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Some 19,000 fans whooped and cheered as the two National
Basketball Association teams racked up more than 200 points
between them, with messages in Spanish that translated to "Did
you see that?" and "Incredible!" blaring across giant screens
showing slam dunks and a wealth of three-pointers.
Houston topped the Timberwolves 113-101 in the NBA's first
regular season game in Mexico since 1997, as the Rockets
improved to 7-1 on the season.
It was an auspicious return for the NBA to Mexico after a
generator caught fire last year as the San Antonio Spurs were
about to take on the Timberwolves, cancelling the game.
Top NBA brass expect more regular season games in the Mexican
capital next year.
"It's definitely very likely," Philippe Moggio, the NBA's top
executive for Latin America, told Reuters in an interview.
Moggio said the league regularly discusses a possible franchise
in Mexico, but it is no slam dunk.
The game came as Mexico is grappling with a rash of drug gang
violence, including the apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers
a three-hour drive from Mexico City around seven weeks ago.
While most of the violence has taken place outside the capital,
dismembered bodies have been dumped in trash bags on the streets
of Mexico City just a few kilometers from the arena.
Moggio said security is a "top-level concern across everything
the NBA does", but it was too early to say whether that would
factor into any future expansion plan.
Soccer-crazed Mexico City, a megalopolis of over nine million
people, would be a tough sell for a permanent NBA franchise,
said Alejandro Facio, a 22-year-old communications student.
"I don't think a permanent team is such a good idea. The (NBA)
should come sporadically so that it's special," he said.
Elizabeth Reyes, a 33-year-old government worker in the state of
Durango and avid basketball player, was more upbeat.
"We'd be spellbound if the NBA were to come here," she said, as
the Rockets' star center Dwight Howard went on to score a
game-high 22 points. "The NBA is the best!"
(Editing by Gene Cherry)
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