NBA: Cancellation of Game in Boston in Wake of Bombings Right Decision

In light of the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, at the NBA has cancelled the scheduled game on Tuesday, April 16, at TD Garden between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers. (Photo: by Wikimedia user Ashstar/commons.wikimedia.org)

The NBA has announced that the Tuesday, April 16, game between the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics, scheduled to be televised on TNT, has been cancelled. The game is not going to be rescheduled as both teams have qualified for the NBA playoffs and both teams are fixed into their current seeds regardless of the outcome of the game. The cancellation was in response to the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

The game, however, would have potentially been cancelled regardless after the tragic events of Monday afternoon at the Boston Marathon. The city of Boston is still in a state of shock after the two explosions rocked the finish line area of the Boston Marathon and the city is in a heightened state of security and anxiety.

The Boston Marathon is more than an athletic event to the city of Boston. It is a holiday in Boston as the citycelebrated Patriots’ Day. It is a day where the Major League Baseball officials always make sure that the Red Sox are playing at home. It is a day where schools and government offices are closed across the state and everyone heads to the city to take part in weekend-long parties and reunions. It is an iconic institution in Boston.

As CNN reports that there are three dead, including an 8-year-old boy, and more than 140 injured, the city is not in a position to feel it is OK to have another sporting event take place. Running, particularly an event like a marathon, is riddled with thousands of amateurs. It is a cowardly act that targeted completely innocent human beings and the city of Boston has been rocked.

Having a meaningless NBA game in the wake of such a tragedy would be in poor taste under these circumstances. The Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and the NBA made a great decision to cancel the game. The National Hockey League did the same, postponing Monday night’s scheduled game at TD Garden between the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.

According to the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors game will be moved to 8 p.m. and televised on TNT in the place of Boston and Indiana.