I live in the mountians of south central CO, so we don't get a chance to go to many (or any) games. His favorite sport, by far, is basketball. His favorite teams are the Mavs and Nuggets.

I was lucky enough to get some fantastic seats (Section 118, about 1/2 way up) for the Mavs & Nuggets in Nov in Dallas. I've never been to an NBA game, and only to AAC once for a Stars game years ago.

Please give me any advice for the ultimate experience for my son. He is a fanatic for the Mavs. Can we show up early to watch shootaround, or go somewhere to possibly get a high five? Any chance for autographs, or anything else we should know about? Any tips on food? This will be a once in a lifetime thing for us, so I want to make it as memorable as possible for a great young man.

Are you only going to watch a Mavs game in Dallas or Denver?

You could consider a road trip to OKC or Utah since their teams are going to be so bad, you will find tickets near the bench for much, much cheaper than what you will find in Dallas or Denver this year. And sometimes when you are the visitor there, a player MIGHT throw something your way if near the bench or exit.

I've done that when the N.O. Pelicans (formerly Hornets) were so bad instead of watching the Rockets in Houston and wanted very close seats.

I'll copy your post into the Mavs' thread. You may get more responses there.

I go to quite a few games, but I'm not too familiar with all the pre-game activities. I think there used to be a way you could watch Dirk warm-up in a different court than the game court, but I'm not sure if they still have that now that he is gone or not.

For food, are you wanting something within walking distance of the AAC, or are you wanting to eat somewhere within 5 miles of the stadium and then drive to the game?

cupofjoe04 said:

---

I live in the mountians of south central CO, so we don't get a chance to go to many (or any) games. His favorite sport, by far, is basketball. His favorite teams are the Mavs and Nuggets.

I was lucky enough to get some fantastic seats (Section 118, about 1/2 way up) for the Mavs & Nuggets in Nov in Dallas. I've never been to an NBA game, and only to AAC once for a Stars game years ago.

Please give me any advice for the ultimate experience for my son. He is a fanatic for the Mavs. Can we show up early to watch shootaround, or go somewhere to possibly get a high five? Any chance for autographs, or anything else we should know about? Any tips on food? This will be a once in a lifetime thing for us, so I want to make it as memorable as possible for a great young man.

---

Contact the arena and ask when the doors open. I used to go see the Rockets play and they'd let you down into the nicer seats up until a certain point. My brother high-fived Olajuwon before the first game of the 93-94 season when the Rockets won their first title and it was always a great memory for him.

I will say this and please take it seriously - a young girl was kidnapped from a Mavs' game last season and fortunately they recovered her alive. Don't let your son go anywhere, especially to the bathroom, by himself. Big events in stadiums with lots of distracted people are prime targets for people involved in human slavery rings.

Thanks for the tips guys.

We will only be going to AAC, because the Mavs and Nuggets are playing in Dallas when we just happen to be there as well. So, any advice on pre-game stuff at AAC would be appreciated.

For food- sorry I was unclear. I was meaning in the stadium. We are very familiar with the Dallas restaurant scene.

cupofjoe04 said:

---

Thanks for the tips guys.

We will only be going to AAC, because the Mavs and Nuggets are playing in Dallas when we just happen to be there as well. So, any advice on pre-game stuff at AAC would be appreciated.

For food- sorry I was unclear. I was meaning in the stadium. We are very familiar with the Dallas restaurant scene.

---

Doors at the AAC open 1.5 hours before tip- I believe around then is when shootaround occurs and lasts for about 30 minutes if I remember correctly? That's probably your best bet for any signings

For food- I'd recommend two options at the arena.

First- The Gentleman Jack Lounge is a buffet-style dinner spot that is downstairs from the Old #7 Club. Pricey, but this is the place where you can overlook the practice court from a set of windows at the restaurant. The Mavs do some shooting there, but you're not guaranteed to see all of them

Second- the Modelo Gold Lion Bar and Grill has some great mexican-inspired eats like a torta burger and a quesadilla-birria thing. Both are great, and is probably my favorite food in the arena. But it's a bar at the corner of the arena, so there's no view of any live action other than what's on the TVs