The Phoenix Suns cruised to an easy 121-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in preseason action Thursday night, in part because the defending champs barely brought half their team. Suns owner Robert Sarver was not happy about that, and he took the microphone during a TV timeout to apologize to the fans.
“Hey everybody, I want to thank you for coming out tonight,” Sarver began. “This is not the game you paid your hard-earned money to watch. I apologize for it. I want you to send me your tickets if you came tonight, with a return envelope and I’ve got a gift for you, on behalf of the Suns, for showing up tonight. Thank you.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was unable to make the trip to Phoenix because he was ill. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker also stayed home, and Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills and Tiago Splitter all sat out while nursing injuries.
It was only a preseason game, after all. Fans know there is a risk of not seeing quality basketball when they buy tickets to a preseason game, but that didn’t seem to matter to Sarver. Or, should we say, Sarver seized the opportunity for some good public relations. If Sarver pulls the same move during a regular season loss, then we’d be talking.
Video via Eye on Basketball
