Game 1 of the Clippers Hawaii Classic took place yesterday with Raptors-Clippers, and the game was "somewhat overshadowed by widespread delays for the near-capacity crowd attempting to enter" the 10,300-seat Stan Sheriff Center, according to Brian McInnis of the HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER. Per NBA rules, there were "metal detectors and security searches that aren't customary" at Univ. of Hawaii games. Fans "trickled in throughout the first half." Lines were also "spotted extending into the UH Lower Campus parking structure." Afterward, free tickets for tomorrow's rematch were "offered for held-up fans with valid tickets" for yesterday's game. AEG Facilities COO Chuck Steedman said that the arena will "open 30 minutes earlier" for tomorrow's game. Meanwhile, McInnis notes the Raptors "jogged out of the Stan Sheriff Center tunnel for final warm-ups" before yesterday's game and were "introduced on the loudspeaker" as the Clippers. It was an "innocent, amusing mistake that drew some chuckles" (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 10/2).
DEAL-MAKERS: In Hawaii, HJ Mai reported the Hawaii Tourism Authority has an "option to renew its partnership" with the Clippers for the next three years. HTA VP/Marketing & Product Development Leslie Dance said, "We are meeting with them next week while they are here in town. ... It's not meant to be a one-off. It's meant to establish something that we can look forward to every year." HTA signed a partnership with the Clippers in December to "promote travel to the Hawaiian Islands during game broadcasts and at Clippers home games inside the Staples Center in Downtown L.A." Dance "confirmed that HTA has been talking" to the Seahawks about a similar partnership (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/29).
