NBA Disney: Highlights from Opening Night
On March 11, following news that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA suspended its season indefinitely. In the following days this global pandemic crippled the United States and normal life as we know it.
I write this blog post on July 30. It’s been 141 days since the sports world was brought to a grinding halt. 141 days, 3,384 hours, 203,040 minutes, four months and 19 days.
Fortunately this country, this sport, and our communities heal. They adapt. And, they overcome.
During this absence of sports the nation also endured several unjust events involving armed police officers and Black Americans. The result? An eruption of renewed momentum for the long overdue need for social reform of racial injustices faced by the Black community.
While these last 141 days have tested our resilience, the return of the NBA marked a glimmer of hope and normalcy for our nation.
On Thursday night, the NBA officially welcomed the basketball world back with open arms and smiling faces (behind protective masks). Play resumed with two marquee matchups between the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz, followed by the battle for Los Angeles: Clippers vs. Lakers.
Given the current circumstances, the return of the NBA was far from normal. The league invited the 22 teams in playoff contention to participate in an abbreviated finish to the regular season taking place on a closed campus at Disney World’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The Disney Bubble.
In celebration of the official return of the NBA, check out my highlights from opening night.
Black Lives Matter
During negotiations between the NBA and players association regarding the return of the 2019-20 season, the players had several non-negotiable requirements. The most important, as previously reported by the Los Angeles Times, was “that the goal of the season restart will be to find tangible and sustainable ways to address racial inequality across the country.”
On Thursday night, and the ensuing days, this goal was accomplished. While watching four-plus hours of basketball on Thursday night, the importance of this messaging was easily understood.
Before both games were nationally televised on TNT, the network aired a somber and powerful video narrated by Meek Mill discussing the need for social justice reform.
Following the video, the broadcast went live to the NBA Disney Bubble where the audience was met with another powerful pregame message from the players and league.
Pelicans and Jazz players and coaches met on the sideline, locking arms and kneeling in union for the national anthem. The court displayed Black Lives Matter messages and almost every person in the arena wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt. When the game began, players wore social justice messages such as "Say Her Name" and “Respect Us" in place of their last names on the backs of their jerseys.
Throughout the broadcast, several television commercial spots were reserved for additional videos that messaged social justice reform and Black Lives Matter. The second game opened with a similarly powerful pregame presentation during the national anthem. And LeBron James’ spent the majority of his postgame interview with TNT discussing the importance of social reform.
The entire night, and likely this entire season, will hold this social reform and advocacy at the center of our attention. With a joint effort between the players, the leagues and the cable television networks, this was an exceptional effort that should be applauded on all fronts.
We Missed Shaq, Kenny and Ernie on TNT’s Inside the NBA
Aside from the unequivocal importance of dedicating this opening night and entire season to social justice reform, it was pretty damn fun to watch professional basketball again.
On Thursday night, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30pm ET, I enthusiastically tuned into TNT for the pregame festivities starting at 5:30pm. The takeaway? WOW, I missed watching Ernie, Shaq, Charles and Kenny on TNT’s pregame show. I’m sure I am not alone in sharing that sentiment.
With their set in Atlanta, Ga., the network did an exceptional job showing fans the importance of continued social-distancing health measures amidst COVID-19 concerns. Pictured below, the four analysts were seated at least six feet apart on the set with plexiglass dividers positioned between each seat.
From the music to the segments, I felt a sense of normalcy watching from the comforts of home. Another glimpse of hope and normalcy.
It truly wouldn’t be a normal TNT pregame show without some of the classic antics from our friends Shaq and Charles. Shaq was hilariously late for the taping of this broadcast. He wasn’t on set until about halfway through the live taping. The network aired cell phone footage from Shaq driving in his car, stuck in traffic, on the way to the studio.
Charles, Kenny and Ernie enjoyed their share of laughs when Shaq ran onto set halfway through taping. Classic.
Game Presentation and Broadcast
Heading into the game broadcast, I’d like to applaud the networks, the league, Disney, and everyone else involved, for the overall presentation. Given all of the unique considerations of this NBA restart, including playing without fans, the game presentation was as normal as possible.
The broadcast presentation was clean and devoid of any glitches, awkward pauses or technical audio problems. The arena pumped in fan noise, and played the usual sounds of a basketball game: buzzers for substitutions, background music and in-game PA announcer calls provided by the “home” team.
One highlight from the broadcast presentation was the abundance of camera angles. The NBA invited TNT and ESPN inside the Disney Bubble for the presentation of these nationally-televised games. The result was some unbelievable camera angles. My favorite was any of the floor-level cameras, which give you some unreal perspective of how tall NBA players actually are.
The basketball world has also wondered what playing without fans would look like. Fortunately, the league and broadcast attempted to resolve this issue, virtually. The NBA set up monitors around the court so that fans can attend games virtually via Zoom. These fans' faces were displayed in “sideline seats” and showed live feed of their reactions throughout the game. Exceptionally done.
Game Highlights: Pelicans vs. Jazz / Clippers vs. Lakers
When the NBA released its full slate of Disney Bubble games, night one was circled for the stars. The primetime slot was held for none other than King James and the battle of Los Angeles, co-starring Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Paul George. But the pregame was a taste of the future, most notably Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans.
It was exactly what the league hoped for. On the Pelicans first possession, Lonzo Ball dished a pass to Zion near the top of the key. Williamson caught the ball in motion, bulldozing his way to the rim and an “and one.”
Notably, in what may be considered a redemption story, Utah’s Gobert scored the first points of the game with his own “and one” on the previous possession. Gobert is renowned as the first player to contract the novel COVID-19 virus. Several days before he contracted the virus, Gobert performed one of the most immature displays of underestimating the severity of the virus. During a press conference he playfully touched every media member’s microphone at the podium.
Gobert completed his redemption act as TNT named him player of the game in Utah’s two-point victory. The center knocked down the game-winning free throws en route to a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Re-opening night continued with the flashy battle for Los Angeles: Clippers vs. Lakers. Davis scored 34 points, and King James scored the go-ahead bucket with 12.8 seconds left as the Lake Show prevailed 103-101.
LeBron followed his go-ahead basket with a brilliant defensive effort to stall Leonard and George’s attempt at the go-ahead three. The exceptional performance was completed when James spent the majority of his on-court postgame interview discussing social reform.
Opening night was nearly perfect from start to finish. It was, however, apparent the league had not played in 141 days. There was an unusual amount of slips and falls from the NBA stars and the battle for LA saw 38 total team turnovers. This can easily be explained as rust and fans should not fear this sloppy play moving forward.
The Bubble is Better
When the final buzzer sounded on game two of NBA Disney Bubble’s opening night, I spent some time reflecting what I had just seen. I’ve used this word several times throughout this post, but the entire night was exceptional. It was an admirable effort from everyone involved; the players, the league, the broadcast networks, everyone. It felt normal, yet we all understood the delicate circumstances under which these games were played: during a global pandemic and amidst dire needs for social reform.
Although the NBA had finalized its NBA Disney Bubble plans long before Major League Baseball, the MLB began the resumption of its regular-season one week prior. One week in and baseball has its headaches. From COVID-19 outbreaks amongst several teams to a far-lower quality of broadcast presentations, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the MLB.
On the other hand, the NBA made it work. I originally bluffed at the idea of sports returning at all until the introduction of a COVID-19 vaccination. With the returns inevitable, and out of my control, it’s very simple: the bubble is better.
The health and safety measures of the NBA outclass the MLB’s. The broadcast presentations are better. And the messaging is better: this season is dedicated to highlighting social reform and the Black Lives Matter movement. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, take notes. Adam Silver is currently outshining the two of you.
