Dane MizutaniWeb Editorial AssociateEmail / TwitterIt was a perfect scene in Mexico City last season — until it wasn’t.
As a sellout crowd of more than 20,000 fans waited in anticipation for NBA action between the Wolves and the San Antonio Spurs smoke bellowed into Mexico City Arena, engulfed much of the air space inside, and the game was ultimately postponed with a makeup game rescheduled in the United States.
It was later discovered that a fire in the generator room caused the smoky conditions that led to the evacuation about 45 minutes before the scheduled tipoff. Though no major injuries were reported, the postponement left NBA fans in Mexico yearning for another opportunity to watch NBA action.
Those fans will get that opportunity — barring any mishaps — on Wednesday as the Wolves are set to take on the Houston Rockets at 9 PM.
“We were disappointed we didn’t play and we were disappointed that the people of Mexico City didn’t have an opportunity to see NBA action,” Wolves coach Flip Saunders said of last season’s debacle. “We’re excited about being able to come back. I know the league has done everything it can to make sure the game goes on without any glitches. We’re excited about it.”
Mexico has long been an emergent fan base for the NBA, and while Brooklyn Nets reserve guard Jorge Gutierrez is the only Mexican player in the league at the moment, fandom has continued to increase in recent years.
Minnesota arrived in Mexico City on Monday night and players quickly noticed that magnitude of the game in the eyes of the local fans.
“There were so many fans waiting outside,” Wolves guard Kevin Martin said. “They had all kinds of different jerseys on from different players around the league so we could tell they pay attention to the NBA. We’re hoping we have a pretty crazy crowd.”
This game in Mexico City is a part of the growing NBA Global Games initiative that has already seen preseason games played in Germany, Turkey, Brazil, and China this season, and will see another regular season game played in London later this season. This initiative has been around for 36 years and is a way for the NBA to connect with fans from across the world.
As for this particular game, Wolves players appear excited to put on a show for the local fans.
“I feel like it’s going to be electrifying,” said Wolves guard Zach LaVine, who wasn’t a part of the game in Mexico City last season. “I’ve never been to another country so it’s going to be definitely something different. I’m going to do the best I can to entertain. We’re entertainers so we’re going to do the best we can.”
While the Wolves are technically the home team against the Rockets, the fact Houston is 1,164 miles closer to Mexico City than Minneapolis could play against the Wolves.
“I don’t know,” Saunders said when asked whether he thinks the Wolves will have any semblance of a homecourt advantage. “We’ll have to see what happens. I know last year we weren’t going to be the home team with San Antonio so maybe we have a better chance with Houston.”
It really doesn’t matter who the home team is in this matchup, though, as this game carries more weight on a larger scale than a normal regular season contest.
“It’s going to be great,” Wolves forward Shabazz Muhammad said. “We left last year and we could see all the people who were disappointed. There are a lot of people and a lot of fan support here in Mexico and if we want to build our fan base it’s a great opportunity. I love it out here and I can’t wait to play the game.”