NBA's Outdoor Game Much Better the Second Time Around

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- For the second straight year, the Phoenix Suns hosted an outdoor preseason game at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. Only this time, the weather cooperated to make it a fantastic event in an atmosphere about as unique as they come by NBA standards.

The Warriors beat the Suns 104-101, but in what was just the second game of the preseason for Phoenix and the third for Golden State, the final score doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. This one was about fans enjoying the special venue and the teams trying to get some new players acclimated to their new surroundings, and both of those goals seemed to be accomplished, making this year's event a resounding success.

"It's kind of fun to play outside," said Warriors' head coach Don Nelson. "I didn't even think about it that much, but once in a while I would look up and there was a big hole in the sky."

You can bet the players were thinking about it, especially if they had the misfortune of having one of their shots get taken by the wind -- which, for the record, was virtually zero out there for the duration of the game.

"I'll be honest, everyone was telling me about the wind and how cold it was [last year], said Suns' center Channing Frye. "But it was a lot of fun, weather permitting. The wind took one of my balls at the beginning of the second half, and I was like, 'oh well, one out of however many I shot' isn't too bad."

Frye had very little to complain about, as he drained his first two three-point attempts of the game, and finished the first quarter with 12 points, on his way to a solid 19-point, eight rebound performance, on 7-of-13 shooting.

Steve Nash shot 1-for-6 in 20 minutes of action, but he blamed his time away from the game, rather than the weather, for his performance.

"The conditions were beautiful this year," Nash said. "This is the first time I've played a basketball game in six months. So for me, and to be outside ... it was difficult for me a little bit. I feel physically in great shape, but I just don't have any game rhythm, and I need some time to play."

Last year, the temperatures at game time dipped into the low 60s, and players reported wind gusts of up to 15 mph. The Suns played the Denver Nuggets here in 2008, and the teams both scored under 80 points, while shooting a field goal percentage somewhere in the low 30s.

This year, the Suns and Warriors were tied at 51 at the half, and each team passed the century mark before the final buzzer was sounded.

On the Warriors' side of the ball, rookie Stephen Curry had an outstanding game, and finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while continually attacking the basket fearlessly, and seeming to have a good command of the offense. Anthony Morrow was the one player who shot the lights out, and led all scorers with 30 points on 11-for-21 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point land.

But again, this night wasn't as much about the game, as it was about the experience for the league's fans, both those in person and the ones watching the nationally televised contest on TNT. With temperatures never dropping below 77 degrees during the game, and the wind being virtually nonexistent, it was as good of an environment as you'll ever get for an actual NBA preseason game that was scheduled to take place outdoors.