Gearing up for the return of the NBA

John: The NBA is back! At the end of July, the NBA is returning to finish off the season despite COVID-19’s shadow—Russ, what do you think?

Russ: Glad to talk with you guys today…and with something big to discuss. Am I looking forward to this? Although I love basketball—especially the NBA—I don’t believe risking the players’ health is worth the trouble. Though the format and the safety regulations are in place, I don’t believe the season should be played. Many of the NBA players are not even planning to participate; in fact, some want to form a new league. I say cancel the interrupted season and start over in October when we should have a better understanding of the true depth of COVID-19.

Patrick: Look, I’m a huge fan and was anticipating a hell of a regular-season end and a wild playoff run, so I’m somewhat torn. A couple of my teams were doing very well, so I’d love to see them get back to it and finish what they started. On the other hand, it does make me wonder about the necessity of something that appears so unnecessary in the face of this crisis we now face.

John: I feel it’s good because we need a mental break from the daily stress of the news reports and, of course, George Floyd—and others like his— situation. Live sports as we know it is important because it brings society together. No matter what’s happening, a game-winning bucket creates a group wave of emotion. Your team wins and all hell breaks loose—it never fails. Lose, and hell breaks loose at the other extreme. We become united as one- or twodepending on how we look at it.

Patrick: Right.

John: --and we lose our worried thoughts for a bit. Now, we may remember the bad we’re dealing with when we’re streaming from the stadium, but the prior three hours gave us a moment of peace.

Russ: Yeah, John, but are those three hours worth risking players’ health over a game that consists of tossing a basketball through a hoop? I mean…

John: I say yes.

Pat: The more we talk, the more excited I get. As long as health precautions are maintained and the players feel safe, I’m in. I’m hungering to see what LeBron James and James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo have in store for us. They’ll be excited to be back on the floor; to have the opportunity to have closure on this season—I understand that. And though it feels slightly fake, it’s still NBA basketball. I almost wish they’d just begin now and we see what’s what…but I do understand the reasons behind the more-than-a-month “training period.” It not only allows the players to get into basketball shape, but also to get further in the trenches of ousting COVID-19—at least in regard to the high-level alert we’re on.

Russ: I feel that. My only thing is that—and, Patrick, you mentioned it earlier—it feels as if it’ll be a sham of a season—almost like a summer league. No disrespect intended; it’s simply not the NBA. So, I say No.

John: I say Yes.

Patrick: I’m in.

Russ: Well, I’m taking my ball and going home. How y’all like that?

Patrick: (Laughing) Russ, you ain’t right. We were this close to turning you.

Russ: I can admit, I’ll be watching, so maybe it won’t be so bad.