Brett N.
Yelp
Why 4 stars? Because I don't really have much to complain about, but it wasn't overly impressive either.
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I finally did something I've been meaning to do for years: go to Dallas when the Cavs were in town. AAC is the 7th active arena that I've seen a game in, and there was some uniqueness to it, but it was mostly a pretty vanilla experience.
I stayed right next door at the W, so I did not have to deal with parking or traffic at all - I definitely recommend that for other future visitors, EXCEPT that parking at the W comes at the price of $60, which was jaw dropping. However, my seat in section 310 was approximately 500 steps from my bed, so that was tough to beat.
One small hiccup upon entering was basically the only one of the night: the guys working security were a hot mess. Getting through the metal detectors was quite chaotic and disorganized - it was as if it was everyone's first night on the job. But this inconvenience lasted about two minutes, and then it was smooth sailing.
I walked along the entire concourse of the 100 section and the 300 section because I entered the arena right when gates opened and had plenty of time to kill. The unique thing about this building is that it feels more like you are walking through the halls of an art museum than an NBA arena. It's hard to describe, but it just didn't feel like a sports venue to me - not in a bad way, it was just different.
The 100 level has some interesting sponsorship areas in it. There are maybe like 8 spiraly corner sections that are all decked out in sponsor logos in a really visually stimulating way. The 300 level has the same thing, but it's a very, very, very minimal version of it. These sponsors clearly paid a lot less and got the most drabby little room possible with a few TVs that have videos playing on them. They felt more like a doctor's office waiting room - and I DO mean this in a bad way.
I was only walking in the concourses when there were very few people in the building, so I did not experience any crowdedness first hand, but I did feel like the halls were incredibly narrow. I don't know where all the bodies would fit when everyone leaves at once - but I opted to just stay in my seat and wait until there was no more foot traffic.
The video board is a bit smaller than some of the other arenas I've been to, but it's certainly still plenty big. The PA announcer was entertaining, but the in game entertainment was a bit on the generic side. I'm sure the atmosphere would have been better if my Cavs didn't make the game so non-competitive against a Mavs squad with no Luka or Kyrie.
To be honest, I wouldn't need to come back again, but I'm glad I finally checked this off my list! 3 hours each way is a long way to drive for a basketball game that lasts 2.5.