$25K for 2 seats? Heat home opener a hot ticket

There was a time when the Miami Heat chose to retire longtime star Tim Hardaway's jersey at their home opener to help ensure the game would sell out.
That was 2009. Just a little bit has changed in the past year.
No perks will be required to fill the building on Friday night when the Heat formally welcome two-time MVP LeBron James and All-Star Chris Bosh for the regular-season home opener against the rival Orlando Magic in a matchup of true NBA championship contenders.
"We're ready to get it going," Magic guard Vince Carter said.
So is just about everyone else involved, from either locker room.
Sure, the Heat will give away 20,000 T-shirts and commemorative game programs to fans who make it through the gates. It's highly unlikely that anyone who plunked down money — big, big money in some cases — to see this game made the decision to attend based on any giveaways.
They came to see a show, the first act of what Miami expects to be a title-winning season.
"It's going to be amazing, a lot of energy going through the building," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said. "That's not going to shake Orlando. They've been there before. They're one of the top teams in the East. They've been playing exceptionally well in the preseason. We can hope to use that for motivation. We're not going to just come out and run away with the game because it's our opening night at home."
The Magic opened their season with a 112-83 win over Washington on Thursday night, before the quick flight down to Miami. The Heat are 1-1, having lost on Tuesday in Boston and then recovering to win in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Subplots are everywhere.
It's still a big deal when Magic coach Stan Van Gundy returns to Miami, where he coached under Pat Riley and then took over Riley's spot as head coach, only to be ultimately replaced by Riley 21 games into what became Miami's championship season of 2005-06. It's Quentin Richardson's first game back in Miami after playing for the Heat last season. Haslem thought about joining the Magic this past summer.
They all take a back seat, of course, to that James-Bosh-Dwyane Wade trio that the Magic shared plenty of opinions about during the offseason. They were together in Miami for a whole 3 minutes, 17 seconds before Wade strained his right hamstring and hobbled off the court for what became a three-week absence that ended in Boston for the regular-season opener.
So while Miami fans will get their first look, in many ways, so will the Magic at Miami's new Big 3.
"People know what our game is. It's been the same game for three years. We'll tweak it a little but they know our game," Van Gundy said. "With Wade not playing and not having those three guys together the whole preseason, they know all the players, but I don't think any of us opposing coaches in the league know what the Heat's game is."
Whatever it is, their game will be good. And so, too, will Miami's business game.
In what's always been considered a football town, the Heat are hotter than perhaps ever before. A pair of courtside seats to the game against Orlando sold on StubHub.com for the whopping sum of $25,884, company spokesman Glenn Lehrman said.
StubHub's data showed that the average price for any seat was $325. For last year's opener against New York — and remember, the Knicks have a strong fan base in Miami with all the transplanted New Yorkers, plus are a draw because of the history between the franchises — the average ticket price was a mere $50, Lehrman said.
And while it is a rivalry — Orlando has won 15 of the last 20 meetings — it's not exactly one where players expect things to get overheated.
At least, not yet.
"It's like Duke-Carolina," said Carter, a proud former Tar Heels standout. "We get along with them. But we want to beat them."
Carter didn't spend much time during the preseason studying what Miami did, and he said he didn't watch James' "The Decision" show where he picked the Heat to bring a dramatic end to a whirlwind free-agent period that saw him bid farewell to the Cleveland Cavaliers after seven seasons.
Instead, Carter thinks many players would agree with him on this point: It's simply time for the teams to play, and at this point in the season, few words beyond that need to be said.
"I'm ready to see what we do," Carter said.
Miami's home fans are as well, as many will see Wade, James and Bosh together for the first time. There's a pregame concert featuring rapper Pitbull, legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons set to play the national anthem, and a crush of celebrities expected.
"It's going to be hot," Wade said.

Anthony leads Nuggets to 110-88 win over Jazz

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Arron Afflalo added 22 and the Denver Nuggets opened the season with a 110-88 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in coach George Karl's return to the bench.

Chauncey Billups chipped in 14 points and eight assists, while newcomer Shelden Williams grabbed 16 rebounds.

Deron Williams had 17 points for the Jazz, who finished 8-0 in the preseason for the first time in franchise history.

Anthony, the subject of trade rumors all summer, and Karl received the loudest ovations in pregame introductions.

Karl missed the final two months of last season after being diagnosed with throat and neck cancer. In his absence, the Nuggets stumbled and were eliminated by Utah in the first round of the playoffs.

Before the game, Karl described his energy for his return as "childlike" but said he was hoping that after the contest "things will calm down and we get back to normal."

Karl was his calm and composed self on the bench, his team in no real danger of losing this contest after jumping out to a 27-point lead early in the third quarter. Billups, who needed stitches after biting his lip early in the game, and Nene were given the fourth quarter off.

Anthony has been mentioned in trade speculation since he brushed off a three-year, $65 million extension with the Nuggets in June. He was in his white jersey with powder blue and gold trim Wednesday, but this possibly could be his final opener with the team.

Paul Millsap had 15 points and Al Jefferson, acquired in a trade with Minnesota over the summer, finished with six. Jefferson said before the game that Utah's pick-and-roll system fits him "perfect" and that he hopes to thrive like Carlos Boozer and Karl Malone once did.

Andrei Kirilenko, who was held to two points, has had his name surface in rumors as part of a deal that would land him in Denver and Anthony with the New Jersey Nets. Kirilenko is scheduled to make almost $18 million this season in the final year of his contract, making him an obvious trade candidate.

But Kirilenko shrugged off the speculation at shootaround, saying he's been potentially traded "so many times, but I still wear a Jazz uniform. I'm still here."

In fact, he's been with the Jazz longer than any other player on the roster.

Gordon Hayward, who led Butler to the NCAA finals last season, made his pro debut in the first quarter. He finished with nine points in nearly 21 minutes.

It was a painful first quarter for the Nuggets. Billups bit through his lip and trotted off to get stitches and Nene was poked in the eye. Both weren't out for long.

Denver started the game on a 9-0 run and kept up the pressure, leading 60-40 at halftime.

The Nuggets remain banged-up in the front court with Kenyon Martin and Chris "Birdman" Andersen recovering from offseason knee surgeries that are expected to keep them sidelined for a while.

Notes: Former Nuggets C Dikembe Mutombo was in town to support friend and newly hired GM Masai Ujiri. ... Billups gave a pregame speech with the gold medal from the world championships dangling from his neck. ... Anthony drew a technical for arguing a call in the first quarter. ... Broncos rookie QB Tim Tebow took in the game from a court-side seat.

Blazers beat Clippers 98-88, spoil Griffin's debut

Brandon Roy scored 22 points and the Portland Trail Blazers spoiled the NBA debut of Blake Griffin with a 98-88 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Griffin had 20 points and 14 rebounds, a year after his rookie season was supposed to begin. The No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft broke his left kneecap in the Clippers' final preseason game and missed all of last season.
Eric Gordon led Los Angeles with 22 points and Rasual Butler scored 16.
Roy added 10 rebounds. He went 0 for 8 from the floor in the second half.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who gave Nate McMillan his 200th victory as coach. Nicolas Batum scored 15 points, Andre Miller 14 and former Clippers center Marcus Camby had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
The Blazers, who beat Phoenix in their opener a night earlier, improved to 2-0 without Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla, who are both sidelined with knee injuries.
Griffin took the microphone before the game and thanked the fans for coming out on opening night. After recording his first NBA statistic — a foul — he electrified the crowd of 18,382 with an alley-oop one-handed dunk. He later scored seven straight points, drawing more cheers for a putback dunk and a tip-in.
Griffin's intensity was on display when he jerked his mouth guard out after getting called for his second foul and sitting down.
But he hardly scored after halftime, and even though they weren't directed at him, he heard the boos that fans don't hesitate to give the Clippers. Chris Kaman drew the fans' wrath when he missed consecutive shots during a stretch in which the Blazers ran off 15 straight points in the fourth. Kaman finished with 11 rebounds.
The Clippers led 71-70 going into the fourth, but they fell apart after scoring seven straight for a 78-74 lead. The Blazers scored at will, with Aldridge getting seven points and Miller four in the decisive run that put Portland ahead for good, 91-80.
Despite Griffin's offensive exploits, the Clippers still trailed 32-23 after Roy scored Portland's last five points of the first quarter.
Los Angeles outscored the Blazers 22-9 to open the second and led by one before Roy scored Portland's last 11 points for a 54-49 lead going into halftime.
NOTES: The Clippers' Vinny Del Negro fell to 2-1 on opening night as a coach. Chicago won both openers in his two seasons as Bulls coach. ... McMillan is 200-212 in six seasons in Portland. ... Former Clippers guard Cuttino Mobley, who retired two years ago because of a heart condition, sat courtside.

Ricky Barnes takes early lead in Malaysia

SELANGOR — American Ricky Barnes shot an 8-under 63 on Thursday to take the lead during the first round of the inaugural Asia Pacific Classic, the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in Southeast Asia.

Sweden's Carl Pettersson, the Canadian Open winner, was two strokes back at 65 along with England's Brian Davis and South Korea's Charlie Wi.

South African star Ernie Els was 3 under with seven holes to play and countryman Retief Goosen was even par with six to go. England's Luke Donald was 2 under with eight holes left.

The 40-man tournament at The Mines Resort and Golf Club also is sanctioned by the Asian Tour. The winner will receive $1 million from the $6 million purse.

Spain players head nominations

Zurich: Seven players from Spain's World Cup-winning team, including Barcelona trio Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Xavi Hernandez, were nominated on Tuesday for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or world player-of-the-year award.
The 23-man list also has three players who starred both at the World Cup and for their club last season: Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan of Uruguay and Europa League winner Atletico Madrid; Wesley Sneijder of runner-up the Netherlands and European champion Inter Milan; and Thomas Mueller of Germany and Bayern Munich, who was top scorer and voted best young player in South Africa.
The past two winners — Lionel Messi of Argentina and Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid — are nominated despite disappointing World Cup campaigns.
The 2007 winner Kaka is left off the list, which includes his Brazil teammates Daniel Alves of Barcelona, and Inter Milan pair Julio Cesar and Maicon.
Chelsea's Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba and Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas are among the three English Premier League players nominated.
The award, formerly known as the FIFA World Player of the Year, is being staged jointly for the first time by FIFA and France Football magazine, which first presented the original Ballon d'Or in 1956.
Votes will be cast by captains and head coaches of men's and women's national teams plus invited journalists. A top three shortlist will be announced on December 6, and the winner named at a ceremony in Zurich on January 10, 2011.
Among the 10 candidates for the women's world player award are Brazil's Marta and Germany's Birgit Prinz, who have combined to win the past seven titles.
Awards for the best men's and women's coach will be made for the first time.
Spain's Vicente del Bosque is competing for the men's honour with nine rivals including Oscar Tabarez of World Cup semifinalist Uruguay and Jose Mourinho, who won the Champions League with Inter Milan before joining Real Madrid.
The women's list contains Maren Meinert, who led Germany to the women's Under-20 World Cup title in July, and Albertin Montoya of FC Gold Pride, champion of the United States' Women's Professional Soccer league.
At the January gala, FIFA also will announce a World XI team in conjunction with the FIFA Pro group of players' unions, the Puskas Award for most beautiful goal of the year, a presidential award and a prize for fairplay.
FIFA Ballon d'Or men's nominations: Xabi Alonso (Esp), Daniel Alves (Bra), Iker Casillas (Esp), Cristiano Ronaldo (Por), Didier Drogba (Ivo), Samuel Eto'o (Cam), Cesc Fabregas (Esp), Diego Forlan (Uru), Asamoah Gyan (Gha), Andres Iniesta (Esp), Julio Cesar (Bra), Miroslav Klose (Ger), Philipp Lahm (Ger), Maicon (Bra), Lionel Messi (Arg), Thomas Mueller (Ger), Mesut Oezil (Ger), Carles Puyol (Esp), Arjen Robben (Ned), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Ger), Wesley Sneijder (Ned), David Villa (Esp) and Xavi (Esp) .

No England star in FIFA World Player of the Year award shortlist

London, Oct. 27 (ANI): Not a single member of Fabio Capello's World Cup squad has made the 23-man shortlist for FIFA's World Player of the Year award.

It is the first time ever that the English game has failed to provide a nominee for the most prestigious gong in football.

According to the Sun, the humiliating snub comes just days after Wayne Rooney became the highest-paid player in the world by signing a 250,000-pound-a-week contract with Manchester United.


Rooney has been a regular nominee for the FIFA award, alongside Three Lions colleagues Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry.

FIFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST: X Alonso (Spa), D Alves (Bra), I Casillas (Spa), D Drogba (IvC), S Eto'o (Cam), C Fabregas (Spa), D Forlan (Uru), A Gyan (Gha), A Iniesta (Spa), Julio Cesar (Bra), M Klose (Ger), P Lahm (Ger), Maicon (Bra), L Messi (Arg), T Mueller (Ger), M Ozil (Ger), C Puyol (Spa), A Robben (Hol), C Ronaldo (Por), B Schweinsteiger (Ger), W Sneijder (Hol), D Villa (Spa), Xavi (Spa).

FIFA COACH OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST: C Ancelotti (Chelsea), V del Bosque (Spain), A Ferguson (Man U), P Guardiola (Barcelona), J Loew (Germany), J Mourinho (Inter/Real Madrid), O Tabarez (Uruguay), L van Gaal (B Munich), B van Marwijk (Holland), A Wenger (Arsenal). (ANI)