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Harden led the Rockets to a win in front
of a pro-Houston crowd in Mexico City |
The Rockets last night defeated the T'Wolves "before a Mexico City Arena crowd of 18,996 that delighted in anything done well, regardless of the resumes or reputations of those that did it," according to Jonathan Feigen of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Rockets G James Harden said, "Just to give these Mexico City fans an NBA game means a lot to us. We’re glad we could be here and put on a show." Feigen noted by the second half, the fans "had become decidedly for the Rockets in a Timberwolves 'home' game," and the Rockets "enjoyed playing to the crowd." Rockets C Dwight Howard said, "The people here were great. They stayed for the whole game. They were loud. They were just happy to have the NBA game here. We played off the energy of the crowd. From the warmups to the end of the game the crowd was amazing. We like that. We feed off that. I wish we could play all our games here in Mexico." Meanwhile, Rockets coach Kevin McHale "suggested that a hotel be built closer to the arena after it took well over an hour for the Rockets’ second bus to get to the game, forcing players to skip their pregame shooting" (
CHRON.com, 11/12). T'Wolves coach and President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders said, "It was a great atmosphere, a fun game to play. I wasn’t sure when they were whistling, if they were whistling for us or against us. If you didn’t know, you would have thought you were playing an NBA game in an NBA city" (
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/13). ESPN's Ryan Ruocco noted Howard "certainly has been playing to the crowd," and he is the "perfect personality for this kind of event." Ruocco: “They love their basketball here … and you can see in the crowd jerseys of all different teams, not just Rockets. There’s a real following” (
“Rockets-T’Wolves,” ESPN, 11/12).
SIGN OF THE TIMES: In Houston, Jonathan Feigen writes, "There was a palpable sense that the latest in their many NBA Global Games experiences was special.” It was the “first regular-season international game broadcast by ESPN.” The Global Games, “once considered quixotic, now are part of doing business, assumed and accepted as the league unrelentingly seeks to extend its reach beyond its borders.” Since the Rockets and Mavericks played in Monterrey, Mexico, in ’97, “much has changed.” Mexico “in particular has embraced basketball, offering signs of potential as a market for NBA products.” NBA VP/Latin America Philippe Moggio said, “To be able to bring not only the level of play that happens on an NBA basketball court, but also the entertainment that fans experience in the U.S. ... to transport that to a local market it essential for us to continue growing this game.” Feigen notes last season’s game between the
T’Wolves and Spurs “was canceled when a generator malfunctioned, sending smoke throughout the arena.” That made this season’s game “important as a statement about the NBA’s determination to succeed in Mexico City.” Moggio: “For us to be able to come back to Mexico and send a strong message that we’re very committed to this market, independent of what happened last year, is very important. It goes to our long-term commitment to this market” (
HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/13).
