<hr width="100%" size="2" /> <font size="2" face="Arial"><span id="bodytext" class="georgia md"> Warriors off to a fast start - at the box office Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, October 20, 2007</p> (10-19) 21:51 PDT Oakland -- In a slightly premature trick-or-treat, the Warriors will begin the new season Oct. 30 against the team that ended their last one, the Utah Jazz, and it looks as if Oracle Arena will be packed again.</p> The Warriors' 16-5 run to finish the 2006-07 season and their upset of Dallas in the first round have spurred them to a huge fast break at the box office. They say they have sold more than 5,000 new season tickets and their goal is to reach 5,500.</p> The club won't give out season-ticket numbers, but it is believed they have sold more than 14,000, which would put them in the top five in the NBA. Only the Lakers, Jazz, Mavericks and Spurs are believed to have sold more.</p> The lower bowl is sold out to season-ticket holders, the club announced.</p> Warriors president Robert Rowell said Friday that the team's retention rate among season ticket holders is 90 percent, while the league average is about 85 percent.</p> "We've been in the 80s over the last five years," he said. "Being in the 90s is not an easy feat. You might lose 5 percent just in the circumstances of people moving out of the area or being transferred out for a job."</p> Also, 64 season suites have been sold out, leaving only eight available for single-game purchase, the club reported.</p> The sales are a testimony to the team's stunning late-season run - they had to win nine of their last 10 games to make the playoffs - and coach Don Nelson's appealing brand of fast-break ball.</p> Their 16-5 run began March 5, less than six weeks after they acquired key players Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson in an eight-player deal with Indiana.</p> Their dramatic surge came too late in the season for them to continue their four-year streak of record attendance. Last season's average attendance of 18,104 fell just short of the record of 18,273 they set in 2005-06.</p> The Warriors finished with a modest 42-40 record, tied with the Lakers for the seventh best in the Western Conference. That qualified the Warriors for the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, and they stunned the NBA by knocking off the Mavericks in six games before losing to Utah in five.</p> Golden State's 30-11 record at Oracle was tied for the sixth-best home record in the NBA.</p> The Warriors hope to surpass last season's seven regular-season sellouts, the most they have enjoyed since the arena was expanded from 13,839 to 19,596 in 1996.</p> A 5-10 percent ticket price hike apparently hasn't dented season-ticket sales. The increase was smaller for those who committed to renewing their season tickets by April 6.</p> "From my perspective," Rowell said, "it's been a successful offseason in terms of keeping our core group of players in place and keeping Don Nelson as coach, as well as capitalizing on a nice season in ticket sales and hoping to build a better season this year."</p> Single-game tickets went on sale in September. As part of their new Club 200 promotion, the Warriors have added a permanent sports bar and a high-end lounge in the upper-level end zones, along with Kid Zones of games and activities for youngsters around the upper level.</p> "The food and beverage amenities will be comparable to those offered downstairs," Rowell said. In fact, he said, "Fans from the lower bowl will want to come upstairs."</p> </span></font></p> </p> <hr width="100%" size="2" /> </p> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...0/SPGTST5ME.DTL</p>
