Imax got game as Golden State Warriors triumph - CNET

Jose Martinez kept checking his pockets to make sure he had his ticket as he rushed through the doors before tip-off. He was en route to witness history -- watching the NBA champion Golden State Warriors live on an IMAX screen.

"Sorry, bro, I gotta make sure I get a good seat," said Martinez, of East Palo Alto, Califoia. "I heard it's sold out."

Warriors All-Star sharpshooter Stephen Curry stood nearly 60 feet tall Thursday night as pro basketball made its big-screen debut in an IMAX theater in Newark, Califoia. The cinema, with its giant wall-to-wall screen, had been transformed into a mini basketball arena. More than 250 raucous fans crammed in to watch as the Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs 112-101.

The event had all of the trappings of a game: bright lights, nonstop cheering, plenty of hot dogs and fans nearly falling out of their seats leaping for free T-shirts shot out of caons.

"This is the next best thing to being at Oracle Arena," Ngai Pham of nearby San Leandro said amid the hoopla. He has attended four Warrior games in person this season. "I can't believe this hasn't been done before."

Called "Dub Nation to the IMAX," the game marked the first time that the movie theater chain, known for oversize screens and intense presentations, had live-streamed a sporting event in North America. The event was exclusive to customers of American Express, the sponsor, and the venue sold out in five hours.

"We had more demand than seats in the theater," said Eileen Campbell, an IMAX marketing executive.

Fans got to watch the Golden State Warriors take on the San Antonio Spurs during the first-ever live-streamed sporting event on an IMAX screen in the United States.
Kelly Sullivan

It's no mystery why IMAX chose the Warriors to start its foray into streaming live sporting events. Golden State has been scorching hot all season and is on track to tie or surpass the NBA record for most wins in a season (72), set by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls 20 years ago. The Warriors also became the second team in NBA history to win 70 games in a season.

Live streams like Thursday's are likely the closest many fans will get to see the Warriors in person. On StubHub, tickets for Thursday's game at Oracle Arena ranged from $121 for a nosebleed seat to $3,640 to sit courtside. The team's home games, located about 20 miles south of the Newark theater, are pereially sold out. In fact, there are more fans on the waiting list for season tickets (more than 20,000), than can actually fill the arena (19,596).

"It's getting too expensive to go to the games," said Denise Choi of San Francisco, who said it was worth waiting 30 minutes on the phone to get two tickets to watch Thursday's game on the (really) big screen. "Real fans will do anything to see the Warriors."

This isn't the first time IMAX has used its technology to rope in fans of something other than superhero blockbusters. (Coming up: "Captain America: Civil War" on May 6 and "X-Men Apocalypse" on May 18.) Several FIFA World Cup soccer matches were shown at an IMAX theater two years ago in Melboue, Australia.

At times, the drama on the court during Thursday's game rivaled the IMAX technology. After a close first half, the Warriors roared out to a big lead (up by more than 20 points at one point) late to put away the Spurs. Curry finished the game with 29 points. A lot was on the line, and the game marked the first time two teams with at least 65 wins played each other in a regular season matchup. They will likely cross paths again in the postseason as the Spurs have the league's second-best record at 65 wins, 13 losses.

As blue and gold confetti filled the air after the game, an ebullient Eduardo Ronquillo of Emeryville, Califoia, who has been to three Warriors games this season, asked an important question aloud:

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