The world will learn at 9 p.m. Thursday if LeBron James is coming to town.
But even if he doesn't, just the prospect of The King ruling South Beach made Heat seats the toughest ticket in Miami.
With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the fold — and the tantalizing possibility of James still to come — demand for seats was so great for the 2010-2011 season that it crashed the team's website and jammed the phone lines Thursday.
Those trying to buy a season-ticket package through Heat.com Thursday afternoon were greeted with the message: "To purchase your HEAT Season Tickets, please call 786-777-HOOP (4667)."
But many that dialed the number were greeted with an automated response. Those fortunate to get someone on the line learned that just a handful of tickets still remained — at some $6,000 apiece.
While the season tickets are all but gone, the entire season is not quite a sellout. The organization is holding back some single-game tickets for the public, but those will surely go just as fast — especially if James heads south.
The Heat declined to comment on the ticket situation Thursday, aside from confirming that a very limited amount of season tickets remained available, and that the organization was figuring out how to release the remaining seats.
The unprecedented crush began with Wednesday's news that Wade and Bosh agreed to join forces in South Florida, and reached a fever pitch with speculation that James would complete the All-Star trio.
For anyone remotely familiar with the apathetic nature of the South Florida sports fan, this level of fervor is foreign, to say the least.
It's been said more than once that Miami only gets excited for world-class events, and this has to qualify.
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