John Wall returned to the court for the first time in nearly two years. DeMarcus Cousins played his first match since the 2019 final.
And the Los Angeles Lakers returned home, now as NBA champions but without a single fan to cheer for them.
The NBA preseason, a truncated exercise of just 49 games in total over nine days, opened on Friday with five games. Activity returned to the various arenas of the NBA, something that had not happened exactly in nine months.
It was possible to appreciate the new coaches of some teams: Stephen Silas with Houston, Tom Thibodeau with New York, Billy Donovan with Chicago and Tyronn Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers.
As for the rookies, he debuted with the Bulls Patrick Williams, the fourth draft pick. In the ranks of the Knicks, Obi Tobbin appeared, drafted in the eighth shift.
As will be the case in most arenas, at least during the start of the season, there was no audience. Thus, an era for the NBA that began on March 11 continues.
On that date, last season was interrupted, as a result of Rudy Gobert, from Utah, testing positive for coronavirus. Then came the resumption in the “bubble” of Florida, where the playoffs were also held and where the Lakers raised the trophy.
The pandemic continues and the number of cases rises. The NBA and its teams try to privilege caution.
“It’s different, sure,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said before facing the Clippers in a desolate Staples Center.
Strategists must wear face masks. During some breaks in the game, Detroit showed old videos of fans in the stands. And to avoid confusion, he should have clarified that they were images recorded before the pandemic.
They all sit separately on the benches.
“The atmosphere will obviously be very different from what the guys were used to in the arena,” said Orlando coach Steve Clifford. “And I think this is going to be one of the valuable aspects of playing these four exhibition games. As in the bubble, you have to get used to a different environment. I think these four games will allow us to see what the regular season will be like also in these great arenas.
Other things won’t be so different, like Wall’s explosiveness in front of the basket.
His first basket since December 2018 came on Houston’s starting possession in the preseason. Wall jumped to the rim and scored with ease when he made his debut for the Rockets, now recovered from his heel and Achilles tendon injuries.
And whose next shot was Houston? Wall supplied Cousins, who hit a triple. They were the first points contributed by the pivot since the sixth game of the 2019 final, when he was with the Warriors, two months before breaking the ACL in one knee and missing more than a year of activity.
