NBA playoffs begin today in Florida
There seem to be fewer players fishing at Walt Disney World these days. Getting a tee time or streaming video games might not be as much of a priority as it was a few weeks ago, either.
Summer vacation is over in Florida. The restart gets real now.
The NBA playoffs start today, the beginning of a two-month journey to see which team can win a championship. It would come in the most unusual, most trying season the league has ever seen because of a shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic and 22 teams moving into a “bubble” at the Disney complex to salvage the season.
“This is why we got here, why we worked so hard, why everyone put their egos aside and put their effort into this, so we could get to that point where we could crown a champion,” said guard Kyle Lowry of the defending champion Toronto Raptors. “The best part of the NBA season is the playoffs.”
The Raptors have realistic aspirations to repeat their title. The Eastern Conference field also includes the Milwaukee Bucks, who posted the best regular-season record with likely backto-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In the Western Conference, for the first time since 2015, the Golden State Warriors won’t be in the NBA Finals — their “gap year” saw them fall to the bottom of the West as they look to reset with a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson next season.
Lebron James is back in the playoffs after taking the Los Angeles Lakers, who missed the postseason in his injury-marred first year in Hollywood, to the best record in the West. He has gone to the NBA Finals in each of his past eight postseason trips — four each with Miami and Cleveland.
“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “But really, all of it is just a buildup to us … going into the playoffs. So we’re here, we’re excited about it and confident in what we can accomplish.”
The matchups: Milwaukee-orlando, Toronto-brooklyn, Boston-philadelphia and Indiana-miami in the East, with the Lakers against play-in game winner Portland, the LA Clippers-dallas, Denver-utah and Houston-oklahoma City.
Some of those teams can say they are happy to be in the postseason. For others, only a title will do.
“I didn’t mention that we secured the (No.) 2 seed,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I don’t think anybody in the locker room talked about it. We want to win it all. … That’s the only thing that matters right now for us.”
Teams have been in the bubble for nearly six weeks now, first for training camp, then three scrimmages followed by eight seeding games that were critical to some clubs and little more than tuneups to others.
The vibe was different in the opening days of bubble life. Bass fishing on the Disney campus was all the rage, more than a few players tried golf for the first time and everything from poker tables to wine fridges were shipped in to help players pass the time.
Inside the bubble, daily testing is working and the value of the strict protocols has been proven. No players inside have had a confirmed positive test, and now the best time of the NBA year is set to begin. Finally.
“Two months ago, it didn’t really look like this was a realistic opportunity,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You see what’s going on around the world — not everybody has been given this opportunity to continue to do what you love. We have, and we want to take advantage of it.”
Conley leaves bubble
The Utah Jazz said guard Mike Conley left Walt Disney World on Sunday to return to Columbus for the birth of his son.
The sixth-seeded Jazz plays this afternoon, and players who leave the bubble are subject to a quarantine upon their return, though the length won’t be determined until then.
Denver and Utah are also scheduled to play Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Conley, who played one season at Ohio State, averaged 14.4 points and 4.4 assists in his first season with the Jazz.