Last night's Kings-76ers game at Wells Fargo Center was "first delayed and finally cancelled by the NBA" at 8:03pm ET because of "unsafe playing conditions on the arena floor," according to Keith Pompey of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. There was "moisture on the court from the rink beneath the playing surface," as the temperature inside the arena was "higher than what it normally is for a basketball game." A Wells Fargo Center source said that someone in operations "dropped the ball and did not turn down the temperature in the arena." The Kings said that they "noticed there was a problem with the court" during their 10:00am shootaround. 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil said that he "became aware of the situation" at about 4:00pm. Pompey notes this is the first time a game has been "postponed because of an unplayable surface at the arena." A makeup date has "not been determined." The 76ers will "honor tickets" when the game is rescheduled and they also "will offer" yesterday's fans tickets to another game (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/1). In Sacramento, Jason Jones noted fans "booed after waiting nearly an hour for the announcement." While the players already had "changed out of their uniforms knowing there would be no game, fans heard an announcement that the postponement was not official and were still spending money at the concession stands while waiting for the news" (SACBEE.com, 11/30). CSNPHILLY.com's Jessica Camerato noted the building staff "will have to find the root of the problem, and its solution, quickly." The Wells Fargo Center is "booked over the next three days." The Sixers "play back-to-back home games on Friday and Saturday evenings." The Flyers also "play an afternoon game on Saturday as part of a doubleheader for the building" (CSNPHILLY.com, 11/30).
RIGHT CALL TO POSTPONE: CSN California's Doug Christie said postponing the game was the "right call" because there is "so much money on the line" with the safety of the players. CSN Bay Area's Jim Kozimor said it was the players from both teams who "made the decision not to play." Kozimor: "They did not feel safe and comfortable." Christie: "For them to both say, 'Look, we're not playing tonight,' that is a good look." Meanwhile, CSN California's James Ham said scheduling going forward becomes "tricky" because the NBA "jams so many games into a short amount of time and then teams build around that" with other events at the venues ("Sports Talk Live," CSN Bay Area, 11/30).
STRANGER THINGS: In Philadelphia, David Murphy writes, "You can't hold a basketball game on a wet court, especially when the people playing in that game are worth tens of millions of dollars." The moisture on the court was such that "even fans sitting courtside would have been at risk for a slip-and-fall." While the postponement "certainly fits a narrative that the Sixers have helped to shape for themselves over the last three-plus seasons, it is hard to hold a tenant responsible for an issue that is clearly their landlord's responsibility." The 76ers "do not own the building." The relationship between the two parties has been "tumultuous enough that the Sixers for a time refused to even call the building by its official name" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/1). Also in Philadelphia, Bob Cooney writes last night was "one of the strangest on-court nights in 76ers history." Cooney: "Add it to the list of strange happenings around this team over the last three-plus seasons" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/1). ESPN's Scott Van Pelt: "This was an odd situation in Philadelphia" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 12/1). ESPN's Stan Verrett said the 76ers "didn't want to slip literally, even though they can't seem to stop doing it figuratively" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 12/1).
