PHOENIX -- The Suns and the Sixers played a close preseason game in Phoenix on Friday night, and the same two teams will go at it again this Sunday in Monterrey, Mexico. The NBA last hosted a game in Monterrey in 1996, although that was obviously before Mexico was known as the birth place of the swine flu.Teams are taking precautions stateside to prevent unnecessary exposure to the disease, so it's of course going to be even more of a hot topic as players venture out of the country. And in fact, the subject of swine flu was the first thing on the mind of Amar'e Stoudemire, when he was asked about the impending trip to Mexico after Friday night's game.
"We just gotta stay away from the swine flu," Stoudemire said. "That seems to be the name of the trip so far."
As was initially rumored to be a league-wide precaution for players this season, the teams will try to keep hand contact to a minimum during their brief stay in Mexico.
"Keep your hands clean," Stoudemire said, when asked if there were any special guidelines in place. "If you see us kind of high-fiving with the backs of our hands, you know that's for the, 'swine flu precautionary measures.' "
And as for any of the team's fans in Mexico who might be hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite Suns out and about, they can pretty much forget it. According to Stoudemire, the team has no plans to do any exploring while they're in town.
"I don't think we're supposed to go anywhere once we get to Mexico -- I don't think the crime rate is the best," Stoudemire joked. "So we just want to stay safe, go out there and perform, and hopefully the fans enjoy our game out there and we can get back to the states."
