‘Shame on the NBA’ – Team stranded on tarmac for hours as officials delay abandonment decision

A major winter storm has caused chaos to Sunday’s NBA slate.

The game between the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in Tennessee was postponed as adverse weather swept through.

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But while the NBA rightly called that off with plenty of notice, two other teams were left in limbo just hours before tip-off.

On Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks were scheduled to fly to Milwaukee for a clash with the Bucks scheduled for Sunday at 7pm ET.

However, their trip out of Texas was delayed due to the weather, and as of early Sunday afternoon, the team were still stuck on the tarmac.

Flight delays likely to prevent Bucks-Mavs game

Dallas Morning News reporter Brad Townsend reported at 1:30pm that the Mavs’ plane was ‘still being de-iced’ in Dallas.

NBA insider Marc Stein then followed up an hour later to confirm that the situation was unchanged.

Quoting the league’s statement on the Nuggets vs Grizzlies postponement, he wrote: “The Mavericks, meanwhile, remain on their team plane still awaiting takeoff… less than six hours away from their scheduled 6pm CT tipoff in Milwaukee tonight.”

As the afternoon went on, Stein noted that the NBA was heading towards another postponed game, as time was running out for the Mavs to get off the ground.

“The anticipation now is that tonight’s Mavericks-at-Bucks game will soon be officially postponed,” he wrote.

“The Mavericks, I’m told, remain on their team plane as the league office works out whether to try to move this soon-to-be postponed game to Monday — which would create a back-to-back for the Bucks — or move it to the other side of the All-Star break.”

Stein’s report was backed up by Townsend, who also noted the team were unlikely to fly on Sunday.

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“Mavs will not play the Bucks tonight,” he posted on X.

“No announcement from the NBA, but it appears the make-up date for Mavs at Bucks will be Feb. 19 or, if details can be worked out, a quick makeup date on Monday.

“The latter, however, would assume the Mavs can get out of Dallas later today or tomorrow.”

As both reporters pointed out, there was no official announcement from the NBA on the game, even as tip-off was fast approaching.

The decision was finally made at 3:40pm ET.

Fans slam NBA over lack of information over ‘postponed’ game

Plenty of fans took to social media to question why that was the case, and criticised the lack of clarity.

“Shame on the NBA for not cancelling the game. Making workers already show up to the arena as if the game is actually happening,” one wrote on X.

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“Hope everyone stays safe and they reschedule ASAP!” another said.

“Seems pretty dumb to make them all wait this long just move it back,” a third fan said of the Mavs team plane.

“NBA is pathetic,” a fourth said.

Bucks-Mavs officially called off at eleventh hour

Soon after the reports from Stein and Townsend started to spread on social media, the NBA officially called off the Bucks-Mavs game.

“The National Basketball Association game scheduled for today between the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum has been postponed due to the Mavericks inability to leave Dallas as a result of inclement weather in the area,” a short statement read.

“The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.”

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