NBA reschedules Bulls/Pacers game postponed by blizzard
Indiana was blanketed by snow, forcing the postponement of a Dec. 26 Bulls-Pacers game. (Weather.com)
By Ben Golliver
The NBA has rescheduled a Dec. 26 game between the Bulls and Pacers that couldn't be played because of blizzard conditions in Indianapolis. The game will now take place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 4. Tip will be 7 p.m ET.
It's never easy squeezing in a new game to a schedule that's meticulously crafted. The rescheduled date will force the Pacers to play a home/home/road back-to-back-to-back against the Bulls, Hawks and 76ers on Feb. 4, Feb. 5 and Feb. 6. The earlier date did not represent even a back-to-back for the Pacers and the NBA generally does not schedule three games in three nights for teams unless it's a lockout-shortened season or an extreme situation such as this.
If the Pacers are the losers here, the Bulls are winners, at least somewhat. The earlier date represented the second-night of a home/road back-to-back against the Rockets and Pacers. The new date does not represent a back-to-back situation, although it will extend a five-game road trip that lasts from Jan. 30 until Feb. 8 into a six-game road trip. Still tough.
The Pacers announced on Dec. 26, just hours before the expected tip off, that the league had postponed their game against the Bulls because of a winter storm.
RTV6.com reported earlier Dec. 26 that Indiana's Marion County was "under a travel watch" because of the storm and further reported that more than a foot of snow had fallen in parts of Indiana and that "fierce wind gusts" were topping 40 miles per hour. JournalReview.com reported that the Indiana National Guard had been activated on Dec. 26 to assist those affected by the storm.
The Pacers are 18-13 and hold a one-game lead over the 16-13 Bulls at the top of the Central Division. The Bucks are also 16-13.
Earlier this season, Hurricane Sandy forced the postponement of a game between the Knicks and Nets that was scheduled for Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 1. That game was made up on Nov. 26.
