Miami Man Wins Heat Playoff Tickets In White Hot Contest
MIAMI (CBS4) - After braving two days in the Miami Heat's "48 Hours Of Intense White Hot Heat" contest one winner was able to finally get his hand on the prize.
By 10:20 a.m. Saturday 35 people still remained in the same seat outside the American Airlines Arena hoping to outlast everyone else to win Miami Heat playoff tickets. But with half an hour to go, winner Ramon Perez of Miami and 34 others sat still in their seats.
If more than one person remained, a trivia contest was to be held at 11 a.m. to narrow down the field until a winner was finally determined.
Perez was named winner of the contest after providing the closest figure for the trivia question. That question: How many points, rebounds, blocks and assists did 'the big three' accumulate this season?
His answer? 8300. The actual answer? 8436
And with that, he was given two lower level tickets to all of the playoff games. The other remaining contestants were given a pair of tickets to a second round game, according to Miami Heat's Business Communications Manager DeAndre Phillips.
On Friday at 10 p.m., 38 people remained sitting in front of the AAA.
"We didn't get much sleep, only a couple of hours," said contestant Jackie Chavis.
The fans have to sit through the heat, wind, and any rain to win a pair of lower level tickets.
"Your knees get very stiff, your back aches cause even though these chairs are cushioned; they're not soft," said contestant Bryan Cortez. "I love the Heat, I want to go to the playoff games bad!"
Sisters Joselyn and Marivi Maymi said if they got past Friday, the contest is in the bag. They're biggest concern was the sun.
Click here to check out images from the event.
"Little by little right now we're in the shade, but the Heat is coming up and it's bad," Marivi said. "It's going to be right here until about seven o'clock tonight," Joselyn stated.
The group was kept busy with activities, were fed by corporate sponsors and given bathroom breaks. For the Heat organization, it was easy to see how this group is putting the fan in fanatic.
"These are true Heat fans," said Miami Heat vice-president of marketing Michael McClough. "If you're willing to sleep outside for two days, you're a Heat fan."
The Heat take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Arena.
