Sights and sounds from the Portland Fire’s return

PORTLAND, ORE. — With thirty minutes to go before tipoff, the fully sold out Moda Center was buzzing with a kind of soft hum. Kids wearing headphones were seated between their parents, smiling and excitedly looking around. Upon finding their seats, various fans smiled at the black t-shirts waiting for them, most throwing them on immediately over what they wore to the game. The Moda Center was like a lot of Portlanders themselves: cheerful but reserved, willing to make room for others and eagerly awaiting whatever’s about to happen.

But that soft hum gave way to a kind of electric energy as the clock crept closer to the game’s beginning. People wearing sequined red jackets and Fire jerseys took their seats; a number of red caps filled the arena. Portland was, is, ready to welcome their team — and that team was ready for them.