We all know what the value of so many cable professionals gathering in one place can be. It turns out there can be a downside as well, at least for professional basketball. From The New York Times, concerning the rivalry between the Lakers and Spurs:
The well-rested Lakers, who have not played since Friday night, already figured to be facing a travel-weary Spurs team. But that was before the Spurs’ trip to Los Angeles went awry. Their departure from New Orleans was delayed several hours because their plane had mechanical problems. Because of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association’s annual convention, which attracted about 20,000 people to New Orleans, the Spurs were unable to find hotel rooms in the city. “We slept on the plane — as much as you can sleep,” the team spokesman Cliff Puchalski said Tuesday. “We tried to keep some normal semblance of order.” Puchalski said the Spurs boarded a replacement plane and took off about 6:30 a.m. Central time, Puchalski said, and landed in Los Angeles about four hours later. They did not practice Tuesday.