EC Students and Coach Fuller react to the 2020 NBA Bubble and Playoffs
DISCLAIMER: This article was written during the 2nd Round of the NBA Playoffs. The survey results at the end of the article do NOT reflect the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.
22 teams. 1 Bubble. 1 Championship. The NBA has responded to the COVID-19 breakout with an exclusive NBA Bubble; this is how EC’s students and teachers have responded.
On March 11, 2020, the NBA was suspended indefinitely. With few months remaining of the regular season, many fans all over the world were disappointed as the playoffs were around the corner.
The EC students and teachers reacted:
“I was very (disappointed),”-Senior Isaac Reitz
“It was annoying... ...everyone was looking forward to the playoffs,”-Senior Emmanuel Adegbe
“(I was) stunned,”-Coach Fuller
“Pretty sad because it was getting really close to the playoffs,”-Sophomore David Kim
“That was expected...all of sports were shutting down.”-Senior Edward Park
“It felt surreal. (COVID-19) was no longer something to take lightly, but something that we should treat with genuine concern.”-Senior Emmanuel Dyer
Many students and teachers were shocked when they heard the NBA’s suspension. A portion of students realized that COVID-19 was going to be a big deal, while some had expected the worst scenarios.
Many speculated that the season would never return; some believed that the NBA will make a return. However, the NBA was quiet. There were many rumors of what they would do, but nothing official. But on June 4, 2020, the NBA had officially released a statement: the NBA season would restart in Orlando, Florida at Disney World.
The EC students and teachers reacted:
“I thought that it was crazy,”-Senior Edward Park
“I was very excited. It was beginning to drive me crazy how dry everything was when the world shut down.”-Senior Michael Steiginga
“...when I saw [the NBA restart] I was happy.”-Senior Thomas De Block
However, some were uncertain about the NBA bubble. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the changes that had to be made were concerning for some fans. Many sports fans were unsure how the NBA Bubble would play out with preventing the virus and having no fans in attendance.
The EC students and teachers reacted:
“I didn’t like the idea of players playing without fans.”-Senior Richard Jones
“[I was] kinda doubtful that it would work.”-Sophomore David Kim
Fortunately, there have been 0 positive cases from the NBA Bubble since the restart of the season. According to the EC students and teachers, the NBA has done an outstanding job of keeping the people safe.
The EC students and teachers reacted to how the NBA is monitoring the virus:
“I thought it was a great safe idea,”-Senior Isaac Reitz
“I think that they have done a fantastic job controlling the spread because there hasn’t been any confirmed cases in the bubble yet.”-Senior Michael Steiginga
“They have done really well.”-Senior Edward Park
“I think they have gone above and beyond and taken the necessary precautions especially with the daily testing within the [NBA Bubble].”-Senior Richard Jones
Even then, some thought there could be improvements:
“I feel they are beginning to add more unnecessary people, increasing the risk.”-Senior Emmanuel Adegbe
“They have failed though, by having loose enough security that players have been sneaking guests in.”-Senior Michael Steiginga
The NBA was one of the first sports leagues to resume their season since the COVID-19 outbreak. It set a precedent for other leagues on what they should do to keep everyone safe while bringing back sports; the MLB recently started their season with no fans in the stadiums and the WNBA has their own bubble like the NBA.
But now, the NBA playoffs are live.
These were some polls of the NBA restart/playoffs from the EC students and teachers:
