Someone at the Palace of Auburn Hills might be getting fired.
During the third quarter of Monday’s Pistons-Kings game, the smoke that’s supposed to be augment the pregame introductions was accidentally released into the arena, causing a stoppage of play.
At first, refs didn’t seem particularly concerned by the floating cloud of smoke consuming half the court, but DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings bench made a fuss until the game was paused.
Here’s video of the incident, via CSN.
NBA players are great athletes and all, but making them play through literal smoke seems to be asking a little too much of them.
And imagine how scary the scene must have been for fans in attendance, who were sitting back and watching the game when the arena suddenly got smoky. For all they knew, the Palace had caught on fire.
The smoke cleared quickly and play resumed (Sacramento won, 109-104), so in the end the smoke wasn’t such a big deal. Still, everyone at the arena should probably be careful to keep their hands off the “smoke release” button from now on.
