By Aaron Moore

On July 30, in Orlando, Florida the NBA resumed their 2019-2020 season, which had been halted on March 11 due to COVID-19. 22 teams entered “the bubble,” and they each were allowed to bring 17 players. Currently, there are two teams left in the playoffs; the Miami Heat, the Eastern Conference Champions, and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Western Conference Champions. These two teams began the finals on September 30, and the Lakers currently are ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. 

2019 NBA Finals. Photo credit: Chensiyuan.

Many people may ask “What is the NBA ‘bubble’?” The bubble is essentially a quarantine zone where each player, coach, and staff member must pass a series of COVID-19 tests and quarantine in three different hotels around Disney World. To enter the bubble, a person must get two negative COVID-19 tests within 48 hours, and if someone leaves the bubble, they must quarantine for 10 days before returning. Within the bubble, players must undergo testing regularly, but there is no stipulation saying exactly how often they must be tested. These strict rules regarding COVID-19 put extra pressure and strain on the players, who were already afflicted by the stress of the postseason. 

In the first round of the playoffs earlier in the summer, there were no family members or guests allowed. Players were only allowed to see their wives, girlfriends, sons, daughters, and parents through a screen. Did this affect the players? Most likely, yes. Trevor Lundgren, a junior at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, and an avid NBA fan, said, “Players during a normal NBA season would get to be around their families when they aren’t traveling or on the road. However, the bubble is a different, unseen challenge for players.” When players are not in practice, they are required to stay in their hotel room. Lundgren says, “There’s lots of connection between lack of social connection and depression, so I could assume that it’s tough on players to be spending so much time away from their families.” 

Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat. Photo credit: All-Pro Reels.

In the playoffs, there is already much pressure on the players. Three-time championship winner and 16-time all NBA select, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers said at the time, “I miss the hell out of my family. My wife, my kids, my mother, and so on, and so on. So, it’s a huge challenge.” NBA players already have millions of people watching their every move, and they have the hopes of their supporters in their hands, while each team battles for the NBA title. With the added stress of not seeing their families, playing the game is that much harder. 

In the bubble, fans are not allowed to attend games. When asked about playing without supporters, Lou Williams for the Los Angeles Clippers said, “It will force everybody to create energy for themselves to be all on the same page and just create some momentum for yourselves.” For some players, this has been difficult, because they are used to drawing their energy from the crowd. However, some players may have the mental toughness to create their own energy and play consistently throughout their games. On the other hand, without the spectators, players can focus more on the game and not let the crowd sway their scoring runs and droughts. Another local basketball fan, senior Jacob Bullock of Bridge Academy, a small private school in Chesterfield County, says, “ Having no fans makes focus on the shot and power of the shot much easier,” meaning that players are able to focus more on their play without spectators present. Fans do not have any effect on the physical strength and skill of the players, but the fans can disrupt the players’ concentration in stressful situations. However, they can also enhance concentration due to overwhelming support. The spectators of the NBA play a major role in the performance of the players, but in the bubble, no team has a home-court advantage, and they are on a neutral playing field. 

Jamal Murray shooting a free throw. Photo credit: Sportzeditz.

There have been many players that have been going on large scoring streaks in the bubble. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz scored 57 and 51 points in the same series. Mitchell is one of only three people to have scored two 50+ point games in one seven-game series, the others being Michael Jordan and Jamal Murray. Murray did this as the opponent of the Jazz, scoring two 50-point games. Dallas’ Luka Doncic had 43 and 42 points in first-round games.

There are many other players that have enhanced their points per game (PPG). From the playoffs last year to this year, the jump shot percentage throughout the league has increased by 5.25%, the percentage of corner threes has increased by 3.9%, and the free throw percentage has increased by 3.5%. This might be attributed to the increased depth perception of the basket. Without fans, all of the light is focused on the courts, and the stands are dark. With a dark background, the backboard net and rim are easier to see and allow the players to make more shots. Bullock says,” It makes the shot easier for the players because they have complete focus on the basket.” The conditions of the bubble have allowed many players to score impressive point totals and set many NBA scoring records.

The team that wins this year will truly be the best in the NBA, because it will be the first time in NBA history that there will be a playoffs with equal conditions for every team.