Interesting as this was discussed on this forum recently. Hope the weather holds up.

Hope it rains so we can experience Basketball On Ice.

Why?
What can it possibly add to the game?
WTF happens if the sun happens to be visible, and therefore potentially players get sun in their eyes.
Even footy players complain about Docklands because of the sharp transition from from shade to light.

LK saw United's shooting percentages tonight and thought swirling winds will only improve their FG%.

i like the concept - but requires perfect weather.

It's been done before and usually attracts a big crowd so why not?

Lets say it does rain. Does the game get called off /rescheduled?

I would say if the forecast conditions are not suitable and the weatherman is predicting any chance of rain or extreme temperatures then they would not open the roof and the game would be played as per usual.

They just don't open the roof Matthew

It was done back in either 1997, 98 or 99 with the Magic or Titans (can't remember which) playing Adelaide with the roof open at the Tennis Centre.

Nothing wrong with it and if it attracts interest for the NRL and draws a close on capacity crowd then why not?

Where is it written that NBL games must be played indoors?

Edit that above. If it attracts interest for the NBL, not the NRL.

Wrong game lol

Oh well Ill tune in as its my team. (Im assuming they are capitalising on the increased viewers/ people turning up to watch because my Wildcats are involved?)

Ive never seen an open roof game before so should be interesting

Weather permitting, why not. Only thing is late December could be a scorcher. I think a night game could be better to try this out for rather than an arvo game.

"Im assuming they are capitalising on the increased viewers/ people turning up to watch because my Wildcats are involved?"

I suspect it will be because they can leave the roof open afterwards for the tennis, hence not incurring costs to open and close it??

I don't mind the concept. Its good that new things are being tried out (i know its been done once before but that was 15 years ago).

My only question is are they doing it to get more people in? United have been getting near capacity crowds for most of their games so far, so I don't see why they would need to do this if its purely a stunt to get more fans. If they were struggling, then sure a one off game like this would give them a nice boost.

It seems like it would only be a spectacle for the crowd to enjoy as I don't see how the TV experience would benefit much other than the commentators going bananas over it. The players probably don't care either way.

I think its a 7pm tip off isn't it? As long as there's no rain, it should be fine timewise.

They've only had one near sellout, so plenty of reason for something that brings more people in.

More people attending is always better. I saw the game earlier this year when I came over from Perth before PAX as United beat my Wildcats. Crowd there looked pretty big and pumped.. but those damn Hand Clapper things nearly killed my mind.

Aren't they averaging something like 6500+ this season? They had a couple of games get over 9000. Fantastic results so far in Melbourne without the open air concept added in.

Hey if it gets a sell-out (or close to it) for an open air game, then I'm all for it. I would have thought they would get that anyway on a Sunday with or without the roof.

It's a great idea.

How it's interpreted might vary from "Innovative and engaging" to "useless gimmick" but the bottom line is that it's got people talking and adds a bit of buzz. So go right ahead.

Spot on, if it can turn an 8000 crowd into a 10,000 crowd and generate more media coverage of the game why not do it?

Good they can blame the roof being open after getting a good old fashion beatdown from perth....

You would have to think that an Open Air game would benefit Perth more. United live by the 3 point line where as Perth have enough bigs to go inside and take shots that wont be affected by a slight breeze.

On the flipside, maybe they're hoping the breeze will mean they can pack it in without worrying about the three-ball!

Yeah, I like the idea, why not give it crack!

This season has already been nothing short of fantastic, no need to go back into our shell...

I went to the game (Magic?) v Adelaide back in the 1990s, which was touted at the time as being the first open air game for a professional basketball league (although that may have been a marketing ploy).

I remember it being an unusual spectacle, watching the game and being able to look up and see the sky. I also recall the crowd numbers were quite good. Can't remember who won, though!

Tennis is often played in doors, but most of the big tournaments and all the Grand Slams are outdoors. I' sure it does effect people, and of course rain can play havoc, but that's part of the game. Furthermore every match in the tournaments runs the same risks.
When I grew up, we played basketball in the winter, outdoors, on bitumen courts. You played in the wind, sun, rain, whatever, but again everyone had the same risks.

If its really going to attract big crowds, maybe ok, but what's the attraction?
It's not like you can throw a picnic rug on the hill and spreadout, its still the same venue, just no roof.

I am still working out who had to go and get the ball when it went over the edge in that aircraft carrier game between UNC and Mich state :-)

"If its really going to attract big crowds, maybe ok, but what's the attraction?"

The attraction is the extra publicity it receives.