NBA Goes Outdoors In Historic Event

[duncan228]

NBA goes outdoors in historic event (http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810110306)
Leighton Ginn • The Desert Sun •

Former NBA MVP winners Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson are the big names, but not the main attraction tonight when the Phoenix Suns face the Denver Nuggets.

For one night, the NBA's biggest stars will be upstaged by the setting. The NBA will host its first outdoor basketball game in more than 35 years and first in the continental United States at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The NBA stars will share a stage, or court, usually reserved for tennis stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

“It's an incredible idea. It's going to be an amazing spectacle,” Suns general manager Steve Kerr said. “Preseason basketball generally is not overly exciting. So this adds some spice to an otherwise mundane process. It's going to be an amazing scene, basketball under the stars in a beautiful arena. It will be really cool.”

The Suns have spent more than $400,000 to stage the game, from renting a total of four video boards to the 230-panel portable NBA floor that will be reused in February for the NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix

[BlackSwordsMan]

too hot to go outside

[Xylus]

It's the middle of October; this is perfect weather for outdoor basketball. I hear the game's being played on TNT tonight, so don't miss it.

[duncan228]

It is on TNT, 10pm EST.

[Allanon]

Yup, I'll be watching it, should be very cool. Kind of like a grassroots streetball game played in New York.

Of course, it's gonna be played out here in Palm Springs, but hell, at least the ideas cool. I'd love to go if I didn't have to work tonight.

[sribb43]

A.I's not playing...how lame

[Xylus]

Any word on whether Melo is playing or not?

Stoudemire (eye injury) is still out, and Barbosa is in Brazil, I think, tending to his mother who has cancer.

[duncan228]

Outdoor basketball never looked like this (http://www.nba.com/2008/news/features/dave_mcmenamin/10/09/indian.wells/index.html)
By Dave McMenamin, NBA.com

LOS ANGELES -- The phrase "outdoor basketball in California" brings to mind heat emanating from the blacktop courts of Venice Beach, the jingle-jangle of chain-link nets bunching against a rubber ball and the jibber-jabber of Woody and Wesley's verbal spars as they attempt their next hustle in White Men Can't Jump.

This Saturday just outside Palm Springs, Calif. the phrase will take on an entirely different meaning as two teams from out of state -- the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets -- go head to head on a wooden court with a leather ball at the 16,000 seat, open-air Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Dubbed the Autotrader.com Open, this isn't your typical preseason game. For starters, it will be aired live on TNT at 10 p.m. ET and the network's top broadcasting team -- play-by-play from Marv Albert with analysis by Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller -- will be on hand.

A preseason game doesn't normally draw a national broadcast team to come out. Heck, a preseason game doesn't always draw a team's head coach to show up on the sidelines -- the Lakers' Phil Jackson and the Celtics' Doc Rivers didn't bother making it to their teams' first preseason games this week.

Add in the caveat of Melo and STAT doing their thing in the same place that tennis great Roger Federer played in a tournament in March and you realize the game is truly a spectacle in the same way that everybody and their mother would tune in to see if Tiger Woods ever teed off from the 50-yard line at Lambeau Field.

The main draw for the game for me is the off chance I'll see a player throw down a dunk on one end and come back down the court throwing up the "raise the roof" celebration when there's only open sky above him. That would be an ironic gesture worthy of an Alanis Morissette lyric.

Plus, it will be entertaining to see towel boys holding a cup of Gatorade in one hand and a tube of Coppertone in the other to pass out when players come out of the game and head to the bench.

Having a game outdoors seems like a no-brainer marketing ploy, but there were some hoops to jump through before it could happen.

In 2003, NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik told ESPN.com's Marc Stein, "I don't really think that we would look at [playing an NBA game outdoors] seriously," and cited weather conditions having an impact on the game as being a major concern.

A lot can change in five years.

The WNBA's New York Liberty and Indiana Fever played an outdoor game at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York this past July and put 19,393 fans in the seats.

Not only was the Liberty Outdoor Classic a rousing success and a landmark event in bringing exposure to the league, but it also served as a dry run for NBA event operation officials to prepare for the Suns-Nuggets contest in October.

The Suns will serve as the host team, which is appropriate because Phoenix participated in the last NBA game played outdoors. On Sept. 24, 1972, Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale and the Suns downed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and the Bucks, 116-103, in a preseason game tipped off at a baseball stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Saturday will feature Steve Nash taking the clutch off fifth gear for the first time in years as he indoctrinates himself to new head coach Terry Porter's more controlled offense that is sure to involve more touches for the two-headed monster of Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal, entering his 17th season as a pro, recently caught up with NBA.com's John Hareas and talked about the upcoming game against the Nuggets.

"I've been playing outdoors all summer," O'Neal said. "The only difference is we're going to be playing on a real floor. I've been playing outside with the kids. I would go down to the park. Matter of fact, I was in Weequahic Park in Newark this summer. I just rolled by, had my shoes and shorts on, so I just went out there."

Shaq said that the only challenge of playing outside could be the weather.

"It's not like playing in a vented air conditioned building," O'Neal said.

The forecast is 80 degrees and windy on Saturday, so Shaq can blame the elements if he happens to airball a free throw.

The game will also give fans an opportunity to see rookie Robin Lopez in action, the talented twin out of Stanford, who will be playing in just his second game.

On the other side of the ball is the Nuggets, who were second in the league in scoring with a 110.65 team average last season, slightly edging out the Suns who came in third with a 110.07 per game average.

It will be interesting to see how Denver's rotation looks like without Marcus Camby in the middle. Camby was traded to the Clippers in the offseason for a second-round draft pick so the Nuggets could avoid paying a luxury tax. Nene is likely to start, but don't be surprised if the Nuggets play a lot of small ball with starters Allen Iverson, Anthony and Kenyon Martin along with Linas Kleiza and recently re-signed J.R. Smith off the bench.

Martin has already expressed the importance of his team all starting off on the right foot, or feet actually.

"Top to bottom, everyone's got to be in line, a straight line -- like a Riverdance," Martin told the Denver Post. "You've seen Riverdance -- somebody's out of line, it messes everything up."

They'll get the chance to try their dance moves outside in the twilight with the Suns on Saturday.

[Xylus]

http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW%20court.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW_diawstretch.JPG
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW%20statglasses.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW%20nashlights.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW%20shaq_glass.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/iw_dragic_porter.JPG
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW_nashsoccer.JPG
http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW%20137_lights.jpg

[Allanon]

http://www.nba.com/media/suns/IW%20137_lights.jpg

Damn, that looks bad-ass.

I actually can't wait to watch this game tonight, should be really fun with the outdoor crowd, etc. I hope there's a big crowd that shows up, shit wish I was there.

[lefty]

Wow

Why is Porter comparing this to a playground?

Douchebag...

[Xylus]

I'm without cable tonight.

Anyone know where I can catch the game online?

[duncan228]

Thanks for the pic Xylus. It does look really cool.

I hope someone has a link for you.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

I'm without cable tonight.

Anyone know where I can catch the game online?

It ain't showing up yet, but try this link when the game starts.

http://stoogetv.com/player.html

[Xylus]

It ain't showing up yet, but try this link when the game starts.

http://stoogetv.com/player.html

And then what? I've never used this site before.

[jrod1986]

http://www.justin.tv/sh00t

^^try that, Xylus.

[duncan228]

Good to see the TNT crew.

[Xylus]

http://www.justin.tv/sh00t

^^try that, Xylus.

Thanks guys!

[baseline bum]

Damn, that looks bad-ass.

I actually can't wait to watch this game tonight, should be really fun with the outdoor crowd, etc. I hope there's a big crowd that shows up, shit wish I was there.

Marv Albert said it sold out.

[duncan228]

It looks pretty full.

[baseline bum]

Fuck, Carmella's out. :td

[lefty]

Frawsome

[baseline bum]

Salvatore's officiating... this should be an interesting game then. :lol

[baseline bum]

Barkley's been drinking tonight; he just said the Nuggets were the most talented team in the league.

[lefty]

I don't like TNT's new layout

[baseline bum]

Is Smush Parker on Denver now? That'll really push them over the top.

[duncan228]

I wonder if Charles will do more games this season.

[baseline bum]

LMAO - Shaq blocks Nene flatfooted

[baseline bum]

I don't like TNT's new layout

The 6's and 9's look fucking retarded, and the scoreboard takes up way too much space.

[duncan228]

Is Smush Parker on Denver now?

Yes.

[Xylus]

Why is George Karl still coaching the Nuggets?

[baseline bum]

Damn... Shaq's sweating like he ran a marathon after 3:00 game time.

[lefty]

Damn... Shaq's sweating like he ran a marathon after 3:00 game time.

:lol

[Xylus]

Grant Hill looks aggressive, taking it to the rack a couple of times. Me Like!

[lefty]

Diaw ROFL

[Xylus]

Diaw, you soft-ass motherfucker.

[Xylus]

LMAO. Leave Nash wide open. Good defensive strategy.

Lopez, keep this shit up!

[N4th4n]

Lopez 20 seconds no fouls. Looking good!

[jrod1986]

Doris Diaw back in action.....bleh.

[Xylus]

Lopez 20 seconds no fouls. Looking good!

:lol

Looks like they kept the "Where Amazing Happens" ad campaign. That's good, I always liked those ads.

[duncan228]

Oh boy, the Shaq backboards.

[baseline bum]

Lopez looks like the redhead chick from Dazed and Confused.

[Xylus]

Nash. What a badass.

[tp2021]

Jesus Christ that was beautiful Steve Nash.

[Xylus]

Lopez looks like the redhead chick from Dazed and Confused.

Side Show Rob

[Xylus]

Suns look pretty active on D. Not flawless, but they're hustling.

[baseline bum]

Gotta love Matt Barnes' hustle.

[lefty]

I like the new half-court style for Phoenix.

Shaq can be more dangerous that way, and Nash can stay young longer.

Plus, they can mix it up when Barbosa is on the court, run faster, etc...

[Xylus]

I don't care what anyone says, Nash still has it. He was tired in last year's playoffs and didn't perform very well, but he looks great right now. He's got several good years left in the tank.

Good hustle, Barnes.

[pauls931]

Damn, how did Nash pull that off without travelling?

[Xylus]

The Suns bench has been stellar in the first two preseason games.

Let's see if they can extend the lead in this game, too.

[jrod1986]

Suns may actually have a backup PG this year...that can't be a bad thing.

[Xylus]

Suns giving up way too many offensive rebounds. They don't have a lot of size on the court right now, but neither do the Nuggets.

[baseline bum]

NBA Live looks lame as hell on that commercial.

Wait, WTF am I saying? I played the demo on X360 and it was ass.

[baseline bum]

Damn... I would never want to play golf at Indian Wells anytime there isn't a shitload of snow on those mountains in the background. Palm Springs has gotta be the hottest fucking populated place on earth.

[sribb43]

The 6's and 9's look fucking retarded, and the scoreboard takes up way too much space.

Plus the lettering of the game clock and shot clock are in black which is hard as hell to read. Mavs did that a few years ago with their layout using black lettering and it was quickly switched to white after a few games.

I like the old TNT layout better

[sribb43]

Suns may actually have a backup PG this year...that can't be a bad thing.

he will be good but just dont expect too much from a rookie PG this season, an international one at that

[Xylus]

Alando Tucker!

[baseline bum]

Nanny-raper with the and-1!

[Xylus]

Man, we look awful right now.

[Gino20]

The Suns have a bunch of Tito Jacksons. :rollin Barnes looks like crap right now...horrible passing.

[Xylus]

Our bench will look a lot sweeter when Stoudemire and Barbosa get back.

[Dex]

Dammit, ive been trolling up the wrong thread. :pctoss

[baseline bum]

Damn, I forgot how ugly NBA basketball is before the new year.

[Xylus]

Lopez looks really good right now. He and Diaw have made some nice dishes to each other so far.

But he can't hit a free throw for shit.

[pauls931]

Dragic looks like he's going to take some work. The offense still turns off when Nash sits on the bench. Granted numerous point guards have been unable to function on this team.

I'm certain Lopez is going to own Tim Duncan this season.

[Xylus]

What the hell did Lopez just say?

[Dex]

Mumbles needs to take the marbles out his mouf.

[baseline bum]

Damn, that's cold: LeBron has to see the Celtics get their rings after he almost single-handedly beat them.

[Xylus]

Robin Lopez:

8 pts, 4-7 FG
5 rebs, 4 blks
11 min.

Very nice!

[Xylus]

Shaq is completely useless tonight.

[pauls931]

Shaq is completely useless tonight.

Diaw is almost there too, man he's like the anti-iversion tonight. That said, I hope they give Dragic some more time even if it means losing the game. Nash has played enough.

[Xylus]

Normally Diaw steps it up whenever Amare is out, but tonight he seems content with passing it as often as he can. Doris indeed.

[tp2021]

Packed!

[tp2021]

Oh, and Diaw needs to cut off all that nasty nappy ass shit on his head.

[Xylus]

I don't think the Suns made a jump shot that entire quarter.

[Xylus]

According to the ripples in Robin Lopez's hair, it's getting windy there.

And it's getting down to 60 degrees.

[pauls931]

According to the ripples in Robin Lopez's hair, it's getting windy there.

Two suns players need haircuts.

[baseline bum]

According to the ripples in Robin Lopez's hair, it's getting windy there.

And it's getting down to 60 degrees.

I don't know what Arizona's like, but Cali nights are fucking cold.

[jacobdrj]

I just flipped to the game...

Is that Mateen Cleeves I c?

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

yeh thats him.

[pauls931]

Impressed with Lopez, Dragic looked lost out there, needs more practice.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

The Nuggets D is going to be so much better than last season. The loss of Camby and Najera is easily compensated for with Nene, Balkman, Birdman, a healthier Kmart and improvements from JR, heck even Dahntay Jones is pretty decent on D.

Camby wont be missed.

[DPG21920]

That game looked awesome last night. What a cool concept. I hope they do it again.

[duncan228]

TNT Broadcasters Steal Show During NBA's First Outdoor Game in 36 Years (http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2008/10/tnt-broadcasters-steal-show-during-nbas.html)

"Basketball calls us outside to play because outside is where basketball lives"--David Aldridge during TNT's introduction to the AutoTrader.com Open

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden hosted the NBA's second outdoor game ever, a 77-72 Denver victory over Phoenix. Denver All-Stars Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony sat out due to minor injuries, as did Phoenix All-Star Amare Stoudemire. J.R. Smith and Mateen Cleaves led the Nuggets with 12 points each, while Steve Nash paced Phoenix with 16 points. Denver shot 29-80 from the field (.362), including 1-11 (.091) from three point range, while Phoenix shot 25-79 from the field (.316), including 2-16 (.125) from three point range.

Considering the lack of star power plus the fact that this is just the second preseason game for both teams, one would expect a sloppy game. Add in windy conditions and rapidly dropping temperatures and we found out that the concept of an outdoor preseason game is good but the execution--at least in this case--left something to be desired. Remember those backyard pickup games on crisp fall nights when the wind was gusting, you could not get loose and there were more airballs and bricks than swishes? That is what this game looked like, particularly in the second half.

Or, as Charles Barkley is fond of saying, "The operation was a success but the patient died." In this instance, the banter among TNT's broadcasting trio of Barkley, Reggie Miller and Marv Albert was often more entertaining than the game itself, although after this airballapalooza/brickathon I don't think that Commissioner David Stern will follow up on Barkley's suggestion to play the All-Star Game outdoors. However, Miller's idea that the game should have started an hour earlier is worth implementing if the NBA decides to have another outdoor game.

With both starting units on the court--albeit bereft of the injured All-Stars mentioned above--Phoenix outscored Denver 20-18 in the first quarter. The Suns enjoyed a 41-37 halftime lead, a Bizarro world score for two teams that are known for playing run and gun ball. The Suns went ice cold from the field in the third quarter, scoring just 13 points, and the Nuggets pulled ahead and hung on for a win that will not be replayed on ESPN Classic any time soon.

The Suns have replaced Mike D'Antoni and his offensive philosophy of shooting in "seven seconds or less" with Terry Porter, who plans to place an emphasis on defense and half court offensive execution. As Porter put it, the Suns will still run this season but they want to do so after defensive stops, not after taking the ball out of the basket after the opposing team scores. The Nuggets feature the same coach (George Karl) and the same stars (Iverson and Anthony) that they have had in recent years. They lost defensive hub Marcus Camby but the defensive intensity of their bench figures to improve with the addition of energy players like Renaldo Balkman, Chris Andersen and Ruben Patterson. However, the "knucklehead quotient" on this team is reaching levels not seen since Portland housed the "Jail Blazers": let's just say that a locker room with Iverson, Anthony, Patterson, Andersen, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Smush Parker will never be a dull place (not to say that all of those players are bad people but they all have repeatedly demonstrated bad judgment on and/or off the court on more than one occasion).

Shaquille O'Neal looks like he is in decent shape but it is obvious that his days of being an explosive and nimble inside player are long gone. He is huge and he literally throws his weight around but his game is shockingly ground bound now; he seems to struggle to dunk in traffic, something that he did with ease during his prime, often while defenders clung helplessly to him trying in vain to foul him before he slammed the ball through the hoop. That said, O'Neal still has an impact on the defense--literally and figuratively; he has to be guarded and at times still has to be double-teamed and that creates space for the other Suns. The Suns were a better team last year after they acquired him, even thought that truth became somewhat obscured by their meltdown in the first round of the playoffs versus San Antonio.

Phoenix rookie Robin Lopez played with a lot of energy, contributing eight points, five rebounds and seven blocked shots. He looks like Anderson Varejao with his wild, flowing hair and he plays like Cleveland's frenetic Brazilian center/forward.

Suns forward Boris Diaw drew Barkley's ire on several occasions for being too laid back and lacking a killer instinct. "He gives up more layups than any player in the NBA," Barkley grumbled about Diaw's propensity for passing the ball when he is right in front of the rim. That was a mild remark for Barkley on this night as he offered wide ranging commentary not only on the game but also on politics, the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team and seemingly any other thought that came into his mind. TNT executives were probably alternately laughing, cringing and wondering if it was too late to put Barkley's microphone on eight second delay. At one point, Albert wryly asked, "Are we on the air?"

Barkley made a candid admission that he has mentioned a few times on TNT: "One of the big regrets of my career is that I did not become a better defender." Of course, he then (half jokingly) took a shot at his first team, the Philadelphia 76ers: "I blame that on all the dead weight I had to carry with the 76ers." Barkley suggested that he could not play defense with the Sixers because he had to do all of the scoring and rebounding. He did carry a heavy burden at one point in his career but in his formative years with the Sixers Barkley played with Moses Malone, Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks, so there were plenty of opportunities for him to learn how to play defense and plenty of role models from whom he could have sought guidance. The reality is that Barkley was a great talent and a very productive player but he never took his conditioning or his defense as seriously as Michael Jordan did or Kobe Bryant does. Barkley added that he is still made at the Sixers for not drafting Brad Daugherty in 1986 and I completely agree that that was a travesty.

Miller offered a clip and save prediction--"Houston is my pick to win the West"--but Barkley is not convinced, largely because of the unreliability of Ron Artest, of whom Barkley said, "He's a couple sandwiches short of a picnic." Miller also said, "Larry Brown got on me as much as any coach in my career and made me a better player. I think he's the best thing that ever happened to me in my career in Indiana."

Speaking of demanding, hard driving coaches, Barkley recalled that he, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Terry Porter rode to the airport together after Bobby Knight cut them from the 1984 Olympic Team. Keep in mind that Joe Kleine, Leon Wood, Jon Koncak and Jeff Turner made the cut.

Barkley touched on Phoenix' inability to win a championship despite having a two-time MVP and a host of All-Stars and skilled role players. He said point blank that the Suns probably could have won a championship or two if they had focused more on defense and rebounding. Miller offered up the same weak excuses that Suns' fans--and sometimes Suns' players--cite, including what Phoenix supporters call the Horry game but what should properly be called the Stoudemire/Diaw game; after all, it was their overreaction that cost the Suns, not Horry's shove of Steve Nash. If Stoudemire and Diaw had kept their cool, then Horry would have been the only player who go suspended. Anyway, Barkley rightly insisted that if the Suns had defended and rebounded better then they would have had a much better opportunity to defeat the Spurs.

As for the Nuggets, Anthony told TNT's Cheryl Miller, "I think that when I put my mind to it, I can defend whoever I want to." Needless to say, that begs the question of when/if Anthony will in fact put his mind to playing good defense on a consistent basis. Barkley said flatly that Denver is Anthony's team and that how much he buys into what Karl is selling will determine how far the Nuggets go. Miller is convinced that Anthony learned how to step his game up from his experience playing alongside former NBA champions Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade with Team USA but Albert said, essentially, that talk is cheap: the Nuggets need to see real progress from Anthony, not just hear him say the right things during preseason. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Anthony to play good defense or to even know exactly where he is supposed to be defensively.

Postscript:

The venerable Joe Gilmartin describes the NBA's first outdoor game, a preseason contest in 1972 in which Phoenix defeated Milwaukee 113-100: "The game marked the debut of Butch van Breda Kolff’s brief (seven-game) stint as Suns’ head coach, and with Neal Walk scoring 15 points and Charlie Scott 14, the Suns beat the Bucks, who were led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, 113-110. As he usually did, Suns forward Connie Hawkins drew the most oohs and ahs with some of his patented swoops."

[Allanon]

Both of the Lopez twins look to be very nice NBA players...they're all hustle with some skill.

I think the NBA is considering the All-Star Game outdoors, I read something about the Suns renting that same court for All-Star weekend so at least something is going to be outdoors...maybe not the main event.

Could you imagine a Finals or WCF game being played in a Football stadium with 80,000 fans? Hahah that'd be crazy but pretty awesome too. It would work since that's around June/July when alot of places are pretty warm with little rain.

[Anti.Hero]

Lopez looks fucking stupid.

At least prove yourself before you sport that whack shit.



The Bird Man is back.

[pauls931]

What's the big deal about this 'Bird Man'? Didn't he get booted for substance abuse? I hope he's good because that's quite a nickname.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Birdman is a tall white athletic freak. He hussles like crazy and is all energy. Perfect role player and the best thing is that the last 2 years he hasn't had all the NBA mileage on his body, so he still has a lot left :smokin He is still a fan favourite in Denver, despite his mistakes.

Can't wait to see him jumping all the over the court and being a nuisance to opposing players.