THE SUNS WERE JUST TOO HOT FOR USAIR ARENA

     A slippery court forced the Bullets to postpone their
contest against the Suns.  The 7:35 tip-off was delayed by close
to 90 minutes before an official announcement was made to a sold-
out crowd of 18,756.  The court surface was unplayable because of
a newly laid layer of ice beneath the basketball court for a
figure skating event this weekend.  The culprit was the
unseasonably warm weather the D.C. area has enjoyed lately.  No
make-up date was announced.  Charles Barkely went into the stands
to sign autographs.  Bullets guard Scott Skiles: "I'm embarrassed
by it.  It's happened here before and you would think they'd
learn (Richard Justice, WASHINGTON POST, 12/7).  Bullets GM John
Nash:  "This is no longer a state-of-the-art facility.  It is a
downer for the fans" (Frank Hughes, WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/7).