NBA 2019-20: Orlando Magic become the first team to enter the bubble at Disney World
Given their proximity to the venue, it was to be expected that the Orlando Magic would be the first team to enter the NBA bubble, and they did so without any fanfare earlier today. They were in compliance with the NBA and the government's ordinances regarding public safety, as every member of the organization was observed to be wearing a mask and treating their luggage safely.
Currently seeded 8th, the Magic have a chance to climb up the standings and avoid the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and force a first round rematch with the Toronto Raptors, whom they faced at the same stage of the NBA playoffs last year.
Orlando Magic will be optimistic about their chances at this, given the number of injuries that have derailed the Nets' season already - the likes of DeAndre Jordan and Kyrie Irving will be unavailable for the Brooklyn-based team while Spencer Dinwiddie, their starting point guard in Kyrie's absence, will have a hard time recovering fast enough to be impactful on his comeback.
NBA comes under the scanner as cases rise around Orlando
While the virus has hit the state of Florida quite hard, with over 210,000 cases reported thus far and an average rise of 7000 cases occurring over the last 10 days across the state.
The Orlando Magic have thus far been lucky to avoid any player testing positive for the virus, which has infected a couple of members of the other NBA franchise in the state - the Miami Heat. Orange County, however, is far from a safe haven, reporting nearly 14,500 cases thus far.
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While the games will be played in Orlando, they will be closed to the general public, meaning that the Orlando Magic will not have any kind of home court advantage when Disney World hosts the NBA games.
The Disney World bubble has been designed to keep players safe from external contact, with the NBA releasing a 112-page dossier when it submitted its resumption plan to the Board of Governors in early June. One of the glaring holes in this scheme, however, is the lack of any provision to keep the hotel staff as part of the isolated bubble.
This increases the chances of transmission to the NBA players, although their meals will be provided to them on a no-contact basis and their rooms will only be cleaned once a week in order to minimize workers' contact with the players.
Across the NBA, the sentiment is largely hopeful, with the likes of Mike D'Antoni chipping in with words of reassurance when asked by the media about their level of concern regarding the players' and staffs' safety.
"I don't have any apprehension at all. ... It's been five months of wearing a mask and staying away from people. A lot of it falls on each individual."
Some of the people associated with the NBA, like Charles Barkley and Brandon Ingram, have however voiced their lack of faith in the league's ability to keep the bubble from experiencing a virus outbreak.
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