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| - Why 4 stars? Because the entertainment is as good as it gets, but the concourses need work.
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For anyone that knows me, I'm a die hard Cleveland sports fan, despite only living there for about 9 months (thanks Dad.) I spent a stupid amount of money to fly up from Tampa to Cleveland for the NBA Finals a few months ago, and I've also been to the Q a couple of other times. So I'll try not to be biased, but let me get the good stuff out of the way.
The video board is the biggest arena screen in the NBA. It's unbelievable. When sitting in the upper bowl especially, it's tempting to just watch the screen like you're sitting in your living room... except that you have about a 1,000 foot screen in front of you. I constantly have to remind myself to look down at the actual court. Also, it shoots fire during the pre game introductions, so there's that.
Everything from the PA announcer, to the Emcee, to the general electricity in the building (especially during the Finals, obviously) is great. So basically, any part of the experience from your seat is as good as it gets.
The problems here live on the concourse. I don't think I've ever felt as claustrophobic in a sports venue, as I did at the Q. With LeBron in town, every game is a sell out with 20,562, so it's not as if there's ever a relief in the amount of people coming out. I wish something could be done about this, but I'm not sure there's a solution outside of something that would cost nearly as much as an entirely new building.
There's also basically no point in having a team store during a Cavs game. They push what feels like 1,000 people in a space meant for 200 max, and the check-out line looks like it's about an hour long. Unless you come in the building as soon as the gates open, and sprint right to the team store, I can't imagine that this is ever a fun experience.
Dan Gilbert (the owner) is practically a personal hero of mine. If anyone can fix that situation, it's him, but I'm not sure it's fixable.
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