OKLAHOMA CITY -
Oklahoma City is
preparing to roll out the red carpet as it enters an international spotlight
for the NBA Finals. Some big changes are coming to downtown ahead of Tuesday's
game one.
Downtown is about
to look better than it ever has before. In five days, residents can expect to
see more landscaping, additional lighting, cleaned up construction zones and
lots of Thunder blue.
6/7/2012 Related Story: NBA Finals In OKC Lead To Road Closures Downtown
From the Western
Conference win to the early morning excitement and sheer anticipation, just
about everyone in Oklahoma City is full of joy. After all, the city has never
had this kind of attention.
"[The Thunder]
just brought so much excitement," Thunder fan Linda Shoals said. "We've enjoyed
the whole year."
6/6/2012 Related Story: Thunder Rally To Down Spurs, Take Western Conference Title
Come Tuesday, more
than 140 officers will be downtown in undercover capacities, on horseback and
stationed in skywatch towers.
To accommodate media from
around the world, Oklahoma City has closed Robinson on the west side of
Chesapeake Energy Arena through June 27.
6/6/2012 Related Story: Fans Crowd OKC Stores For Thunder Championship Shirts
The closure affects Robinson from Reno to Southwest 3rd Street,
and Southwest 2nd Street from Robinson to Harvey.
"I leave at 6 p.m.
normally … on nights when we have 7:30 games … it's pretty nuts," downtown
worker Heather Stovall said.
Other changes
include the construction mess. It will be cleaned up as much as possible. If
the rain holds off, expect to see some streets in the construction zones paved.
"It's important to
show our team spirit throughout downtown, and I think everyone is willing to
come together to do that," Oklahoma City spokesperson Kristy Yager said.
6/7/2012 Related Story: Oklahoma City Prepares For Place On World Stage
The city and
chamber of commerce are working with Downtown OKC Inc. to add the extra
lighting and landscaping.
"The stage kind of
doubles with the NBA Finals compared to the Western Conference playoffs,"
Cynthia Reid with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce said. "It
doesn't get much better than this."
The city is also
cracking down on people selling fake NBA merchandise without permits. Fans will
no longer see the tents selling the fake Thunder gear near Thunder Alley.
Buildings
across the city's skyline are planning to light up with Thunder pride. However,
our tallest building, Devon Tower, will stay dark due to the ongoing
construction.
Downtown is about to look better than it ever has before.
OU Sooners
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