Winter Storms Leave Pelicans Stuck in Indianapolis, Raptors Stuck in Miami

Much of the country is locked into a nasty polar blast, and NBA teams are as affected as any other weary travelers.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been holed up in Indianapolis waiting for a connection to Miami, while the Toronto Raptors are dealing with the exact opposite mess—they can’t get from Miami to Indy.

You won’t often find a CNN weather quote in a hoops article, but here it is:

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As many as 140 million Americans are bracing this week for a polar blast that's barreling across the country, dumping snow in some places and shattering records. The unusual weather is already causing headaches, especially for travelers.

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Here’s the problem. Both the Pelicans and the Raptors are due at their next destinations—as in actual games—by Tuesday evening, and as of Monday night, there are just no flights happening. This could be just the tip of the iceberg. As of Monday night, the temperature in Indy was minus 4 degrees. Yeah, as in minus.

Is there relief in sight, as weather personalities would say? Nope. The high tomorrow in Indianapolis is expected to reach all of nine degrees. The evening is expected to be a mite chillier.

About 130 flights have been cancelled at Indy Airport. Word to the rest of the country—it’s cold all over, and if there’s a job you don’t want right now, it’s the person in charge of booking team flights.

Even if the Raptors reach Indianapolis, there’s the small matter of how many fans will brave the sub-zero temperatures to attend the game.