Pistons-Cavaliers game faces lengthy delay for bizarre — and loud — horn malfunction
Friday’s game between the Pistons and Cavaliers was delayed for roughly 12 minutes — all because the horn at Little Caesars Arena would not turn off.
During a timeout midway through the third quarter with the Pistons leading 65-64, an electrical malfunction caused the horn to keep running, prompting officials to stop the game until arena staff could fix the issue.
“I’m here at the scorer’s table, and there was a complete malfunction electrical-wise here,” sideline reporter Jorge Sedano said during the ESPN broadcast. “You can see this gentleman here working frantically to try and get everything reset.”
Sedano added that both the clocks and the score went out across the entire arena.
“Clearly you hear the horn still going off, and there’s a level of frustration here trying to figure that out,” he said. “I spoke to both coaching staffs — [Pistons head coach] J.B. Bickerstaff and [Cavaliers head coach] Kenny Atkinson — and asked them, ‘Guys, have you ever dealt with anything like this at any level?’
“They both shook their heads and said, ‘No, this is definitely a first.’”
According to the Associated Press, the malfunction was ultimately caused by a power surge.
Fans across the arena looked visibly frustrated — as some covered their ears — as the horn continued to blare.
The delay was also long enough that both the Pistons and Cavaliers started to warm up again until it was fixed.
The horn finally turned off after 12 minutes, which prompted a loud roar from the Detroit crowd.
“There you go,” play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco said on the broadcast once the horn turned off. “The horn is stopped, and the fans applaud.”
For the remainder of the game, the scoring crew was tasked with using a manual airhorn while the arena was without the main scoreboard.