When you open the Intuit Dome, the most prominent feature is the wall

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Let's talk about The Wall, the most unique feature of the state-of-the-art, $2 billion Intuit Dome, which opened Wednesday night with its first NBA regular-season game – an overtime loss by the LA Clippers to the Phoenix Suns.

The wall is a steep, 51-row seating section behind the basket next to the visitor's bench that is unlike anything found in other professional basketball arenas.

“I just stared at it the whole time,” Suns star Kevin Durant said. “The seats go straight up. From this point of view the noise is different. It’s going to be a tough road environment for anyone coming in here.”

The wall played its part in pushing for victory. Durant missed two free throws in the fourth quarter amid frenzied fans, but the Suns won 116-113 in OT, spoiling the opening contest.

The section was the idea of ​​Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who had a lot of influence on the building's design. The fact is that there are regulations for sitting in this area. It's for Clipper fans only. Nobody is allowed to wear the opposing team's jersey. The cost is $1,299 for the 41 home games, or a relatively cheap $32 per game.

If your net worth is $124.8 billion, you can afford to make these calls. Ballmer bought the team for $2 billion in 2014 when the NBA decided to expel then-owner Donald Sterling. Accordingly SporticoAccording to the latest NBA valuations, the franchise is worth $4.56 billion, and that was before he opened the new arena.

Mat Ishbia, the owner of the Suns, sat courtside and judged for himself how to replace the 32-year-old Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

Ballmer said earlier this year that fans who occupy the 4,500-seat wall must follow the team on social media and purchase a jersey. “You’re not going to sit there if you’re not really part of our team,” he said.

The concept can take some getting used to. Although the Clippers announced a crowd of 18,300, there were plenty of empty seats in the building and plenty of them throughout The Wall, which begins with three sections at ground level and expands to five sections higher up.

It's not for the faint of heart as it involves a 30-row hike up to the rafters.

Ballmer has placed sensors on seats throughout the building and says he will give out prizes to those who cheer loudest.

“The wall is crazy. That’s our sixth man,” Clipper coach Ty Lue said. “These guys are loud. You are in the game. They had KD (Durant) miss two free throws and he was on a roll. We need that every night.”

The game marked a turning point in the team's history between Buffalo, San Diego and Los Angeles. It was the first time in all the decades that the franchise played in its own building. The first three buildings the Clippers occupied – the Buffalo Auditorium, the San Diego Sports Arena and the LA Sports Arena – were all publicly owned.

For the past 25 seasons, they have shared what is now Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles with the NBA Lakers and NHL Kings. This building is privately owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which controls the hockey team. The Lakers are tenants there.

Now the Clippers have their own basketball building with those steep sight lines.

“It was awesome to play in this building,” new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The audience was great. It just feels like everything is so well thought out. The dressing rooms, the pitch, the fans are above you. The video boards. It’s a great arena.”

Ballmer wanted a building with the convenience of watching a game from his own living room, with a nice place to sit, easy access to food and the bathroom. He presented the architects AECOM with this challenge:

“Can you build me this for 18,000 people?”

He ended up building an arena with 1,400 toilets. “I really hate it when people have to wait online,” he said recently 60 minutes. “It gets frustrating. I want them to come back to watch the game.”

The wall was the additional wrinkle.

“I loved the building,” Durant said. “I love The Wall they have. It's crazy. I know the playoffs will be wild. I always love it when new venues open up in our league. It sets the standard for what will come later. Steve has done a great job with this franchise.”