Well, the 2019-20 NBA campaign has been suspended until further notice due to fear over the coronavirus, which could mean that the season is in jeopardy of being cancelled altogether.
It’s a real shame, because this was shaping up to be one heck of a run to the postseason.
For the first time in what seemed like ages, there was legitimate uncertainty in both conferences, and it really seemed like there were five teams (at least) that could have won the championship.
Of course, things could always get back on track sooner than we think, so let’s hope for that.
But in the meantime, can we talk about just how crazy of a year it has been in the NBA?
From free agency to the situation with China to incredible rookies to surprise teams to incredible games, it has been a phenomenal ride.
It all started last summer, when numerous big-name players changed teams. Kawhi Leonard. Paul George. Anthony Davis. Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving. Jimmy Butler. Kemba Walker. Al Horford. The list goes on.
This past offseason featured a rather unprecedented flurry of player movement, which had NBA fans everywhere on the edges of their seats waiting to see how things panned out.
Then, there was the whole Daryl Morey and China thing, where Morey spoke out in favor of Hong Kong and caused a combustible reaction that had players league wide not knowing what to do.
While we have kind of forgotten about that at this point, it’s something that was major news at the time and resulted in a very fractured relationship between the NBA and China, which obviously had huge financial implications.
Going away from the political spectrum of the game, we then saw rookie phenom Zion Williamson get knocked out for the first three months of the season due to a knee injury.
Ja Morant took the spotlight in his stead, displaying countless flashes of brilliance for the Memphis Grizzlies and making people wonder whether or not Williamson was really the best player in this year’s draft class.
Of course, Williamson returned in late January and has lived up to the buzz thus far, making for a very intriguing Rookie of the Year race between him and Morant.
But for all of the intrigue and exciting drama that the NBA experienced over the first several months, a tragic event occurred that shook the league (and the world) to its core, when Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, perished along with several others (let’s not forget them) in a helicopter crash near the end of January.
Everyone is still reeling from Bryant’s death, from Los Angeles all the way to Boston. Years from now, we will all remember where we were when we heard the news, and that’s something that sadly sticks with you.
Unfortunately, the show must go on, and while it was difficult at first, players around the league eventually returned to normalcy, just as Bryant would have wanted.
Heck, imagine how proud Kobe has been watching LeBron James admirably take the torch from him and lead the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference, pushing himself to the front of the MVP conversation in the process.
At the current point in time, the MVP hunt seems like a two-man race between James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the latter out in front due to the fact that his Milwaukee Bucks own the NBA’s best record.
Hopefully, we can see it to the end and find out if Antetokounmpo will collect his second straight MVP award or if James will crash the party for the first time since 2013.
There is also the battle between the two LA teams, with the Lakers and Clippers both vying for Western Conference supremacy with James and Leonard forging arguably the best rivalry in basketball right now.
I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t want to see that potential playoff series.
I mean, things are even really hot in the East, where the Bucks, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers are all battling it out.
We can even go as far to say that All-Star weekend was great this year, with Aaron Gordon and Derrick Jones Jr. putting on a show in the Slam Dunk Contest and the new All-Star Game rules resulting in one heck of a finish.
There has just been so much to talk about this season, probably more than most other years.
But now, everything is on hold. Hopefully, things can begin returning to normal soon so we can witness what could very well be one of the most thrilling postseasons in NBA history.
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