DENVER — Nuggets coach Michael Malone isn't the only one with a detailed plan for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas and his staff have one, as well -- a plan to keep everyone safe after the game if the Nuggets win their first NBA title.
Chief Aaron Sanchez, who heads the department's patrol division, said DPD will have more than twice as many officers on the street Tuesday night as they normally do, focusing largely on the areas around Ball Arena, McGregor Square and downtown.
Sanchez said the department has learned many lessons from the celebrations following the three Broncos Super Bowl wins and the three Avalanche Stanley Cup victories.
One of the most important lessons, he said, is to control the flow of traffic into downtown early in the night.
As a result, people who don't live downtown won't be able to drive downtown once the Nuggets seem to have a good chance of winning.
"As soon as we take a commanding lead with enough time to win the game. Really, we're hoping in the beginning of the fourth quarter to have some kind of an idea," Sanchez said. "The best case scenario is that we have a big lead, we would start the diversion plan early and then go from there. If it's a closer game, we'll see how the game goes."
Sanchez said Denver's most challenging celebrations from a public safety perspective were the ones following the Broncos' first Super Bowl and the Avs' first Stanley Cup victories.
The smoothest celebration, according to Sanchez, was the one last year after the Avs clinched their third Stanley Cup.
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