Sports have been very different this year. At the end of last season for the NBA they finished  in a bubble. This is where players and coaches couldn’t see any family members and you went from the basketball court to the hotel and that was it. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The Players Association and the NBA agreed to a shorter offseason so then the NBA season can start on time this year.

  Teams are back to playing at their own courts this year so the bubble is getting bigger. 

The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, states, “We are trying to operate like any other business in the world right now during these circumstances.”

The NBA found that keeping players in a bubble was not good for their mental health so they came to an agreement to run the season as normal with traveling, just with no fans. With the NBA coming around to almost the halfway point, they have limited a good amount of positive cases and have had no problems with traveling from city to city.

All-star game

The NBA is full of athletes that a lot of people look up to, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. The All-Star game is an exciting, high-scoring game where the best players in the league face each other. The All Star game is an event to help brand the NBA. While this is a such a huge event, some NBA players feel that the game shouldnt be played so then players can get extra rest especially after a much shortened offseason

Lebron James stated “ It’s a slap in face.” Lebron James is upset because the players believed that the game would not be played this year. 

The NBA will be hosted this year by Atlanta, Georgia. This is an event that also gives younger players a chance to start to get their name out to the market so then people can start buying their jerseys.

How is the season going?

The NBA regular season has been kind of its own. A small number of games have been postponed and rescheduled for later dates to the pandemic. The oddest thing out of them all is the silence. With there being zero fans in the stadium, fans have to find their own source of energy. With the pandemic overshadowing a lot of things, multiple teams have gone beyond expectations. The biggest surprise right now is the New York Knicks. Many people did not see them doing much of anything this year but the Knicks are currently in the playoff picture. Many people thought the Lakers would win the Western Conference, but they do have a surprising opponent that might be standing in the way of those hopes this year. The Utah Jazz have had a dominating year and right now they control the Western Conference. For the Eastern Conference, the local Philadelphia 76ers control the East but the newly revamped Brooklyn Nets are right behind. 

NBA Trade Deadline

With the trade deadline around the corner, multiple big name players can be on the move to another team. From the Washington Wizards, Bradly Beal or Russell Westbrook could be on the move to teams that are looking for that one piece to make their team a contender. Now other teams that are right in the middle to either make the playoffs or look to the future have decisions to make as well. The Chicago Bulls have a great young player in the name of Zach Lavine. Lavine is a player that can make a good team into a great team. Will the Bulls be willing to give up young talent?