The 2020-21 NBA season is underway, but COVID-19 still remains a real threat.
That point was emphasized Wednesday when the Rockets-Thunder season opener was postponed due to Houston’s inability to produce enough eligible players to compete against Oklahoma City.
News of the postponement made its way to the Celtics just before Boston opened its own season against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Head coach Brad Stevens didn’t know much about the situation before tip-off, but remains confident the league had things under control.
“I literally just heard that as we were walking in here,” Stevens said during his pregame press conference, via WEEI.com. “I don’t know why the game was canceled or anything else. I know that we’re all over, every day, doing what we need to do, both in the facility and recognizing the responsibility that we all have to each other as a staff, as players, and everybody else. Even the smallest of interactions can threaten that. But it’s why we test every day. Right now we’ve got tests that are point of care and PCR that’s a 24-hour return, so we’ve got both of those things going on. And at the same time, shows just how fragile it is.
“I don’t think that we necessarily needed a reminder, because all you have to do is look at the NFL, turn on college basketball, talk to your friends — it’s everywhere. We’re going to do our very best to avoid it.”
This probably won’t be the last time the NBA is forced to postpone a game due to COVID-19. But hopefully, schedule changes won’t be as frequent as they have been in the NFL.
