Smoke Cancels NBA's First Mexico Game in 16 Years

At this rate, it might be another 16 years before the NBA decides to have a game in Mexico: Last night's game between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves was called off after smoke filled the Mexico City arena before fans arrived, reports the AP. A generator malfunction caused smoke to pour into the arena, taking over the whole court and forcing players to retreat from their locker rooms to their buses. The game, which would have been the first regular-season one played in Mexico since 1997, will be played in Minnesota at a later date.

When the cloud poured in, "I thought they were practicing fireworks," a Spurs TV analyst says. "A lot of teams do that before introductions. But then the smoke just kept creeping and it wasn't white smoke. It was like a brown dark smoke and it started taking over the whole court. It was surprising." (More NBA stories.)