AFTER VISIT TO ATLANTA, RILEY HOPING TO AVOID DEJA VU

          After Tuesday's Heat-Hawks game drew 11,279 fans at
     $213M Philips Arena, Heat coach & President Pat Riley said,
     "I hope we don't experience the same thing down in Miami" at
     AmericanAirlines Arena, which is scheduled to open on
     December 31, according to Ethan Skolnik of the PALM BEACH
     POST.  Skolnik writes that "plenty of rows were available
     ... inside cavernous, antiseptic" Philips Arena.  Riley, who
     said that he's "surprised that Hawks fans aren't nearly
     filling" the arena, said, "[It's] a beautiful building, they
     went out and made a lot of changes, brought a lot of talent
     in, and there's a level of excitement inside the
     organization that it's going to be good" (P.B. POST, 11/24).