The Dallas Mavericks locked down the Detroit Pistons in the 4th quarter Monday night. A Dallas ice storm has locked them down ever since.
The Pistons were supposed to fly back to Detroit Monday night, but thanks to ice storms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they still haven’t left Big D. Once the NBA realized the team won’t get back before Thursday, the league officially postponed the Wizards-Pistons game scheduled for Wednesday night.
They’re not the only team affected. The New Orleans Pelicans are stuck in Denver following Tuesday night’s loss to the Nuggets. They’re hoping to fly in Thursday during the day, before Thursday night’s matchup with the Mavericks. Being stuck in Denver is tough, but it’s more palatable than the alternative plan: Flying into Oklahoma City and taking a four-hour bus ride to Dallas.
Postponing one game is manageable, especially if the Pistons can get back ahead of their back-to-back home games Friday and Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns. They’ll certainly lose a rest day in the rescheduling, but the tanking Pistons might actually welcome a change that lowers their chances of winning – and increases their draft lottery odds.
That’s likely already the case for this week’s game. Having an NBA team spend seven hours in an airport is not what any coach wants for his team’s fitness and preparedness.
Will the NBA reschedule the game? It’s going to be tough to find a mutual off day for the Pistons and Wizards that doesn’t create another travel nightmare. But if the Wizards finish a half-game in or out of the playoffs, the NBA might have no choice.
