The NBA’s comprehensive COVID-19 plan was extremely bold. In an effort to continue the season, the league gathered all relevant teams to Orlando, where they’d spend months in quarantine, without family and fans, until the conclusion of the season.
To the league’s credit, the season was able to finish and COVID-19 was kept under control.
As for the players, many of them struggled with the realities of living in a bubble — but to Portland star Damian Lillard, it actually made things easier.
“To me personally, the bubble was way easier. There was really no distractions. We didn’t have to travel after games. We were leaving arenas like 10 or 11 o’clock after the games and we would go right back to the hotel,” the Blazers star shared. “We would get our recovery right after the game, we would have food laid out for us when we go to our room to lay down. Everything was laid out. We weren’t on a plane after, rush to the hotel, check into our rooms. It was just get up the next morning and practice all in one spot. Our bodies were recovering faster. We were more rested. It was way easier for me. That’s why you saw a lot of people just killing it like that.”
Dame says NBA games were "way easier" in the bubble.
(via @Dame_Lillard, @fatjoe) pic.twitter.com/3aDxPvLKtl
— ESPN (@espn) December 2, 2020
Nost would think it’d be harder under bubble conditions. In fact, that was exactly the narrative being spread by many fans.
For Lillard, though, he thrived. The star point guard went absolutely bonkers in the bubble, putting the team on his back with 37.6 points per game. He took home the bubble MVP, but was unable to take the Blazers past the first round of the postseason, where they’d lose to the eventual NBA Champs.
Still, despite recent history, Portland will be among the best teams in the West, with new additions and a healthy roster.
If Dame is able to translate his bubble performance into next season, there’s no telling what he and his squad will be capable of.
