When it became clear that Monday night's Timberwolves game wouldn't be played, that condensation had made the Target Center floor wet and slippery, coach Tom Thibodeau had an idea.
"I suggested practice over at the practice facility," he said. "That didn't go over too good."
It is believed Thibodeau was joshing.
But this was no joke: Monday's combination of unseasonably high temperatures and humidity in Minneapolis and a sheet of ice under the playing floor following five days of Disney on Ice shows resulted in condensation, an unsafe court and the postponement of the Wolves' game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
A makeup date has not yet been set.
"First, I want to apologize to our fans," Thibodeau said. "And certainly to the Trail Blazers. But, obviously, the safety of the players has to come first. It's unfortunate. But it's the right thing to do. And so, the game was canceled."
The court was fine when the two teams held morning shootarounds. But when they returned for pregame warmups, conditions had changed.
Both Thibodeau and Portland coach Terry Stotts, whose teams both are in pursuit of a Western Conference playoff spot, started hearing complaints from players. At that point Ron Garretson, the chief of the officiating crew for the game, was summoned. Target Center workers began trying to dry the court. The temperature in the building was turned down low, trying to cool the building. Ultimately, postponement was the only call that could be made.
