With the first round of the playoffs nearly in the books, the NBA began the process of permitting family members and player guests to enter the quarantine process of gaining access to Walt Disney World bubble.
A number of notable players have spoken out on the mental toll that their prolonged stay in the bubble has taken so far. The NBA is hoping that the looming additions to the campus can help alleviate some of the pressure mounting from their time away from home.
Teams have already started to enjoy the company of having fans in attendance at the games for a change. As with anything in the bubble, this has also called for a new set of restrictions.
According to ESPN’s Arian Wojnarowski, the NBA sent out a message to teams outlining the decorum for those attending playoff games:
The rules disallow "conversations with game officials, disrespectfully addressing game officials and using profane or objectionable language will be interpreted broadly and strictly," per memo. No directed those comments to refs during breaks or post-game either, league says. https://t.co/5s71AikThc
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 31, 2020
The memo to "all governors and senior team basketball operations personnel" is meant as reminder of "higher standards expected" of them. As league memo said, given unique arena conditions, limited number of seats, small buildings, no crowd noise, this is "especially important."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 31, 2020
Given the limited amount of people at each game, it is safe to say that voices tend to carry much more weight in the facilities at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The NBA appears to be taking precautions to ensure that they maintain the same structure that has been put in place for games in the truncated season.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how these rules hold up as the playoffs grow more contentious. Despite some of the restrictions involved, players on the Los Angeles Lakers teammates Danny Green and Markieff Morris are admittedly excited about having their families enter the bubble.
Even LeBron James opened up about his second thoughts on staying in the bubble during a time of social unease and the looming November elections.
Frank Vogel excited for players to welcome family to the bubble
Players have been open about the mental challenges that have come with finishing out the season quarantined away from home. Although the Lakers being a tight-knit group helped pay some dividends, there is no replacement for being able to see loved ones at the end of the day.
Head coach Frank Vogel has been adamant about encouraging his players get their minds off basketball whenever possible since they entered the bubble. He is happy that they now have the proper means to do that and is confident that it will lead to an overall boost in morale.
“I know our guys are going to be really happy,” Vogel said. “I think that will lift everyone’s spirits. That’s a big deal for those guys to be able to have them coming in. I think that’s definitely going to be a positive influence.”
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