The Hawks will play their first game in their remade arena Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. If you attend the home opener, here are five of the biggest changes you can expect to find inside State Farm Arena, formerly Philips Arena, after its $200 million-plus renovation:
1. The high wall of suites on one side of the court has been transformed.
Previous Hawks management was excited about the innovativeness of the suite stack when the arena opened in 1999, and current management is just as excited to be rid of it. “However that got built, I’m glad it’s not here any more,” Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said.