By Jackson Cascio, Staff Reporter
March was supposed to be the busiest time of the year for basketball, with the NCAA March Madness men’s and women’s tournaments going on while the NBA enters the final stretch of the regular season. However, one tiny factor completely derailed the busy month, along with the near future of athletics.
COVID-19 has caused a halt of every sport around the world. Different leagues in every sport have obliged to the recommendations from the World Health Organization and have stopped their respective seasons in order to stop the spread of the contagious coronavirus.
But there is hope for NBA fans.
The NBA season was put on hold after NBA All-Star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11. All NBA games that night were postponed, the following day, the entire season was postponed.
The NBA has given fans access to a free preview of NBA League Pass. In a statement on their website, the NBA said,
“With the 2019-20 NBA season on hiatus, the NBA and Turner Sports are providing all fans with a free preview of NBA League Pass, the league’s premium subscription-based product, until April 22. This complimentary offering will provide you with access to full length and condensed replays of all games from the 2019-20 season, as well as an expansive archive of classic games and content.”
Fans will be able to get their fix of hoops for the time being while the NBA is on hiatus. The NBA is hoping for a return to action before it gets too late in the year, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that the NBA won’t play any games until the World Health Organization gives the all clear.
On March 29, President Trump announced that the U.S. would be extending the social distancing until the end of April. What that means for the NBA season and other leagues across the country, that the seasons are most likely going to get canceled.
For the NBA fans lost in this realm of uncertainty when basketball got taken away at its height, there are still great games to be able to watch, thanks to the free League Pass preview.
The first is a stellar matchup of the “Battle for Los Angeles”. Lakers vs Clippers from Sunday March 8. In an epic battle of dynamic duos, LeBron James (28 points) and Anthony Davis (30 points) of the Lakers were able to outduel Kawhi Leonard (27 points) and Paul Geogre (31 points) of the Clippers.
When it comes to classic games, the free preview offers a handful of games from the 1977 all-star game, to Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird in the 1984 NBA Finals, to 5’9” Nate Robinson winning the 2006 dunk contest, and everything in between.
The NBA free preview of their league pass gives hoop fans a chance to dive into not only the games from this past season but classic games and events that some younger fans might have missed.
