After the success of the NHL's foray into games without roofs, the NBA's attempt didn't exactly go as planned on Saturday night. You'd have thought that holding the game in California would quell all worries about inclement weather, but high winds and low temperatures caused a ton of problems for the Nuggets and Suns. Here are a quotes from the players involved and the announcers on TNT calling the game....

Barkley on the idea of outdoor games:

Barkley: “I suggested it last year. They were trying to figure out ways to spice up the All-Star Game. I had just watched a hockey game outdoors. The All-Star Game should be an exhibition. Doing it outside, I think, would be fantastic.”

George Karl on the conditions:

Karl: "The players said they couldn't sweat, the ball was slippery and the wind, I think, was a factor in the poor shooting and the poor free throw shooting. But I'm glad we did it. It's an experience. We might want to start the game at 5 o'clock maybe instead of 7."

Charles Barkley and Marv Albert on Nene:

Barkley: "First of all we have to start calling him Nene Hilario because he hasn;t done enough in the NBA to go by one name. Come on now, no disrespect, but he has not done enough to go by one name."
Albert: "He did make the (name) change legally."
Barkley: "I know but that doesn't mean anything, Marv. I suppose you think we should call (Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver) Chad Johnson (by his nickname) Ocho Cinco."
Albert: "No, that's a different story."

Steve Nash on the Conditions Outside:
Nash: "It was hard. You shoot the ball and then it starts slicing right."

Barkley and Reggie Miller on the Best Point Guards in the NBA:

Barkley: "Chris Paul and Deron Williams are the two best point guards in the NBA right now. I love (Suns point guard) Steve Nash but this is Chris Paul's and Deron Williams' league right now. I always say that Chris Paul is driving and Deron Williams is in the backseat."
Miller: "Where's Steve Nash?"
Barkley: "He's in the trunk."

Suns Coach Terry Porter on the Temperature:

Porter: "We need to get those benches heated like they have in football where you have hot seats."

Reggie Miller during a shootaround before the game:

Miller: “This will always be here, and this will be always here.” [Miller pointing to his right hand and then to Barkley's gut]

Even though none of the players seemed to have good games, these outdoor games are something that need to be featured more often in the warm weather cities. It's rare that new ideas work out in Sports, because just about everything has been tried up to this point. Maybe the event planners need to have an arena as backup nearby in case the weather gets bad like it did Saturday night, but I still think the possibilities with outdoor games are endless and ultimately a lot of fun for the fans.

Charles Barkley a fan of outdoor games (The Desert Sun)
Outdoor game sees shooting, temperature drop (NBA.com)