OKLAHOMA CITY, Friday, April 23, 2010 – To follow up the sea of blue T-shirts that engulfed the Ford Center at Thursday’s NBA Playoffs debut in Oklahoma City, the Thunder now aims for a full-fledged whiteout. To make that happen, fans attending Saturday’s Game Four between the Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers will receive a complimentary Thunder white T-shirt, courtesy of Cox Communications.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 8 p.m. to help cheer on the hometown team before the 8:30 p.m. tip time for the nationally televised game. Arriving early is also likely to prove helpful in finding a parking space, since a busy weekend for downtown Oklahoma City will limit available parking.
Single-game tickets sold out last week, but opportunities remain for fans wanting to attend Game Four of the Thunder-Lakers series. As the Thunder did for 41 regular-season home games and Home Game One of the playoffs, 200 tickets will be available in the Fill Up the Ford promotion.
Fill Up the Ford will use a lottery system for Saturday’s game, with the final 100 pairs of Loud City tickets to be raffled. The first 25 numbers drawn will win a complimentary pair of tickets, while the remaining 75 numbers will win an opportunity to purchase two $15 tickets.
The promotion kicks off at 3:30 p.m. just outside the box office, with the drawing set to begin at 6:30 p.m., two hours prior to tipoff. Attendees will be treated to food courtesy Buffalo Wild Wings on Northwest Expressway. More than 400 raffle tickets were distributed on Thursday for a chance at the 100 slots.
Season Ticket Members had first opportunity to reserve tickets for the playoff games when they renewed their season tickets for the 2010-11 season.
Fans are invited to arrive to the Ford Center early to enjoy the festivities of Thunder Alley, which kick off at 5:30 p.m. The outdoor event includes a free pregame concert by rock band Shiny Toy Guns. Founded in 2002, the group boasts two natives of Shawnee, OK, and in 2008 earned a Grammy nomination for its major-label debut album, “We Are Pilots.”
Thunder Alley will also feature $1 Budweiser beers, inflatable games, face-painting, balloon artists, jugglers, a sport court and a big-screen television airing the pregame show.
Like they did on Thursday, fans attending Saturday’s game are encouraged to put on the white T-shirts, provided by Cox, which will be on all seats when arena doors open at 7 p.m. In addition to providing the shirts, Cox is offering a first month free on any new product to fans who wear the Thunder shirt into any metro Cox store.
Fans attending the game will also receive a blue cheer card, courtesy of The Oklahoman, as well as rally towels furnished by the Thunder’s Founding Partners.
During the game, Thunder fans will have an opportunity to bid on a variety of autographed Thunder memorabilia, including a one-of-its-kind piece of Thunder history. Among the auctioned items is the autographed coach’s board Scott Brooks used to diagram plays throughout the season, a season in which he was named NBA Coach of the Year. Also up for bid are player jerseys, photographs and more. The auction starts at 7 p.m. and runs through the third quarter. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Thunder Community Foundation, which helps support the Thunder’s community outreach programs.
Performing at halftime is bucket drummer Peter Rabbit who has toured with such artists at Kanye West and the Neville Brothers. He also starred in a production of the Tony Award-winning “Bring Da Noise Bring Da Funk.”