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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
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Continental divide L.A. fans celebrate after Lakers clinch in Philly
Updated: Saturday June 16, 2001 1:45 AM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lakers fans whooped, danced and cheered their team's NBA championship victory from across the country, while hundreds of police in riot gear kept a lid on the party. Mindful of the mayhem that followed the team's victory a year ago, police on foot, bicycles and horseback surrounded the downtown Staples Center, where a capacity crowd of 18,000-plus watched on giant TV screens as the Lakers beat the 76ers 108-96 in Philadelphia. A few rowdy fans set small fires in the streets, but they were quickly shooed away by police. In the mostly poor neighborhoods near the arena, bootleg fireworks flashed after the game ended. Standing elbow to elbow, officers in riot gear blocked off streets surrounding Staples Center. A long row of police cars, their lights flashing, lined up across the street facing the entrance to the arena. There was a festive party atmosphere both inside Staples, where confetti rained at the end of the game, and outside, where fans poured out of the arena to dance in the street. Off in the distance, some fireworks could be seen. Inside the arena, there was a sea of purple and gold. Outside, there were throngs of blue uniforms, with police officers on horseback, motorcycles, bicycles and in helicopters. Patrol cars packed with as many as five officers circled the streets. One of the LAPD cars displayed a small Lakers flag like tens of thousands of other private vehicles in the city. Inside the arena was an unusual scene: A packed house at $10 a pop, gathered around an empty basketball court, watching TV, cheering and booing and holding up signs, just as if the Lakers were there instead of 2,400 miles away. Unlike the games, where tickets average around $85 and celebrities and the wealthy show up to see and be seen, Friday night's crowd was mostly blue-collar, with many families on hand. When the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in Los Angeles to win the NBA title last year, the city's first major pro sports championship in 12 years, a small mob of hooligans roamed the streets and staged a mini-riot after the game. Last year, two police cruisers were torched in front of Staples and more than 70 cars were damaged, many of them parked in auto dealerships nearby. A TV news van also was destroyed, and total damage to businesses were estimated as high as $750,000. The flashpoint of last year's trouble was near the giant TV screen outside Staples, where some 10,000 people on the sidewalk and street watched the Lakers clinch the title inside. This time, the TV did not carry the game, only messages imploring fans to celebrate responsibly. The downtown parade honoring the two-time champions will be held Monday in Los Angeles. While people jammed the sidewalks for last year's parade, it was a peaceful celebration.
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