Cleaners
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Norman Powell is one of the Miami Heat players who gave their thoughts on the bizarre game postponement.
The January 8 game between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls was postponed in one of the most bizarre incidents the NBA has seen.
The game was officially delayed due to court conditions. The Chicago Bulls share the United Center with the Chicago Blackhawks and the ice below the court led to condensation.
Heat guard Norman Powell shared his thoughts on the strangely unique situation.
“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with that in 11 seasons, which is kind of crazy,” Heat guard Norman Powelltold Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “Yeah, it’s kind of tough. After the first like 30 minutes, I think you start to kind of like, all right, what are we doing? Then you hear them say another 20 minutes and then it’s like, all right, like, you really don’t want to play and it’s hard to get refocused.”
“You see the guys messing around and joking around. So it’s kind of hard to stay locked in when you’re just waiting for news and how it’s going to go. But yeah, it’s pretty crazy.”
Heat players were doing all sorts of activities to pass the time, including guard Tyler Herrolosing a backwards half-court shot competition to Benny the Bull, the Bulls’ mascot.
Players were also taking warm-up shots from the bench while awaiting news on whether the game would proceed.
Center Bam Adebayo passed the time by sitting with Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who is also his partner.
After a two-hour delay, the game was officially postponed.
Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra Reacts to the Incident
Erik Spoelstra
GettyMiami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra gave his thoughts on the bizarre situation in the United Center.
While games have been postponed before due to condensation, it isn’t common. However, Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra knew the game was going to be delayed.
“We always want to try to go,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “The players were complaining about it on both sides. So staff, we all went out there and pretty much immediately, we felt that it wasn’t playable.”
“We have that in our practice facility, and when there’s condensation, it takes about 15 minutes for it to change. But this is a huge building. We weren’t optimistic that it would change.”
Spoelstra added that the second the team walked out on the court, he knew that “you couldn’t play on it.”
Will the Game Between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls Take Place?
The game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls was supposed to be their second of the season, and the final matchup between the two teams in the United Center.
The NBA announced that the game will be rescheduled; however, the date is not known at this time.
The Heat are 20-17 and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are 17-20 and tenth in the Eastern Conference.