The Hornets were late coming to the arena for their NBA Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Of all things, by a freight train.
State Farm Arena is surrounded by tracks, which date back to when the location was home to the city’s two primary passenger stations. Both stations were demolished decades ago, although many of the rails that remain are still used by freight trains passing through Atlanta’s central business district.
Hornets coach James Borrego remarked, “I’ve never seen anything like it.” “In my 20 years of coming to this stadium, I’ve never seen a train stop before the game.”
He seemed to infer that the Hawks were to blame for the freight train coming to a halt at the crossing.
“It’s up to someone to sort it out.” Borrego responded, “I have no idea.” “However, our soldiers took note.”
The 10th-seeded Hornets, he added, were energised by the delay since they were hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Borrego added, “It’s excellent fuel for us.”
Before the game, one of those trains came to a halt on a crossing, preventing the Hornets’ chartered vehicles from accessing the players’ entry on the arena’s lower level.
The buses had no choice but to turn back and find another way to the arena. They were around 15 minutes late.
