The first thing you notice when you enter Crypto.com Arena for aLakersplayoff game isn’t the noise or the roar of the crowd.
Oftentimes, it’s the famous faces that walk right past you.
On any given night it could be thebiggest names in sports, music, and entertainment.Stand in line for the bathroom with Bad Bunny, overhear a joke from Eddie Murphy, or high-five Matthew Stafford.
It’s true that the arena feels more like a stage than a furnace. ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke commented on it just before tipoff of Game 3 between the Thunder and Lakers.“Is this building remarkably quiet for a playoff game?” she asked Dave Pasch. She wasn’t wrong. But she wasn’t entirely right either.
A Lakers game doesn’t behave like other NBA arenas. It’s not meant to be acollege-like atmosphere, or have a PA announcer yelling at the crowd what to do every second of the game.
Former Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss always envisioned a Lakers game as a theatrical experience.
He wanted fans to experience a “show.” He added a live band, the Laker girls, and courtside celebrities. He dimmed the crowd lights low and put a spotlight on the court. He mixed basketball with Hollywood glamour, music and performance. He wanted you to feel like you were in “the hottest night club” in town.
It was a must-see event, and fans flocked to be seen.
And that is still the vibe to this very day.
In OKC, the experience is engineered. A voice booms through the speakers, directing every emotional beat. “Stand up!” “Get Loud!” Chant “De-fense” on cue.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
