Just hours after supporters of President Donald Trump initially breached the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC, the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers prepared to play a basketball game in Indianapolis.
Stephen Silas, head coach of the Rockets, said it wouldn’t be easy to play a basketball game on the same day that such a serious scenario was unfolding in the nation’s capital. However, he said no discussions had been had between the teams regarding any potential postponement.
Here’s a sampling of what Silas had to say in his pregame media session with reporters on Wednesday afternoon. When asked whether he planned to speak about the events with his team before tipoff, Silas said:
I haven’t decided yet. I’ve been watching it all day. Disappointed in how everything is unfolding. Obviously, our country is divided right now, and it’s really disappointing to see. It’s kind of a cloud over me, at this point.
Talking to my daughters about it, and just watching the news all day… is not a good thing. It’s funny, I tell my mom — my mom watches CNN, constantly, all day long. And she’s depressed, all day long. I’m like, ‘Mom, you’ve got to stop watching that stuff.’ [laughing] And then, that was me today. Just watching, and really paying attention to the division and the lawlessness.
You never think that you would seem something like that in this time, in this day. That seems like it would happen in another country, or in another era. But that’s who we are right now. That’s where we are right now. I’m not sure if I’m going to bring it up with the team or not. I’m sure I will at some point, but the timing of it has to be right, and I’m not sure if pregame is the time to do it.
Stephen Silas says he doesn't know if he will address what is happening in Washington with his team before tonight's game pic.twitter.com/D4oGmdHeCJ
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 6, 2021
Silas said he had concentrated more “on the United States of America” than the Pacers in the hours leading up to Wednesday’s game. When asked if it was difficult to think about playing a game, Silas replied:
Absolutely, it definitely is. This is what I’ve been doing for the last few hours, not necessarily concentrating on the Indiana Pacers, concentrating on the United States of America, which is infinitely more important than a basketball game. But my job is to coach this team, and do the best that I can to lead us to a victory, and make sure the players are in a good place, to where they can perform their best.
There’s so many layers to it. There’s what’s going on at the Capitol building, and then there’s the why. And then there’s the why for that — the division and all this other stuff. There is a long history of division in our country when it comes to political party, but it seems like right now there is more of a division in just, like, humanity. That’s what I’m grappling with and struggling with right now.
More from Stephen Silas on what is taking place in Washington: "This is what I've been doing for the last few hours, not necessarily concentrating on the Indiana Pacers, concentrating on the United States of America, which is infinitely more important than a basketball game…." pic.twitter.com/Cqpg3bg1id
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 6, 2021
While the NBA did postpone games amid the U.S. racial justice movement in late August, Silas said he believed this was a different scenario.
Further details regarding the rioters in Washington can be read at usatoday.com. Tipoff between the Rockets and Pacers remains scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Central time at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
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