Dwyane Wade may have led the Heat to a victory over the Pacers on Tuesday, but a newly minted basketball fan sitting courtside was the night’s true MVP.
“I’ve gotten a lot of good reactions from the outfit,” 20-year-old Alyssa Nelson told The Post of her scene-stealing ensemble. “Everyone always dresses up in Miami, and I didn’t want to look like a bum.”
Nelson, who recently relocated to South Florida, sent the Internet into a tizzy Wednesday after cameras captured her cheering in a plunging black top with matching short shorts. But, as Nelson explains, the outrageous outfit is a far cry from the jersey-and-jeans combo she rocks at Minnesota Wild games.
“I’m a really big hockey fan. Two years ago, I went to almost every home game, and I would go to every playoff game,” she said. “I would never miss a game, and I would always make time to go to games.”
Now in Florida, Nelson is embracing the Panthers and hoping Jaromir Jagr can lead the team to the postseason. Will Nelson get just as fired up as she did during one of the Wild’s playoff matches last year, in which she became the #LadyInPink social media sensation?
“It was awesome seeing Jagr playing in real life and I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but the Panthers crowd was crazy,” she says. “It was just super intense and brought me back to when I was in Minnesota.”
A lifelong hockey fan, Nelson gushes that there’s no place quite like St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.
“My family has always been super big into hockey. I remember when my dad took me to my first game there and I fell in love. The energy was insane,” she said. “I have so many memories there.”
While Nelson has yet to attend a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, she has no ill will toward certain members of the Blueshirts.
“I love Ryan McDonagh and Henrik Lundqvist. I actually think he is the best goalie in the league,” she dishes.
Nelson’s heart, however, belongs to the Washington Capitals’ roster.
“I’m crushing on Tom Wilson from the Caps. Not only is he gorgeous, but he’s an aggressive player and handles himself well in fights,” Nelson said. “And I love Alex Ovechkin. If I were a hockey player, I’d definitely be him.”
“He’s this crazy Russian and my spirit animal,” she adds.
