Fans lose out after Thursday's postponed Bulls game
Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. was playfully sliding on the slick United Center court, demonstrating the surreal situation unfolding there Thursday.
The closest thing the fans got to NBA basketball Thursday was watching the players warm up before the game. Thursday’s Bulls-Heat was postponed due to condensation on the court because of warmer-than-usual temperatures inside the United Center.
The Bulls announced that the game will be made up at a later date and tickets from Thursday’s game will be valid for the rescheduled game.
The Blackhawks game on Friday wasn't affected because of Thursday night. It's questionable why a decision wasn't made earlier to save the fans from spending money on drinks and food when they wouldn't be able to watch an NBA game.
Everything seemed normal until it was time for tip-off. Both the Heat and the Bulls had their starting lineups introduced, the National Anthem blared over the speakers and the fans in attendance were prepared to watch a game be played. But both coaching staffs and players were aware of the court’s slippery conditions immediately before pregame warm-ups.
“At 9:13 on the warm-up clock, some Miami players came and said the court was really slippery and, at the same time, some Bulls players came over as well,” crew chief Sean Wright said in the pool report. “So, I checked the court conditions and then I immediately got on the horn and notified the replay center what was going on.”
The humidity levels inside the UC weren’t going to improve with thousands of fans inside the building. The delay was announced at around 7:11 p.m. But players remained on the court, playfully shooting with each other or chatting on the court while staffers used towels and mops to try and dry the court.
While arena workers attempted to clean up the court, mascot Benny the Bull was launching halfcourt heaves. Bulls guards Isaac Okoro and Jevon Carter passed the time by shooting deep threes in a bit of a shooting competition.
At around 7:50 p.m., both teams had retreated to the locker room with an update for 15-20 minutes after. The public address announced that there would be an update at 8:30 p.m. Once that time came, no update was provided.
The Heat players ventured from their locker room to examine the court and see if it was suitable to be played. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team deals with condensation on their practice court regularly. The moisture, he said, can be cleaned up in about 15 minutes. But given the muggy conditions inside the UC and the unusually warm, rainy weather outside, it was always going to be an uphill battle to play Thursday's game.
After Heat players viewed the court, center Bam Adebayo pointed to the locker room as his teammates filed in line in front of him and headed back to the locker room. No formal announcement had been made, but those in the arena knew that the game was not going to be played.
Players typically start preparing for games nearly three hours before tip-off, so it’s fair to ask why it not only took so long for a decision to be made or addressed beforehand. And rescheduling the Bulls-Heat contest won’t be easy and will likely have to occur sometime during the All-Star break.
“There was no question that it was not playable,” Spoelstra said. “That's what was disappointing. As soon as you walked out there, you knew you couldn't play.”
The Bulls hope to play on Saturday against the Mavs.