After properly handling Mardi Gras, it appears as though the city of New Orleans is ready to host this weekend's All-Star festivities, according to the Associated Press.

"The NBA security team has visited the city at least 20 times," Mayor Ray Nagin told the AP. "They started getting comfortable with our ability to handle crowds pretty quick, but once they saw the crowd at Mardi Gras and the way we did things, they said if any city in the country can give us a good, safe game, this is it."

"We had been able to get a behind the scene look at plans for that event and then come back and see it in motion," NBA Vice President Ski Austin said on Wednesday. "It was certainly an impressive display."