In typical style, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman threw a frilly NBA All-Star balloting kickoff event Monday at the Fashion Show mall.
The spectacle featured NBA stars, showgirls and, just for fun, Wayne Newton.
Amid all the glitz, verbal confetti also flew.
Former NBA legend Clyde Drexler and former UNLV star Greg Anthony told the media that the All-Star game could be a step toward Las Vegas getting a franchise, and Goodman hyped conversations he has had with owners whom he says are interested in bringing a team to Las Vegas.
Friday, however, the confetti hits the floor.
Financing a proposed $404.7 million arena not only will require significant taxpayer help, but could require dramatically more if an NBA team is part of the picture, according to a task force report scheduled to be reviewed Friday.
The funding gap for a new arena would be about $10.8 million annually over a 30-year period, the report concludes.
But the gap would be 2 1/2 times as wide - about $26.7 million annually - if the arena hosts an NBA franchise, the report shows.
Those figures have some public officials privately questioning the wisdom of bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas, even as Goodman touts the possibility.
The financial gap would be larger with an NBA presence because teams gobble up most of the revenue generated by arenas.
In contrast, if the arena were used only for special events such as rodeos, boxing matches and concerts, the revenue generated could be used to pay off a larger portion of the construction debt.
The report identifies six potential public funding sources, including a 1 percent car rental tax increase, a 5-cent-per-gallon liquor tax increase, a 1 percent hike in the live entertainment tax, a 1 percent room tax increase, a quarter percent sales tax increase or a property tax increase.
The Las Vegas Special Events Center Task Force, which city and Clark County officials created earlier this year to study the possibility of a new arena to replace UNLV's aging Thomas & Mack Center, is winding down its work and will leave the next steps in the hands of public officials.
Without a new arena, county and city officials say they fear Las Vegas could lose prestigious shows and events to other cities with more modern venues, costing the local economy millions of dollars.
"What this study clearly demonstrates is there is an additional cost to the market if you want professional sports," said Pat Christensen, chairman of the task force and president of Las Vegas Events.
Goodman, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, has said he hopes private interests will help fill the funding gap.
Some gaming companies have said they do not oppose an NBA team coming to Las Vegas, but they would oppose any public funding for an arena to house the team.
"If, in order for us to get an NBA team, we have to use public tax dollars, then we should go without an NBA team," said Alan Feldman, a spokesman for MGM Mirage.
"Do we pay more money to teachers and firefighters, do we improve roads, build new schools ... or do we build an arena for an NBA team?"
Another problem that gaming might have with an NBA team coming to town was highlighted in NBA Commissioner David Stern's comment in a New Orleans Time-Picayune story three weeks ago.
"As long as our games are on the betting line, we will not be relocating or expanding to Las Vegas," he said.
The report that the task force plans to discuss Friday also found that the economic impact of a new arena on Southern Nevada's economy would be significant with or without an NBA team.
Without a franchise, the arena would have an impact of about $508 million a year. With a team, that figure would be $663 million a year.
The report, which will be presented to county and city officials next month, also suggests 17 possible sites for an arena, but recommends four - two downtown and two in unincorporated Clark County - as the best choices.
Goodman has expressed a strong desire for a downtown arena. Clark County officials have been silent on the issue.
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