A cancellation of the season would cost the NBA and teams billions of dollars. It has already cost the league a large lump sum of money. Everybody’s life has been affected by COVID-19. NBA players have been upon the plenty of Americans that have gotten the virus. There have been multiple players from different teams helping arena workers while they are out of work. Sports are the last thing on everybody’s mind but the NBA was in the midst of an interesting season.
In sports, the team that you go in with at the beginning of the season won’t be the same team you finish with. The next season that team will look different than the last. This was certain teams’ window to build on something and contend for a title. The decision is not made yet and it won’t be made until May. It looks though that this season is finished.
NBA: Teams That Will Be Most Affected by a Cancellation of the Season
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder had talent this year. They had Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steven Adams. With all the talent in the world, that couldn’t stop the season from ending. This team is currently 40-24. They were a higher seed than the Houston Rockets who have two MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Luka Doncic was an MVP candidate early in the season for the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder are currently a higher seed than Dallas.
Paul’s future is in the air. He is a big part of their success. Some of their young players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the future point guard for this team, and Darius Bazley, who was the number one pick, could have benefitted from the playoffs this season. This team will just have to stay ready to play.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers were the best team in the West this season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were having another one of their dominant seasons. Davis was 10th in scoring and was almost averaging a double-double. James was 13th in scoring and first in assists. Everything was shut down when the coronavirus ended the season. James is getting older. While he is still dominant he is 35. Father time is not on the Lakers’ side.
The Lakers wanted to win championships as fast as possible and now, with the possible cancellation of the season, that can’t be realized. Most of their players were signed to minimum salaries and with the little cap space they had. While the most important players are signed for another year this team won’t be together long. This year was their chance. Next year they still have a shot.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks currently have the best record and had the best chance of winning the NBA championship. If they made it to the NBA Finals they would have had home court. It was looking like Giannis Antetokounmpo would win the MVP award again also. This could have been a big year for the team. This team is relatively young so there will be more chances for them to get the title. While that is true, this is still a missed opportunity if the season is canceled.
There have been plenty of good teams like the Kevin Durant OKC Thunder teams that won 59 and 60 games and the first tenure LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers teams that won 60 games back to back years that were young and didn’t win a ring. Those two teams had opportunities but were never able to convert. This team won 60 games last year and they were about to win 60 games this year. It will be a shame if this team never got a chance to play in the Finals.
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