{"id":605022,"date":"2026-04-25T05:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/605022\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T05:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:20:13","slug":"five-year-playoff-wait-ends-as-sold-out-moda-center-fuels-a-boost-for-nearby-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/605022\/","title":{"rendered":"Five-year playoff wait ends as sold-out Moda Center fuels a boost for nearby businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) \u2014 The Moda Center was sold out Friday night for the Portland Trail Blazers’ home playoff game, as thousands packed the arena.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a monumental moment for Blazers fans who have waited five years since the Blazers were in a playoff game, especially as only a limited number of people were allowed at the Moda Center during the 2021 playoffs due to COVID-19 restrictions.<\/p>\n

The Blazers bringing the playoffs to Portland is not just good news for fans, it\u2019s also good news for local businesses.<\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/p>\n

Portland Trail Blazers’ fans gather at The Garden Tavern, a few blocks from the Moda Center, where their team takes on the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, April 24, 2026. (Jennifer Singh\/KATU)<\/p>\n

The Garden Tavern is a sports bar and food cart pod just a few blocks from the Moda Center. The general manager, Cynthia Preciado, said when the Blazers do well, so do they.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really great for us. We really thrive during the winter, you know,\u201d Preciado said. \u201cWe\u2019re not like most food cart pods in the area, you know. We are all about Rip City. We lean into that and the Winterhawks, so for them to make the playoffs is amazing for us for the carts as well, all the independent business owners here, the whole neighborhood itself; it\u2019s been great for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blazers making the playoffs this year comes at the same time all eyes are on the Moda Center and whether a renovation deal will come to fruition.<\/p>\n

Supporters argue renovating the Moda Center will provide enormous economic opportunities for the city and state, and it would also keep the Blazers in town. Others claim a renovation would not be the best current use of taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n

Oregon lawmakers already approved $365 million in public funding for the project, but the final deal hinges on whether city leaders will agree to funnel local funds and on what terms. Portland City Council is currently divided.<\/p>\n

Some Portlanders believe the playoffs in Portland may influence people’s perception of the renovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say anybody who can come down and experience it would be in favor,\u201d Colman Currie said. \u201cYou know, when you start talking about tax dollars, you\u2019re always going to have people who are foreign against spending in various ways, but when you get the Blazers to the playoffs, like when you get that many people in the city riled up and galvanized, then it\u2019s hard to say no to that money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Blazers fans and businesses who benefit are eager to see if the Blazers can make it all the way.<\/p>\n

The Blazers also play at home Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The Garden Tavern is opening an hour early at 10 a.m. to accommodate those who want to swing by for a bite or a drink before tipoff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) \u2014 The Moda Center was sold out Friday night for the Portland Trail Blazers’ home…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":["post-605022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}