MUMBAI: As the venue of the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League final, in 2014, and the home of the city’s kabaddi franchise U Mumba, the NSCI Dome has witnessed the revival of one of the most indigenous games. On Friday, it was the stage for the most foreign sport. Basketball, born and bred in America, was making its biggest splash in India.
On show were two mid-table NBA teams — Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings. Even though a pre-season game, the first of the two that make the first-ever NBA India Games, it showcased the game’s leaping appeal. Basketball’s physicality more subtle than the in-your-face aggression of kabaddi. It has tall men bounding taller, pushing, shoving, doing effortless 360 degree turns in the air, eating up the court with their long strides.
Both teams were playing their first game of the season, testing combinations and trying out players. But the athleticism was unwavering as the teams put on an impressive show for their Indian fans. The Sacramento Kings, owned by Mumbai-born Vivek Ranadive, were edged out 132-131 by Indiana Pacers as the match went into overtime.
Pacers’ TJ Warren was the top-scorer with 30 points. Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points. For the Kings, Buddy Hield had 28 points to his name and Harrison Barnes had 21.The organisers had promised an authentic NBA experience.
The Kings walked out into the custom-made, squeaky smooth court to the tune of ‘Swag se karenge sab ka swagat.’ The kiss cam was altered for the Indian taste, turning it into a muscle cam instead. Kids, who made up most of the audience, unbeknownst to the fact that they had to flex muscles at the camera ended up pointing at it and giggling instead.
The teams shrugged off jet-lag, swinging straight into action. Harrison Barnes got the scoreboard ticking with a three-pointer. Apart from a few minutes in the opening quarter, when Pacers star Domantas Sabonis called the shots, the Kings led all the way. They capped off a dominating first half as Yogi Ferrell came up with the shot of the match, scoring from his side of the court.
The Pacers came back in the third quarter, cutting down the lead from 21 to two. In the fourth quarter, they kept at the Kings’ heels and suddenly turned up the heat in the closing seconds. They bridged the gap from nine to three with 30 seconds to go. TJ Warren sunk in a three pointer to tie the scores 118-118 in the final second to push the game into overtime. The Pacers carried the momentum in the final five minutes to seal the contest.