On the bright side, the NBA is currently in the midst of a deep playoff race in both conferences, creating plenty of intrigue as teams across the league chase the Lakers. But that won’t matter if the NBA can’t complete a full season. COVID-19 has begun to wreak havoc on the competitive integrity of the league amid a wave of absences, leading to an obvious question: Do we need to pause the 2020–21 season? The answer is becoming increasingly clear.
It’s a difficult situation for the NBA at the moment. There’s optimism for what the sport could look like in the spring and summer, with players fully vaccinated and fans potentially returning to arenas.