It’s the preseason.
With that it’s pretty much caveat emptor. The best players play limited minutes if they play at all. In the case of the Spurs, having just gotten back from their NBA preseason tour of Turkey and Germany, Gregg Popovich decided to give pretty much everybody the night off Thursday. Meaning Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard (eye infection), Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills and even Popovich didn’t even make the trip to Phoenix for a preseason contest.
Which didn’t sit well with Suns owner Robert Sarver, apparently. In the middle of the game he came down courtside, borrowed the microphone from the PA announcer, and apologized to everyone at the arena for the game.
“Hey everybody, I want to thank you for coming out tonight. This is not the game you paid your hard-earned money to watch. I apologize for it. And I want you to send me your tickets if you came tonight, with a return envelope, and I’ve got a gift for you on behalf of the Suns for showing up tonight.”
It’s a nice gesture… but he knows it’s preseason, right?
The people who showed up did get to see a Suns win, 121-90 over the shorthanded Spurs. Goran Dragic led the way with 20 points and 6 assists. And the three-guard lineup of Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas went on a 9-0 run.