NBA Outdoor Game October 11

[DC4]

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will play the first outdoor game in more than 35 years during the 2008-09 preseason.

The exhibition game on Oct. 11 at the 16,000-seat Indian Wells Tennis Garden will be televised by TNT.

The game follows the NHL's successful outdoor game on New Year's Day in Buffalo, N.Y.

"What will happen here will be historic," Rick Welts, the Suns' president and chief operating officer, said Tuesday. "More importantly, I think this will be a lot of fun. Most of us learned how to play basketball outdoors. This had the perfect circumstances to do it in the NBA."

It won't be the first NBA game to be played outdoors. The Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a preseason game on Sept. 24, 1972, at a baseball stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Welts said the ideal weather in October and the facility made it possible to hold the event. The tennis stadium is home to the Pacific Life Open, one of the major events on the men's and women's pro tours.

Because the seating is built around the parameters of a tennis court, rather than a hockey rink like most NBA arenas, Welts said the game will offer a more intimate setting.

"It's an NBA-quality facility with no roof on it," Welts said.

Nuggets center Marcus Camby said he may have to work on his jumper to make it more wind resistant.

"I have a high release -- it's probably not too good outdoors," Camby said. "It will be fun. I've seen hockey have a couple of outdoor games, so it will definitely be interesting. I hope the weather's nice."

In the unlikely event the game is rained out, Welts said it would be played the next day.

Denver coach George Karl liked the concept of an outdoor game.

"I grew up playing outdoors and loved it," he said.

Karl was asked if chain-link nets would be a natural fit for the outdoor game.

"Or lopsided balls," Karl said with a laugh. "One of the biggest decisions was finding a ball that wasn't lopsided."

The Suns feature megastars Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal. The team picked the Nuggets because of their marquee players, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, and because there are direct flights from Denver to Palm Springs.

Suns partner Richard Heckmann, who lives in the area, helped put the game together after it was suggested by someone from the local parks and recreation department.

In October, the Suns brought in a basketball floor to test the facility and found it suitable. Depending on ticket sales, Heckmann said an outdoor preseason game could be an annual event.

"It makes for an unbelievable stadium for basketball," he said. "The sight lines are equal or better than any arena in the NBA."

The Suns also considered staging the game at the USTA Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., but the weather then likely would be unsuitable.

The Game will be played on Saturday October 11th

 

[Pugz]

I posted this last year when they annouced this lol.

 

[.snowy]

Yeah, Pugz, I thought I was having Deja Vu

 

[Mexi]

meh, unless they broadcast it from an arial view, it'll be no different.
i saw the WNBA outside, and you couldnt even tell they were outside unless they showed you the surroundings

 

[DC4]

I know the article is a littl eold but it's going to happen on tommowrow so thats why I posted it

 

[Pugz]

Unless they play on blacktop, rubber or concrete this is the same sht lol.
I wanna see them play on a rubber court or concrete with double rims..

 

[DC4]

They played on a regular wood court

 

[DC4]

Its still on..On TNT.

 

[Pugz]

67 degrees

 

[DC4]

I wish it starts raining.

 

[Pugz]

It shoulde be a damn outside court not a fcking normal court they are used too.

 

[DC4]

I know..

 

[The Young One]

It shoulde be a damn outside court not a fcking normal court they are used too.

It's the NBA not the And 1 streetball tour pugz.

 

[DC4]

It's the NBA not the And 1 streetball tour pugz.

LOL.

 

[Pugz]

It's the NBA not the And 1 streetball tour pugz.

Yea.
But this is just a NBA game with the roof off, make it like a real OUTDOOR game lol

 

[DC4]

It's not as successful as the NHL, but they tried.

 

[.loggie]

i think they shouldve made it like a streetball scene, not in a huge stadium with the roof off.

 

[Pugz]

i think they shouldve made it like a streetball scene, not in a huge stadium with the roof off.

Yep.
It's also getting cold for them lol, they had there arms in there jerseys.

 

[DC4]

<Censored> Im scared of cold too..

 

[Pugz]

<Censored> Im scared of cold too..

Pfft.
I shovel the snow and ice in the court infront of my house and ball in my wife b and shorts while it's like 20 dergrees out..