Nearly a month and a half into the revolutionary NBA Bubble, it is clear that some things have worked, and others have not. Thus far, we have been lucky enough to proceed safely through most of the first 2 rounds of the playoffs, with the winner of tomorrow’s Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets game sealing the fate to each conference’s championship match-up. Due to this, it seems like now is the perfect time to discuss the Bubble so far, what it will continue to be, and any changes that may need to be made for the safety and comfort of the players.
Taking a look at the Bubble's safety, the fact that it is still standing is a sentiment to how prepared the NBA was prior to starting the experiment. According to CBS Sports, as of August 19, there were 5 continuous weeks of no new cases being found among the 341 players within the Bubble. Regardless of the lack of numeric evidence, this number has likely remained constant for the last couple of weeks as teams that either didn’t make the playoffs or were knocked out of the playoffs were forced to leave the NBA Bubble. In their places, the NBA allowed family members of NBA players to come to their resorts. The constant number of people and daily testing has ensured that nobody contracts the virus.
The structure of the Bubble has also helped the NBA continue its name as a progressive sports league. Before the season’s initial end, no team was able to finish its typical 82 game regular season. With time running out in the summer, however, the NBA couldn’t hold these games again. Instead, they compromised, admitting teams that were close enough to making the playoffs into the Bubble. They accounted for the lost games in a never before seen tiebreaker of sorts, allowing teams within a couple games of the 8th seed in both conferences to be given a play-in. This play-in was structured in a way such that if the 9th seed could beat the 8th seed twice before losing, they would be granted the final spot to their conference’s playoffs. The Eastern Conference didn’t have a play-in and the West’s 8th seeded Portland Trail Blazers won over the 9th seeded Memphis Grizzlies in one, easy game. Despite not really being used, the play-in offered the NBA to try something new, something that could be used in the future to benefit previously injured teams.
Despite the many positives of the Bubble, many still pose the question, what could’ve been executed better. In an attempt to answer this, envisioning myself as the commissioner of the NBA, I am not quite sure what else could be changed. Starting with safety, the NBA Bubble delivered in a way many thought was impossible. Returning no new COVID-19 cases for over a month, the organization along with its commissioner, Adam Silver, blew nearly everyone away with their effectiveness. Moreover, the NBA acted appropriately and swiftly to any players that violated the rules set up in the Bubble, promptly ejecting any player despite status within the league. As for structure, it seemed like the NBA did their part in letting creativity run wild. Based on various videos made by players within the league, the whole experience seemed to be great after some getting used to. The league also bent the typical playoff structure, allowing for play-in tournaments. From the whole journey thus far, there are only 2 things I think that the NBA could’ve implemented. For one, alongside the NBA’s yearly awards, lower prestige Bubble Awards could’ve been given out, crowning a Bubble MVP, a Bubble champion, and other awards given for players’ exceptional work within the Bubble’s time-frame. Additionally, the NBA could’ve potentially allowed a play-in to the play-in. This issue was faced as the Phoenix Suns had an identical record to the 9th seeded Grizzlies after an undefeated performance in the Bubble. However, the Suns were unable to compete for a playoff spot due to tiebreaker rules. Despite this being a specific request, many felt bad for the Suns after they deserved to be in the playoffs due to their great level of play.
Despite a few possible additions, the NBA Bubble has been successful and will likely continue to stay safe and entertaining. Being the first of its kind, many had no idea of what to expect of the NBA’s seemingly crazy idea to host a densely populated basketball zone. Erasing all worries, the Bubble has been able to live up to the hype, not only in terms of safety and survivability, but also in terms of hosting some of the wildest games we have seen thus far in the NBA Playoffs.
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