Slippery court puts tonight's NBA game in jeopardy
A slippery basketball court installed over an NHL ice rink has forced the Orlando Magic to cut their practice short this morning, putting tonight’s NBA game in jeopardy.
"The court's not playable in the condition it's in right now," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy today. "We're not going to put people out there to get hurt."
The Miami Heat and the Magic have a pre-season game scheduled for tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Pete Times Forum, home to the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Magic were forced to walk through their morning shootaround due to the condensation on the floor. They cut practice short after going through only a few sets.
The Heat did not have a practice scheduled for today but instead held a team walkthrough at their hotel, something that Van Gundy said he wished he would have done.
"We'll sometimes do that in hotel ballrooms, which is what I would have done had I known," he said. "I mean, we would have just stayed in the hotel because we literally could not do anything.
They had the hockey game last night, the condensation on the floor. It's awful."
The Lighting played in the arena the night before and crew members have been busy installing the basketball court throughout the night. But when the Magic team arrived for today’s morning
practice, the court was still wet and the three-point line was yet to be installed.
"It's like playing on ice right now, literally," said Vince Carter of the Magic.
For Carter, the safety of the players is that much more important as the regular season is fast approaching.
"More than anything, the season's right around the corner," he said. "Do you risk that for whatever reason because the floor's slightly slippery? I don't think so."
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