Mavs owner Mark Cuban expects the NBA will resume play before fans are allowed back in arenas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NBA suspended the season two weeks ago after Utah Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19:

“We have to be very cautious, particularly as we try to come back,” Mark Cuban said on CNBC’s “Markets in Turmoil” special. “I think at first though we’ll play a lot of games without fans and then figure it out as some of the available medicines … become available, we’ll go from there.

“People need something to rally around right now. People need sports. We need something to cheer for, something to get excited about and there’s nothing better than our sports teams to do it.”

Before the season was suspended, Cuban's Mavs were in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 40-27.

Led by All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavs were on their way to making the playoffs this season for the first time since 2016. Dallas hasn't won a playoff series since the Mavs won the 2011 championship over LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat.

Cuban and the Mavs were the first franchise to pay for its arena workers during the work stoppage. It was a great move which prompted other teams to step up as well.

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