Yeah this is the problem with both the NBA and NHL’s returns. At least baseball and football have a chance of fans in the fall.
"We're going to Disney World!" NBA to resume season July 31 at WDW
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From what I've seen in the Bundesliga, having no fans in the stands hasn't compromised the intensity of the competition at all. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you'll see when the NBA starts playing again.
I don’t think people are concerned about the level of competition, more that it’ll just feel like an exhibition game given the atmosphere. I buy into that. It’s impossible to replicate the atmosphere of 15-18k screaming fans. To me, it’ll feel like a Summer League game with better players. Not having fans is going to really suck.
What sucks a lot more is having no sports. Can't believe folks are finding a lack of fans during a global pandemic as the thing to complain about.
Sports by themselves don’t do anything for me. It’s about the entertainment and crowd is a big part of that.
This is a silly post. We’re in a thread talking about the return of the NBA. Everyone here will be watching whatever form of basketball gets played. Commenting about how it’s going to be different is not complaining. The atmosphere of watching sports is a big part of the game for a lot of people, myself included.
Um:
I'd call that complaining.
CP and you are talking about the same thing but I don't think you realize it. When you say "feel like an exhibition game", you mean that the players aren't trying their hardest and the coaches are scheming to learn things and work on things, rather than to win. The Bundesliga really hasn't felt like that. You see how hard everybody moves and focuses, how much they still complain to the referees, and you get into it. Screaming fans are fun, but it's a nice-to-have. Watching people with elite athleticism do the physically improbable - that's what we're there for.
Here, watch the two best teams in Germany face off in a midweek showdown. If you're a soccer fan, this is exciting even if you can hear the players shouting to each other - some would say because you can hear the players shouting to each other, even though it's different than we're used to.
https://yfl.clipsrom.com/player/html/0TX3qflqU1Gs6?popup=yes&autoplay=1
https://yfl.clipsrom.com/player/html/0TX3qflqU1Gs6?popup=yes&autoplay=1
And I wouldn’t call it complaining. It’s stating an opinion that you have perceived as complaining. As for the “feel like an exhibition game” comment, instead of putting words into my mouth as you have attempted to do, I’ll tell you what I meant.
In summer league games, you have guys busting their asses. Only a small % of guys are “working on things”. The rest are desperately trying to impress the coaches, scouts, etc. to land a job. I like summer league. It’s fun. I also like the impact that crowds can have on games. And I stand by my comment that not having fans is going to suck for me. You and others are clearly free to feel differently.
I will watch whatever form this playoff gets played in like a crackhead on a bender. But it’ll be different. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised and will like the different game more than I expect.
In summer league games, you have guys busting their asses. Only a small % of guys are “working on things”. The rest are desperately trying to impress the coaches, scouts, etc. to land a job. I like summer league. It’s fun. I also like the impact that crowds can have on games. And I stand by my comment that not having fans is going to suck for me. You and others are clearly free to feel differently.
I will watch whatever form this playoff gets played in like a crackhead on a bender. But it’ll be different. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised and will like the different game more than I expect.
LTP, if done right, once these games start you, we, us are gonna be all in. No matter the audience, these are the greatest athletes in the world and there are going to be some great matchups and most everybody will be healthy but rusty (at first) I’m thinking this could be one of the best basketball tourneys ever.
You also have to consider the sheer novelty of what's about to happen, don't you? This will be sport in the raw, stripped back of all the pomp and pageantry to where it's purely about the competition and the players' will to win. People talk all the time about the Dream Team scrimmages and how that was some of the best basketball ever played, right? This will probably be our one and only chance to see basketball like that over an extended period. I've watched thousands of basketball games in front of screaming crowds; I actually can't wait to see what it looks like when the best players in the world play meaningful games in the same sort of atmosphere that I've had when I've played basketball.
(The same is true in other sports, of course. I've played thousands of competitive rounds of golf in which I've tried my hardest to do my best, but I've only had more than a couple of people watching me on a very select few occasions. Watching Tiger play with no fans like me - not in exhibitions like the one last Sunday, but when he's trying to pass Sam Snead to hold the all-time record for PGA Tour wins by himself - will be absolutely fascinating: will he do better with no distractions, or worse without the crowd egging him on? What about Federer and Nadal trying to win tennis tournaments without the equivalent of the home court advantage that their sycophantic fans always give them? Which players in which team sports are the true competitors who will rise up and get better when it's all about the sport and not about the show, and which ones will get relatively worse? I love sport itself far more than the industry sports have become and the excesses they now encompass, and while I look forward to everything going back to normal, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this strange interregnum until that can happen.)
(The same is true in other sports, of course. I've played thousands of competitive rounds of golf in which I've tried my hardest to do my best, but I've only had more than a couple of people watching me on a very select few occasions. Watching Tiger play with no fans like me - not in exhibitions like the one last Sunday, but when he's trying to pass Sam Snead to hold the all-time record for PGA Tour wins by himself - will be absolutely fascinating: will he do better with no distractions, or worse without the crowd egging him on? What about Federer and Nadal trying to win tennis tournaments without the equivalent of the home court advantage that their sycophantic fans always give them? Which players in which team sports are the true competitors who will rise up and get better when it's all about the sport and not about the show, and which ones will get relatively worse? I love sport itself far more than the industry sports have become and the excesses they now encompass, and while I look forward to everything going back to normal, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this strange interregnum until that can happen.)
Yeah, to the extent you can hear the players talking I think that could be cool. I don’t watch a ton of NBA, but most of the noise that comes through seems to be sneaker squeaks or whatever snippet of pop music the stadium is playing.
Sweet, now I don't have to write anything: you said it all, and perfectly.
These are all fair points. It will certainly be unique. I am also interested in seeing how teams with poor road records do. Like, will the Sixers suck without their home fans? Think they were something like 10-24 on the road this year.
Absolutely. It's also fairer in many ways to see how players do without fans - in purely sporting terms, is it *fair* that some teams have great home court or home field advantages and others don't? (Part of a good home advantage is down to good players and teams attracting more and louder fans, but a lot of it isn't.) The one thing I don't like about the Disney plan and the lack of home court advantage in the proposed playoff formats is that the rewards for those teams that did rack up the most regular-season wins will be diminished: the seedings will remain the same, but getting an extra game in your own familiar surroundings (arena, locker room, etc.) and getting to sleep in your own bed instead of being on the road in a hotel are notable bonuses that could exist but won't. I'm perfectly fine with the trade-off, all things considering, but the post-lockdown Bundesliga has been good to watch in part because the teams are playing in their own stadiums, and because you sense that at least some small home field advantage does still exist (e.g., you don't have to travel before the game - although of course, travel distances are much smaller within Germany than they are across the US and Canada).
By the way, I wonder if the "home" team in a given Disney game will get its people to control the public address system and inject some familiar (or radically different) background noise to the games and telecasts, or if everything will be stripped back precisely to make the games feel like sport in the raw. I'd certainly prefer the latter, but I can why the league might prefer the former, not least to help mask some of the chat from players and coaches that it and they wouldn't want fans to hear. (Silver might be afraid that injecting noise into a fan-free environment would look and sound pathetic, though.)
It doesnt take long to get used to watching a game without fans. Like not long at all.
Also, a lot of us watch sports on a somewhat active mute anyway. There's a kid(s), family, work, a lot of stuff happening where we're not really listening to the broadcast 100%.
As far as piping in noise, it should be done for the ambiance. They do it in futbol, it's not bad.
Also, a lot of us watch sports on a somewhat active mute anyway. There's a kid(s), family, work, a lot of stuff happening where we're not really listening to the broadcast 100%.
As far as piping in noise, it should be done for the ambiance. They do it in futbol, it's not bad.
If you're referring to the Bundesliga, you should know that Fox is piping that in for the US broadcast - there's no (artificial) noise in the actual stadiums.
On his podcast Karalis said that no fans could lead to more interesting things like new camera angles because you can saturate the arena with cameras and not worry about sightlines.
I’d agree with “fine” but certainly not preferable. I do really love being able to hear more of the corner and fighters talking. But I’d trade that for the roar of a crowd in a heartbeat. Crowds give me chills. I can’t imagine having a Conor fight without a crowd. That’s supposed to be an EVENT.
I’m with BigSoxFan. I’d certainly rather have sports in any capacity possible, but if a magic genie could bring us back to pre-CV concerns, that would be ideal.
Is anyone saying they can’t get used to it? I got used to it in 5 seconds. The question here is what’s better. I can’t imagine an NBA Finals Game 7 being nearly as exciting without the crowd.
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I think most people probably agree with you. I am an outlier in that I often mute (or have the volume turned down) the show until the fighters are called to the center of the cage.
My bad. Lost the thread.
Look of course you're right. But it's what we're getting. People complaining, just don't watch. No sense of comparing it or yearning for something else. These dudes have been off for months, they'll be playing basketball, but this is going to be a completely different packaged "product".
There are a billion reasons that that won't happen if at all possible.
The NBA also knows it doesn't overlap a ton with MLB, so pushing the season into the NFL's dead spot has always made a ton of sense. Pushing the start to December/Jan is a feature, not a bug.
That would be exciting, but at the end of the day, people want to see the great players, and great teams, competing for championships. NCAA tourney upsets are great in the first round, but nobody outside of a tiny handful of people want to see Mt. St. Mary's playing in the National Championship game. They want to see the heavyweights going at it for all the marbles.
It would be bad for the NBA to have the Lakers knocked out randomly by the Grizzlies.
Yeah, they are officially reaching the point where they are moving too slow. Late July? That's still TWO months away. Either do it or don't, but this half dance is a bore.
I disagree that most fans just want to see the heavyweights fight it out. Not that some of those games don't live up to the hype, but a tournament that is mostly chalk is boring. I think people would love an NCAA tournament where Mt. St. Mary's played in the title game. For me (and I think many people), the most entertaining and memorable NCAA tournaments in recent years all featured a cinderella going fairly deep into the tournament - Butler, George Mason, Davidson, VCU, Dunk City, Loyola...
In the NBA, it's rare given the 7-game series. But one of the most memorable non-Celtics first-round series for me was the 8th seed Baron Davis Warriors knocking off the Mavericks. That whole series was must-watch.
Maybe it would alienate some of the core fans, but the NBA would add a lot more casual interest if they injected more uncertainty and upsets into the playoff format.
The Mutombo-led Nuggets upset over the Sonics was also great for the NBA, I thought.
But maybe not so great for the Sonics . . .
But maybe not so great for the Sonics . . .
FWIW, I think 3 of 5 in the first round is ideal. The better team will win that the vast majority of the time (I mean 1-8 or 2-7 matchups in particular), but it’s a thin enough line that the underdog has some hope, and if they win the opening game, it puts a ton of pressure on the higher seed. But at the end of the day, fans want to see LeBron vs Giannis, not some plucky underdog that’s gonna get steamrolled in the finals.
I think I can handle the games without fans, but I still want to see confetti when the 76ers force overtime...!
One thing that's currently discussed around the German Bundesliga is the question if the long lockdown and the empty stadiums are an advantage to the "bigger" clubs, that
- usually rely more on a more technical playstile (and players), while the underdogs try to use more intensitiy (tacklings, running, etc) to erase the difference in individual quality. The latter is probably harder to sustain without 30-50k fans who can push you to go the extra mile.
- have a longer bench. With most / all players lacking in fitness/durability and a very tight schedule, this is certainly an advantage.
The sample size is still pretty small, but the results support some of this so far.
I understand that there is limited comparability between two different leagues playing different sports, but I'm interested to see (and discuss) if similar trends can be seen, when the NBA (and/or NHL) comes back.
One thing that's currently discussed around the German Bundesliga is the question if the long lockdown and the empty stadiums are an advantage to the "bigger" clubs, that
- usually rely more on a more technical playstile (and players), while the underdogs try to use more intensitiy (tacklings, running, etc) to erase the difference in individual quality. The latter is probably harder to sustain without 30-50k fans who can push you to go the extra mile.
- have a longer bench. With most / all players lacking in fitness/durability and a very tight schedule, this is certainly an advantage.
The sample size is still pretty small, but the results support some of this so far.
I understand that there is limited comparability between two different leagues playing different sports, but I'm interested to see (and discuss) if similar trends can be seen, when the NBA (and/or NHL) comes back.
How is this going to impact the usual off-season calendar and the start of next season? Do they push back the start of the next season by a little bit?
Board of Governors will be given options to ponder over the weekend at tomorrow's meeting on how to restart and hopefully voting on it early next week.
Celtics to start practicing June 1.
View: https://twitter.com/OnlyInBOS/status/1266459299036958721
The Boston Celtics will be allowing phased limited access to the Auerbach Center, beginning with voluntary individual player workouts starting on June 1. All workouts during this time will be conducted following strict protocols.
View: https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1266452532261523456
Under @NBA rules, we will be allowing phased limited access to the Auerbach Center at @newbalance World Headquarters, beginning with voluntary individual player workouts starting on June 1. More information: http://on.nba.com/3gGWPKn
View: https://twitter.com/OnlyInBOS/status/1266459299036958721
The Boston Celtics will be allowing phased limited access to the Auerbach Center, beginning with voluntary individual player workouts starting on June 1. All workouts during this time will be conducted following strict protocols.
View: https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1266452532261523456
Under @NBA rules, we will be allowing phased limited access to the Auerbach Center at @newbalance World Headquarters, beginning with voluntary individual player workouts starting on June 1. More information: http://on.nba.com/3gGWPKn
The two month delay from now (a ridiculous amount of time, considering they have been shuttered for over 10 weeks already) makes it pretty clear the NBA intends to change the season calendar going forward, and officially starting their season in December and probably ending it in August.
If that is the case, that's not bad. NBA finals in the dead zone of August would be pretty good. With the draft in late August. And the NBA will almost completely avoid competing with football.
If that is the case, that's not bad. NBA finals in the dead zone of August would be pretty good. With the draft in late August. And the NBA will almost completely avoid competing with football.
Not a fan of Magic Johnson’s Game 3 vs the Rockets in 1981? Because it was pretty exciting.
Yeah, that writing has been on the wall almost since the start of the shutdown. The league has wanted to do it for awhile, and now has the jolt needed to overcome inertia.
I'm a fan of that schedule as well. MLB, maybe not so much. They "used to" have a summer (post 6/18 or so) monopoly on major sports. Now they have NBA playoffs to deal with. Not good for teams like SF Giants, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Astros, Brewers, etc.
Changing the calendar will be a great move and frankly anything that pushes back next season farther thus increasing the chances of fans in the stands in 2020-21 is a good thing.
Looks like they're going conservative, no World Cup stuff and keeping conferences.
View: https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1266466932095475713
Sources: If the NBA resumes play with a 22-team regular season format, teams will likely play eight games each. Then, a play-in tournament would take place for the eighth seed in each conference. Plans aren’t finalized yet but as of now it appears conferences would stay in place.
View: https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1266466932095475713
Sources: If the NBA resumes play with a 22-team regular season format, teams will likely play eight games each. Then, a play-in tournament would take place for the eighth seed in each conference. Plans aren’t finalized yet but as of now it appears conferences would stay in place.