Attendance: 14,134 (16,285) - Hakeem's retirement ceremony

Not to make excuses, but I think PART of the reason is people thought it would be for Nov 2, and bought tix for that... And didn't want to buy tix again for tonight.

 

huh?

 

I for one am thankful. I bought $10 nosebleeds and was able to sneak down in the lower bowl from the very beginning of the game. It appeared to me that the $10 seats were sold out, and maybe the $13. But there were large blocks of row in those $34 sections that were empty. But only 2,000 from a packed house ain't too shabby...

 

Man, I actually heard people booing the Dream before the ceremony.

 

I...as an unbiased non houstonian...gotta say, Hakeem leaving for Toronto so that he could have a chance at better success was a very poor move on his part. Don't get me wrong, I love the dream, but that was quite unprofessional especially with only a couple years left and going to a team that really didn't have a chance at a championship...but yeah, booing is inappropriate for a guy that did so much for the city.

 

even if he was wrong to leave. you should never boo someone that seemed as nice as he seemed to be.

 

agreed...he's still an amazing guy and did wonders for Houston.

 

I looked up into the stands during the game and couldn't believe how many empty seats there were. There was one section, either 104 or 105, that had a BUNCH of empty seats. The upper bowl had a mess of empty patches, too.

I was somewhat disappointed when I drove to Houston and passed the Compaq Center, that the sign outside that faces 59 had no mention of it being Hakeem's retirement ceremony. Or maybe I just overlooked it. If not, then come on guys, do you need some cash for more letters to put on the sign? I'm sure we can chip in...

There's no reason this game shouldn't have been hyped up out the wazoo. There's no excuse for having that many empty seats...

 

Pretty embarassing, really.

 

It wasn't televised nationally. I need a copy of the ceremony!

 

It's not embarrassing, it's just kinda sad - but not really surprising.

I doubt Hakeem cared or noticed though.

 

Ditto on that.

 

Man, I actually heard people booing the Dream before the ceremony

i'm pretty sure people werent booing (i was at the game). it was people chanting "Dream".

 

I thought it was a very nice crowd! Early it looked kinda sparse but it filled up pretty good and way before halftime lol.

The crowd was there for Dream. I think had we been playing someone other than the Golden State Warriors it would have been a complete sellout.

That said, we could have moved down to the lower level but were happy where we were.

A perfect halftime retirement ceremony for the Dream and I'm so glad I was there to show my appreciation for the Dream years!

 

I agree with Mr Mullet.

We were chanting DREEEEEAM, not booing. There was no one in that entire building that was booing. If there were, they probably would have gotten their butts kicked.

 

we were not booing, we were "hakeeming or dreaming!!!"

the lack of attendance was surprising, but it was just as loud and voisterous for Hakeem.

Big moments of the night:

1. When Hakeem walked out of the tunnel before the game, the 3 minute standing ovation (I timed it) was awesome....we all got goose bumps and I saw tears in many eyes. It was like the last time we would see him come through the tunnel with accolade....really a great moment!

2. When Hakeem was speaking (which we could hardly understand--kinda funny), the MVP chant started half way through and he had to stop.

3. The thunder ovation for Guy V Lewis (in a wheelchair) (btw: Mayor Bob did the honors of wheeling him to the floor--I thought he was still in Methodist for the heart thingy)

4. Hakeem wheeling Guy V off the floor (irony)

5. The Jersey Number hanging over mid court the entire game

 

I made that comment last week. The publicity for the ceremony was piss poor. If you weren't a hardcore fan, you would not have known. ESPN Classic did a better job in promoting Dream's retirement than the Rockets. The only place I saw the rockets mention it on TV was at the end of the Cat/Moochie spot.

I think the sign out front should have said something, maybe a HUGE Hakeem poster on the CC. I don't know. I just think that the ceremony was not hyped enough at all. This is a HUGE deal for the organization and it wasn't treated as such. I know season ticket holders that had no idea it was going on and weren't going to go to the game because it was the Warriors.