For the second time in two weeks, a National Basketball Association game involving the Orlando Magic has been called off, and both times cleaning was the culprit.
An Oct. 22 exhibition against Miami was cancelled when an oil-based floor cleaner made the court at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa too slippery. Today, the New York Knicks were forced to postpone a game against Orlando when debris containing asbestos fell onto the floor during a cleaning of the Madison Square Garden attic.
The game has yet to be rescheduled. According to a Knicks team statement, "As the safety of our customers and employees are our top priority, we will not reopen the Garden until we are absolutely assured the arena is safe."UPDATE: Hours after the MSG asbestos scare went public, it was determined to be a false alarm. The IZOD Center in New Jersey had already offered to book Knicks and Rangers events, and the Knicks reportedly had reached out to the Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Nets, by the time the air inside the Garden was deemed safe. The Knicks are scheduled to host Washington on Friday.