NBA, MLB stage protest in response to Blake shooting

The message was heard but clearly not taken seriously. So the NBA players boycotted the playoffs while sending a stronger statement: These games don’t matter unless Black Lives Matter.

The shocking move was jumpstarted by the Milwaukee Bucks, who were scheduled for an afternoon tipoff in Orlando, Fla., but never showed up on the court. Instead, their opponent

– the Orlando Magic – warmed up per usual while Milwaukee remained in the locker room. When it became clear the Bucks weren’t arriving, the Magic players walked off and the game was postponed. It shocked referees and broadcasters on NBA TV, who were all preparing for that Game 5.

Within an hour, all of Thursday games were postponed, including the Rockets vs. Thunder and Blazers vs. Lakers. MLB canceled several of its Wednesday games, including game two of the Giants

Dodgers from San Francisco.

The Bucks’ refusal to take the floor was the boldest message yet from an NBA team as the league tries to juggle its objective of promoting the Black Lives Matter movement while broadcasting the playoffs. But the next step will be even more important: With three rounds of playoffs remaining, will the players leave the bubble entirely? Or will their boycott be brief enough as to not disrupt the completion of a postseason and crowning a champion? Canceling the bubble would cause significant financial harm to the league and players as they rev up another CBA negotiation this offseason. Continuing the bubble would lessen the impact of a protest. Players were reportedly meeting in Orlando Wednesday night to discuss their options. Even before Milwaukee protested the game, members of the Raptors and Celtics were discussing boycotting their matchup Thursday in Game

1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Their thinking, as outlined by Celtics All-star

Jayson Tatum, is that attempts at messaging and raising awareness clearly haven’t solved any problems, so more drastic measures must be considered.

“People are going to say sitting out, what is that going to do?” Tatum said. “Obviously if we sit out a game or the rest of the playoffs, we understand how big of an impact that would have. Everyone is going to have to talk about it ... we don’t want to just keep playing and forget about what is happening on the outside world.”