The first regular-season NBA game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., showcased the largest double-sided halo display in an arena setting and "The Wall" — and it's arguable the latter had the most impact during the L.A. Clippers' game against Phoenix.
As reported by ESPN, the Suns' Kevin Durant found himself at the free-throw line with 10 minutes left in the game, facing something he hasn't experienced in his 17 seasons as a pro. Durant was up against The Wall — 51 uninterrupted rows of seats, the first 13 rows of which are filled with diehard Clippers fans vetted by the franchise in advance and expected to stand and chant for the entire game — and the career 88.4% free-throw shooter missed two foul shots, sending the Dome's sellout crowd of 18,300 into a frenzy.
"Yeah, it was crazy," Durant said, as reported by ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I was just staring at it the whole time. You're not used to that."
Durant would go on to hit a 15-foot fadeaway shot late in regulation to force overtime before the Suns spoiled the Clippers' historic night with a 116-113 win. He finished with 25 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's vision for the $2 billion arena included creation of a home-court advantage unlike any other in the NBA, and it nearly helped the Clippers pull out their first win in the state-of-the-art building.
"It's the experience, the feel of the bowl and the scoreboard," Ballmer told ESPN last week about what he loves about Intuit Dome. "I actually love our standing-room-only section [in The Wall]. It worked great at preseason. Let's see what it works in the game, but it gave you a little bit of a college gym feel ... that's going to feel like a student section because that's what students do."
Durant said the hadn't experienced anything like The Wall since his college days at the University of Texas.
"Oklahoma State has somewhat of an arena like that," he said. "Obviously not that big, but to see something go straight up, I always thought that was cool. The noise sounds a little different. It's going to be a tough road environment for anyone who comes in here."
