Tag Archives: NBA

NBA Returns in July

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Source: Statista

The month of June is normally scheduled for the NBA Finals, where two final teams meet after a long, hard-fought season to decide on the champion of the league. This June, however, there is no championship – the regular season being suspended back in March due to COVID-19 concerns.

After months of planning and debate, however, the NBA has announced they’ll be continuing the season and diving almost immediately into the playoffs on July 31. Out of the 30 teams in the league, the top 22 from this suspended season will be invited to live and play in Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The teams will play 8 seeding games to fill a 16-team playoff bracket, and then playoffs will begin.

Coaches, players and essential staff will be required to quarantine among themselves for the entire duration of the seeding and playoff games. Regular COVID-19 tests will be administered in Orlando living quarters, although specifics haven’t been announced as to what the league will do if (or when) positive cases are discovered. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he’s confident they will have the necessary precautions to ensure teams can continue competing.

The NBA is another global league attempting to reopen amid ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks. The Bundesliga in Germany has resumed league play, using regular testing precautions and virtual crowd noises as they continue to play in empty stadiums. However, other leagues, such as the NHL in the U.S., have canceled the remainder of their seasons and will wait until next year. Baseball and football in the U.S. still have looming questions as to how or if they’ll continue.

NBA Fans Pick Jordan Over James in GOAT Debate

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Source: Statista

“The Last Dance”, the ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan and his last season at the Chicago Bulls, has not only captivated American sports fans for the past few weeks, but it also reminded people of how great an athlete Jordan was, all of his flaws notwithstanding. As the documentary clearly shows, Jordan was no stranger to controversy during his playing career, and yet, whenever he stepped on court, he transcended into this otherworldly figure seemingly unconstrained by the laws of physics.

While not uncritical of Jordan and his sometimes harsh demeanor on and off court, the documentary will probably cement his legacy as the greatest player of all time, if at all necessary. As a recent ESPN poll shows, Jordan is already considered better than his heir apparent LeBron James in every respect of the game. According to ESPN, 73 percent of the 600 NBA fans polled think that Jordan is the better overall player than James, while 76 percent would trust him over James to take the game-winning shot.

Jordan is considered the better offensive and defensive player, the more spectacular one to watch, and, stepping off the court, the one people would rather have a drink with. 63 percent of respondents would also pick him as a teammate over James, which some might consider surprising, given how hard “His Airness” pushed his teammates in practice and how ruthless he could be if someone didn’t follow his lead.