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Due to Covid-19, there are concerns about the resumption of the NBA season / Article / LSM.lv

The National Basketball Association (NBA) hopes to resume the season by the end of July after a forced break due to a coronavirus pandemic. The idea is quite simple – the teams will be gathered at Disneyland in Orlando, creating a virus-safe “bubble”. In the continuation of the NBA season, three out of four Latvians are going to play in the world basketball Mecca. True, in recent days, the North American media has been emphasizing that a convincingly presented plan for the return of the league could be a giant on clay feet.

Prior to the league’s Covid-19 tests, the NBA’s management plan seemed fragile, but could succeed. Players, coaches, referees and all service staff would live at Disneyland, so what happens outside would not affect this unique ecosystem. However, everything is not so simple.

There are concerns about the resumption of the NBA seasonMārtiņš Kļavenieks

In the first round of testing, Covid-19 was found in 16 of the 302 basketball players tested. The tests were performed on Midsummer’s Day.

The percentage of cases is low, but this is a cause for concern. In addition to those that already existed before.

NBA commissioner Edam Silvers said after tests that none of the 16 basketball players showed any serious signs of illness. In an interview with ESPN, Silvers told the media that the spread of the virus inside the “bubble” could lead to the stoppage of the championship.

The NBA commissioner emphasized that the “Disneyland bubble” was only designed to protect everyone in it from any level of the virus spreading to the outside world. Silvers believes that the virus can not be overtaken, it will always be ahead. According to him, we will have to learn to live with this virus in the future.

The NBA is not ready to “cross the corpses” just to play the championship, but at the moment it feels comfortable.

Dāvis Bertāns from Latvia was one of the first NBA players to publicly announce that he would not help his team if the season resumed. The decision is not related to the fear of the virus, but to the upcoming inter-season. Davis will become a free agent and will most likely sign the most lucrative contract to date. Rūjiena doesn’t want to risk health, because the Washington Wizards team has little chance of getting into the playoffs. Bertan’s decision caused a clash of opinions, with some mocking him and others supporting him.

Kristaps Porziņģis, Anžejs Pasečņiks and Rodions Kurucs are ready to play.

Former NBA player Kendrik Perkins told ESPN he shouldn’t be afraid of the “bubble”. He would be much more intimidated by leaving his family for a long time in the outside world, where the virus is raging.

Perkins said the NBA management was aware at the time of the return plan that a number of players would pass the Covid-19 test. According to him, 16 patients have a lot of time to heal, be quarantined and join clubs. Perkins said Disneyland had created a billion-dollar bubble that could even be the safest place in the United States. He would be much more concerned with leaving his family outside for a long time than going to Disneyland. After all, NBA players will have access to entertainment, hairdressing, beauty services and more in the bubble.

The NBA season will continue in late July in Orlando with a 22-team tournament. Teams are due to arrive in Florida on July 7, and four days later must begin full-fledged training camps.

The closing of the season’s tournament in Orlando has caused concern for many, as nearly 9,000 new cases were diagnosed in the state of Florida on Friday, the largest number since the pandemic began.

All three NBA teams represented by Latvian basketball players will play the first game after the break of the season on the last day of July.

Before the elimination games, each team will play eight regular championship games, which will also determine the sown places in the main battles. A total of 88 games are planned. The basketball players will be on the pitch for the first time since mid-March on June 30, when the Los Angeles Lakers will meet the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Utah Jazz will play against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The NBA predicts that there will be no more than seven games per day at the three basketball courts at Disneyland. Each of the clubs will play four games as guests and four more at home.

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