NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants players to prepare for the possibility the 2019-20 season might return without fans inside arenas.
Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, while likely disappointed, doesn’t seem to think the on-court product will suffer, though. Stevens, while speaking to season-ticket holders Friday, actually noted how the fan-less environment might bring out the intense competitiveness of NBA players even more.
“I guess playing without fans would be much more like a typical practice environment, and I think that the one thing about these guys is they don’t compete any less hard in practice,” Stevens said Friday, as transcribed by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
“In fact, sometimes in those quiet gyms where you can hear everything somebody else is saying, it gets even more feisty,” Stevens added. “And so, I think that it would be great basketball if we’re able to do that.”
While it certainly would be different, the fact is that these are unprecedented times. And if the NBA could create a plan to return, even if it’s without spectators, sports fans should take that as a win.
