SALT LAKE CITY – A hot topic in recent weeks has been how NBA games will look, sound and feel without fans in the building. There’s definitely merit to having that discussion, and we’ll get to that, but we need to clarify something first.
The NBA bubble sands in Orlando, Florida will not exactly be empty. NBA players will be able to attend games where they are not playing. They’re not the same kind of raging, single-team fans that we’re used to seeing in a crowd, but they love basketball.
Think of all the times during the course of a regular-season NBA game or a playoff game when the camera cuts to a bank shot reacting due to a crazy dunk or crossover. Think of the large number of NBA players who attend All-Star events and games and are seen cheering and laughing on the sidelines.
NBA players watch basketball all the time. They watch on television, review movies, watch games that interest them through NBA LeaguePass. Even during the playoffs, it’s not uncommon to see players from non-competing teams appear in person to see the action.
This time around, the situation is a bit unique because players won’t have to watch the games on TV. They will be there, with all the games available to them.
“I think it’s great that we can do that,” jazz center Rudy Gobert said Monday. “We are all fans of the game of basketball. I think I’m definitely going to go see some games. “
Then there is a second level because the players are not just fans of the game, they are competitors. In addition to having a fun day off or breaking the monotony of life in the bubble, players will be able to explore the other teams.
“When we’re on the road, I watch a lot of games on LeaguePass and on TV, so being able to watch them live is even better,” Gobert said. “Especially when it comes to teams we could face in the playoffs, or teams we want to learn from watching. It’s a huge advantage.”
It’s not just the players, the coaches are also thinking about it. Jazz coach Quin Snyder was not willing to say how many or what games he might be attending, but he could not deny that there was some advantage to having all the games played in the same place.
“There is not only an entertainment value,” he said. “For us coaches, there certainly is an opportunity for exploration.”
There is still a lot to see about the gaming experience in the NBA bubble. The NBA will implement ways for fans to virtually interact with the game, with video boards surrounding the court to show fans watching from home. The NBA has not given details on how the operation will work, but Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was able to tour The Arena at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the largest of the three gaming venues in the NBA bubble. at Walt Disney World and I was very impressed.
“We saw the digital boards in their full mode of operation,” he said. “There will be photos of real fans on the digital boards, so it looks like there are people in the arena … this is like the next level, amazing stuff.”
There’s no question, especially during the playoffs, that the absence of fans will create a different environment with coaches and players who agree that they will miss out on opportunities to feed off the energy of the crowd. Despite that missing component, most seem confident that the level of competition will not be affected.
Players are familiar with the game when there are no people around. They practice every day without fans in the building and play pick-ups throughout the year, especially in the off-season.
“Without a crowd, it will certainly be a little different,” said Snyder. “But at the same time, the players in our league love to play and they love to compete. It’s not that there aren’t things on the line that motivate you. “
One of the most intriguing aspects of the game without fans in the building will be the increase in what players, coaches, referees and fans at home will be able to hear that they could not before.
“You can see an increase in more technical fouls, because they can hear what the players are saying,” said Oklahoma City center Steven Adams with a smile. “Because we like to talk behind the back (of the officials), but they can actually listen to us now. There will be many more Ts. “
Assistant coaches bark at officials, players talk trash to each other, players say things with their backs away from officials, players from the same team argue with each other, defenses yell out teams, sets and formations. These are all things that are difficult or impossible to hear during a normal NBA game, but it will almost certainly be noticed when there are no additional 20,000 people in the building.
Instead, there will be NBA players sitting on the sidelines. Reacting, trash talking, enjoying the game up close in a way they never could before. To borrow a phrase from Disney’s Aladdin and Jasmine, the NBA bubble will be “a whole new world.”
