Play suspended during Thursday's Slam game in Tijuana
December 8, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Bellingham Slam News Release
SEATTLE - Unsafe court conditions led to the Bellingham Slam's scheduled American Basketball Association game Thursday night against the Tijuana Dragons in Tijuana, Mexico to be suspended. The remainder of the game will be played at a yet-to-be-determined date.
Play was halted for the first time with 7:59 left in the first quarter when it was determined that the floor was too slippery to play on. The early minutes of the game resembled "basketball on ice" as players on both sides of the ball were sliding and falling due to the slick conditions. After a lengthy delay in which the arena crew tried to mitigate to the problem by mopping the floor with rubbing alcohol and Coca-Cola, play resumed for several more minutes before the game was suspended for good with 5:25 to play in the opening quarter. Tijuana held a 13-12 lead when the game was called.
It appeared that the floor at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutiérrez Moreno in Tijuana had been treated earlier with an unknown compound to make it shiny, leading to the slippery conditions. Both teams quickly became aware of the conditions during pre-game warm-ups, and their concerns were confirmed after several minutes of game action.
The game, which was the home opener for Dragons this season, was meant to be the second of a four-game road trip for the Slam. The Slam will resume play on Saturday when they travel to Maywood, Calif. to take on the Carson Buzz. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. The Slam's next home action will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 12 as they welcome the Fresno Heatwave to town for the first game of a two game series.
For more information, please call the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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