Toughest NBA rival is bubble

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. » In a normal NBA playoff series Mike D’Antoni would be taking his Rockets on the road.

Finished with the first two games, it would be time to switch sites and head to Oklahoma City for the next two.

With the Rockets leading, 2-0, he might tell them all they’ve done is win their home games, warn them not to get complacent knowing the Thunder would be dangerous in their own building. Not this year. Coaches can’t count on the usual mind tricks in the bubble, where the only thing that seems to change from day to day is what time the rain shower passes through. More than ever, it’s up to players to motivate themselves.

“So, every day is going to be the same — like it is here in the bubble,” D’Antoni said. “Every day is Wednesday, but we have to understand the urgency of today.”

It was actually Thursday.

Not that there’s much difference in one day, or even one week.

To walk away with an NBA championship a team has to win 16 games over about two months and numerous factors can derail the quest. Teams have already been at Disney more than six weeks and this postseason, the biggest Xfactor is the bubble.

There was a novelty when teams first arrived at Disney. Players were happy to be back together with teammates to finish a season that was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. They fished, golfed and did other activities, documenting their exploits on social media.

The fun part has worn off. Now, it feels like work.

“For me, one thing I’ll say is that we play a game or we have a practice and obviously we’re in the bubble,” Bucks star and league MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “We don’t get to go home. We don’t get to be away from basketball, even for a few hours.”