A dangerously slippery court at Warwick Academy caused the abandonment of Saturday?s NBA Legends clash against the Bermuda national team with the home side still fighting for a comeback win.

With players from both teams constantly losing their footing, the game was called with two minutes and 52 seconds remaining in the second half with the visitors, led by superb play from former NBA stars Tyrone Corbin and Craig Ehlo, leading 63-55.

The 350 fans had been enjoying the game at the impressive gym facility, but the lack of air conditioning meant the court was becoming increasingly wet with condensation in the evening humidity, hampering the skill levels and harming Bermuda?s chances of fighting back for victory.

?We wanted to play a fast, full press game because that is the only way we could compete with these top level players,? said coach Gavin MacKenzie, who had just two of his regular five starters in the side. But we couldn?t do that because the court was so slippery. People couldn?t sprint properly so we had to slow things down to their level and that made it hard for us.?

Despite the obvious superiority of the former NBA players, the home team, led by contract-seeking pro Sullivan Phillips, were closing the gap in the second half after trailing by more than a dozen points at times.

Wayward shooting was hampering both sides in the first half as they struggled to cope without the sauna-like conditions, although the older heads used their vast experience to guide themselves to a 30-21 lead.

After the break, the skill levels appeared to improve, despite the court?s increasingly ice-rink like qualities.

Bermuda, coping better with just a three-man bench, closed the gap to within three with 3:57 remaining but the veterans kept their noses in front before the number of falls became ridiculous and the game was abandoned for safety reasons.

?To be honest, I was thinking about walking off by that time,? said Phillips, who recovered from a relatively weak opening half to make some positive drives to the basket and show the former NBA players that he still thinks he is good enough to play in their league.

?It was getting pretty crazy out there and it is just not worth getting hurt in an exhibition game.

?I struggled a bit in the first half but I was ok in the second. I didn?t have my best game but I showed a bit of what I can do.?

A very young Bermuda team struggled to match their older opponents, particularly as they were missing a number of big name players due to holidays and work commitments, but held things together surprisingly well considering how many new faces were among their ranks.

But, at times, there was little they could do to stop their opponents ? some in their 40s, one, Wali Jones, in his 60s ? from showing they still have the old magic.

?That was a lot of fun,? said Corbin, a 16-year NBA veteran and now assistant coach of the Utah Jazz.

?But I haven?t sweated that much on a court for years. It was a good game, the Bermudian guys are pretty strong and worked us hard.

?There are some good players here and it made for a nice match.?Derek Ali, Jason Lowe, Arthur Mills, Dean JOnes, Graham Robinson, Terrence Dill, Sullivan Phillips, John Lee, Ryan Rabain, Andrew Emory.