NBA players reunite with family members in Orlando bubble

The NBA playoffs are going strong again, after a few days of uncertainty due to, not only the Covid-19 pandemic, but also player’s and team’s protests for social injustice. For a moment there, we thought the season was going to be abandoned, but luckily for us fans and bookmakers, everyone involved came to an agreement and now we’re right back on track, waiting to define a new NBA Champion.

Out of all the first round series, only one of them went long, Denver Nuggets came back from a 1-3 deficit and tied the series on Sunday, forcing a game 7. About the other matchups, Boston Celtics swept the Philadelphia 76’ers, while the Toronto Raptors did the same to the Brooklyn Nets, and now they face each other in the second round. On the other side of the Eastern conference bracket, the Miami Heat swept the Indiana Pacers, while the top team in the East, Milwaukee Bucks, was the only one that could not sweep their series, but still took a strong win, with a 4-1 series over the “home team”, the Orlando Magic. Bucks vs Heat series starts Monday.

Out in the West things have been a bit tougher in general, LA Lakers, #1 in the conference, took a solid 4-1 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, while the other LA team, and also favorite, LA Clippers, defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games. Houston Rockets have had a tougher time than they expected, and lead their series against Oklahoma City Thunder, 3-2, with game 6 taking place this Monday as well. Nuggets vs Jazz, as we mentioned already, will go to game 7, which will take place this Tuesday, September 1st. Just to clarify and keep it in mind, the Lakers will take on the winner from the Rockets vs Thunder series, while the Clippers wait for either Jazz or Nuggets, for second round.

What is NBA’s biggest prize for making it to second round?

As much as we’re all into sports and like to pick winners, and what we want to see is a new NBA Champion, players will have some real extra motivation for second round of the playoffs, their family, or close friends, will be able to stay with them for a few days, something they have all been waiting for. It’s been a couple of months already, in which players and staff have been apart from their loved ones, but now, starting Monday, they will be able to see them, or at least a few of them.

The league and players previously agreed to 3 family members and/or non-family members with long standing relationships. These people have already done some quarantine time and are ready to start going into the bubble starting this week, plus, every player has 1 game ticket so that one of their guests can support them. Terms were negotiated a bit differently for coaches and referees, but everyone will get the chance to see a loved one if they choose to.

Will these measures have positive or negative effects on players? That’s something we’ll know soon, but what we do know is that everyone’s happy in the bubble right now.

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