By William Hathaway
So far, the National Basketball Association has not had its “Bubble” burst in Florida, as there have been no positive COVID-19 cases causing disruption in play.
Two first round series came to a quick conclusion, as the defending world champion Toronto Raptors swept the Nets 4-0, while the Boston Celtics ended both the Philadelphia 76ers’ season and Brett Brown tenue as Philly head coach after seven seasons. Meanwhile, the Western Conference playoff game have been exciting, with Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray having dueling 50-point games in the Utah-Denver series, and rising star Luka Doncic leading the Mavericks against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
Another sport engaged in playoff competition is the National Hockey League. Although the Rangers have been eliminated, the Islanders are still in the hunt, thanks to the efforts of their coach, who sued to run the former champion Washington Capitals coach leading their squad. After a poor performance, that team just fired his replacement in Washington.
While the NBA has gone on without a hitch, that can’t be said for Major League Baseball and the National Football League. The scheduled “Subway Series” between the Yankees and Mets had to be canned, as two Mets tested positive for COVID-19. Also, the NFL has had its COVID-19 issues – but in name only. A testing lab in New Jersey announced that there were several false positive tests, which had teams reeling. There is no word as to why the tests were faulty. In other news, the Baltimore Ravens cut ties with safety Earl Thomas after he committed conduct that was deemed detrimental to the team.
