The chatter outside the Pepsi Center at 6:30 p.m. told the story: Something big was about to happen.
“It’s on fire,” broker Roger Montoya said of ticket sales going on across the street from the arena.
Veteran basketball fans agreed.
“Absolutely, there’s more excitement tonight – and you can tell by the scalpers working the parking lots, as compared to the regular season, when you don’t see them until you get to the Pepsi Center,” said Terri Carnes, a Nuggets fan from Littleton.
Some fans, such as Terry Danvo from Colorado Springs, were bundled up against the cold as the snow fell. Others walked to the arena doors in shirt-sleeves despite the chill and drizzle.
“I’ve watched the Nuggets on television, but this is my first game here,” Danvo said.
Her husband, Mark, who has seen a handful of games at the Pepsi Center this season, appeared upbeat.
“We got one in San Antonio,” he said. “That was big for the team, and we’re hoping to keep the home-court advantage tonight.”
Outside, the pace was quickening, and other fans offered their predictions.
“It’s the playoffs; they have to win,” said Ken Paieski, a Nuggets season ticket-holder from Denver. “They already beat (San Antonio) once. Good coach, good hustle. They made a quality run at the end of the season. They have to win tonight, but they’ll lose in seven.”
Across the street, everyone who passed was being asked if they had extra tickets.
“It’s about the same as what I saw for a Rolling Stones concert and for the Avalanche when they were playing for the Stanley Cup,” said Montoya, a broker who has been in the ticket business for 30 years.
“If you could get the tickets, there’s definitely money out here. A regular $35 ticket in the nosebleed section is going for $75 to $100. The better seats could go up to $300. This is major. We haven’t seen this in a long time for the Nuggets, especially before last year.”
Montoya said fans are competition for the brokers.
“The fans who were lucky enough to buy four tickets will use two of them and sell the other two to pay for all four seats. It’s on fire and will be even after game time.”
Inside the Pepsi Center, as game time drew near, arena suites manager Kevin Giles reported 170 standing-room tickets at $50 each were gone.
Nuggets guard sat quietly in front of his locker and seemed to dismiss theories of a crowd-fueled home-court advantage.
“The crowd will be more enthused, but it’s same old, same old for the players,” Buckner said. “There’s more intensity for the players because it’s the playoffs, but not because of the noise.”
Inside, the seating was packed. Fans swatted together long, white thundersticks with N-U-G-G-E-T-S in yellow letters down the side.
There was bedlam as a massage on the scoreboard asked one question.
“Do you believe?”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
