The Associated Press

CLEVELAND - For Dave Jingo, the clock couldn't move fast enough Wednesday afternoon.

He couldn't wait for the hands to strike 8 p.m., when LeBron James and the Cavaliers were to take the court for their first regular-season home game.

"It's actually historic this game, I believe - just in terms of the new Michael Jordan, if you will, his first game at his home arena," said Jingo, 39, of Cleveland. "It's a new era for the NBA, really.

"We'll be there to see the first installment. It will be something I tell my grandkids about."

Jingo was one of more than 20,000 with tickets for the sold-out match up against the Denver Nuggets.

A few hours before the game, dozens of scalpers were selling $10 tickets for $100, and courtside seats were going for $300. Limousines were among the steady stream of cars jamming the streets of downtown, where restaurants were busy.

Jingo and a friend planned to have dinner downtown, buy snacks at the game and pick up new Cavaliers caps and T-shirts.

That spending is exactly what city businesses were hoping for when the Cavaliers snagged James, the NBA's first round draft pick who has been impressive in his first three professional games played on the road.

A chalkboard outside the Key West Cafe in the downtown Galleria shopping center advertised the home opener, and by early afternoon, the restaurant was packed.

Fat Fish Blue, a Cajun restaurant near the arena, was expecting a busy night, too, said manager Brian Woehrma as he and his employees set tables and prepped food.

A blues guitarist and $2 parking for patrons going to the game after dinner, compared to $20 at surrounding lots, were among the "Cavaliers specials" he hoped would keep the 620-seat eatery busy.

"We're real excited and very hopeful now that the Cavs season is here. LeBron James is bringing a lot of excitement," Woehrma said.

The game selling out and the buzz it brought were symbols of just how much James, the 18-year-old straight-out-of-high-school rookie, has brought to Cleveland. The Cavaliers had the league's worst attendance last season, when the last-place team won only 17 games.

"I've never seen the city this excited about a single sports event," said Joe Calabrese, general manager of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

Nearly 300 media credentials were issued for the game.