets haven't been playing here since it first opened.

 

-Oh, and for all you smokers out there, on the main concourse (which is elevated from where you enter on the street) you can walk out onto a big balcony to smoke cigarettes, which is a really nice touch. You get a nice view of the beautiful (hehe) Newark skyline, and also downtown Manhattan. Compared to the Izod Center, where you needed to get handstamped to go outside to either smoke or just enjoy the fresh air, it is quite an improvement.

 

-Nets fans suck. It was essentially a Heat home game, with the Heat:Nets jersey ratio for fans being about 15:1, and Eddie [expletive]ing House getting a bigger ovation than any Nets player. The arena was pretty full, although like at Yankees and Jets/Giants games, many of the premium seats (lower bowl, middle of the floor) were empty. Everywhere else, including the nosebleeds, were pretty much filled to capacity.

 

-The game itself was over after about 5min. The Heat game out on fire and never looked back. It was the first Nets game I've seen this season, and I'm about to post a topic analyzing the Heat so far this season, so I'll just give my take on what they did today. Lopez started off extremely well, but he was their only source of offense until later in the game, when Harris decided to show up once the game was way out of reach. Lopez has a great arsenal in the post, and has the size to make it work. Very underrated, and while he may or may not ever be a great #1 option, he will be a vital part of this team's success down the road. As I said, Harris was a relative no-show. It was my first chance to get to see him play, but I'm already in love with Favors. First thing that caught my eye was his size. He clearly had at least an inch or two and some weight on Bosh, which I was not expecting. He hit the offensive glass hard all game, and he finished a number of broken plays/2nd chance oppertunities. He has tremendous athleticism, and from what I saw on his FT attempts he has a decent touch on his shot. He is still very raw, but he should find his way into the starting lineup immediately until Murphy comes back. If the Nets could acquire a legit playmaking PG, Favors could become a major weapon in the PnR. Outlaw, Petro, Smith, Graham, Farmar, James and Morrow, the team's other off-season acquisitions, combined to shoot for 6-33...aka they were absolutely horrible.

 

-Overall, the Nets lack talent, and lack someone on the perimeter they can consistently run their offense through against a great team like Miami. Harris is a natural SG, and when they make him their primary playmaker, he just doesn't get his teammates enough open looks. The Heat just overwhelmed the Nets' defense with their raw talent and skill, and on offense the Nets had no continuity or easy buckets (a lot of which can be attributed to the Heat's defense). They need a 2nd guy besides Lopez who can consistently create for himself or others. My dad the entire game was talking about how much Melo would make this team better, but honestly I think this team is built for CP3. They desperately need a player with true PG skills.