Early this morning Mavs fans packed the intersection of Griffin and Young, setting up chairs and coolers and settling in behind the barricade along the first block of the parade's route. And there, amongst the growing throng, was none other than the ubiquitous Robert Crawford -- better known, simply, as Bob. To each car that passed by, he shouted: "Honk the horn! Honk the horn!" And each complied.
No one caused commotion; the early-crowd was is pumped, but well-behaved. And people came from all over: John Thomas says he took a bus from Louisiana last night to meet a friend for the parade. They hadn't seen each other in two years -- it took the Mavs to get them together. At 6:30 this morning, they set up a tent for shade on an island of grass in the middle of Griffin. "It's a hot spot right here," Thomas said.
Angelica Perez, a self-described "Mavs maniac," woke up her entire family at 5 a.m. for the parade. She was up almost all night preparing and making signs. "I just enjoy watching basketball," she says. Perez, two of her sisters, her mom and dad packed coolers, seats, water, Gatorade and cameras and landed a prime spot at the first block of the parade route.
Fans continue to pour out of DART trains and city buses all over downtown, including at the Victory Station, which Dallas PD erroneously reported as closed moments ago. The perimeter of the parade deepens with people as the morning wears on. Is it 10 yet?
And, look, Jamie Foxx and the mayor! (Update: And Mark Cuban with Larry O'Brien.)
