Friday night’s NBA playoff game between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat at State Farm Arena was delayed due to a suspicious package outside of one of the entry gates, limiting the arrival of the crowd.
Listed as a 7 p.m. start but actually scheduled for a 7:17 p.m. to accommodate the national-television pregame, the game was delayed 30 minutes and then further delayed to a 7:55 p.m. tip.
According to a statement, “The contents of the package were not found to be explosive and the package was safely removed by the Atlanta Bomb Squad.”
The investigation prevented some fans from moving to their assigned seating sections, with the arena mostly empty at 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Game 4 in Atlanta also is listed for 7 p.m., with that opening tip schedule for shortly thereafter.
The Hawks entered having won 20 of their previous 23 home games.
Per the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “According to Atlanta police, the suspicious package was found near a building at 100 Centennial Olympic Park Drive, about a half-mile southwest of the stadium. The streets around the area were shut down and SWAT team officers were en route to search.”
A follow-up statement said three gates were closed during the schedule entry times so the police and arena security could clear the area.
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