For starters, it was unique. But Utah`s John Stockton doesn`t want to make a habit of traveling the world during the NBA`s regular season.
”I`m not real high on the idea,” Stockton said after Sunday`s 102-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns. ”Home games and less travel are very important for our team.”
The Suns and Jazz split their two-game series in the first regular-season games played by American pro teams outside North America.
After Sunday`s game, players and officials from both teams ran to buses to make their planes for the 13-hour flight home.
With 41 seconds left, Karl Malone made two free throws to put the Jazz ahead 102-101, and the Suns failed on two scoring chances in the final seconds.
Capacity crowds of more than 10,000 filled the stands for both games. One prominent fan at Sunday`s game was 7-foot, 5 1/4-inch Yasutaka Okayama, a former star on Japan`s national team.
”I`ve never seen the NBA pros play up close like this,” Okayama said.
”I`m impressed.”
Okayama said that although many Japanese play the game-16,000 teams and 700,000 players are registered with the Japan Basketball Association-it remains a minor sport, something he believes more exposure to the NBA could change.
”Games like this will create fans in Japan,” he said. ”I hope the Japanese will get used to watching basketball at this level and start to expect more from their own teams.”
