NBA's Return Brings Many Questions, But A Lot of Excitement
Basketball fans will finally have something other than “The Last Dance” and old, predetermined games to keep them entertained. The league’s board of governors and player’s union agreed to a deal in which 22 teams will resume playing on July 31 at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. There will be an eight-game conclusion for the regular season followed by a possible play-in tournament for the lower seeds before playoffs begin. Any teams within four games of the No. 8 seed by the end of the regular season will have a chance to make the playoffs via the play-in tournament, and playoffs will maintain the regular structure with four rounds of best-of-seven series.
How well teams will get back into the routine of playing is anyone’s guess. This is an unprecedented format and could lead to some huge upsets and playoff matchups we did not think we would see this season. Without question the teams who did well before the season was postponed have the most pressure on them.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who had the best record before the postponement, have superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo under contract for only one more year following the conclusion of this season. Their window might be closing fast and letting an opportunity like this slip away could be devastating.
This might be LeBron James’ final legitimate run at another championship, and another title for the Los Angeles Lakers would be sweet after some uncharacteristically embarrassing moments over the last few years from one of the league’s premier franchises.
Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers, were just starting to play at full strength and hit its stride once the pandemic hit. The Clippers were only 5.5 games behind the Lakers and looked poised to make a run at the team’s first championship, with a possible all-Staples Center playoff series along the way. This is a golden opportunity for the Clippers to capture the city’s attention and stop playing second fiddle, even if it comes under some extraordinary circumstances.
These extraordinary circumstances will no doubt tarnish the validity of this season’s champion, especially if a team like the Washington Wizards or Sacramento Kings, who did not hold a playoff position at the time of the postponement, scrap out a run to the finals. That’s a shame if a team like the Bucks or Clippers, who have waited forever for a title, not only have to celebrate that title in front of an empty arena but the validity of it is then questioned for years to come.
There are still some kinks to work out, such as possible expanded rosters due to the fact that players can refuse to participate without punishment, and nothing is certain in the COVID-19 era. But there’s reason for NBA fans to be optimistic, and we will likely be able to watch basketball much sooner rather than later.
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Report: Michael Rosen
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