NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league and NBPA "ultimately believe it will be safer on our campus than off it" as the league preps to restart its season in the Orlando bubble. Silver on Friday spoke via conference call after the NBA and NBPA announced that they had "finalized their agreement to revive the season." Amid a rise in coronavirus cases in Florida, Silver said, "While it's not impermeable, we are in essence protected from cases around us -- at least that's the model. For those reasons, we're still very comfortable being in Orlando" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/26).
STAR-HEAVY RESTART: The NBA unveiled its full restart schedule on Friday night, tipping off July 30 with a TNT doubleheader that features Pelicans-Jazz and Lakers-Clippers. July 31 "will see five games, highlighted by an ESPN doubleheader" featuring Celtics-Bucks and Rockets-Mavericks. This "TV-friendly launch ensures that the league’s brightest stars set to compete in Orlando ... appear on the first two nights." Teams will then play 4-7 games per night through Aug. 14, "with at least three of those games nationally televised on TNT, ESPN or NBA TV" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/27). The Celtics, Rockets, Bucks and Pelicans "(hello Zion Williamson) have six games on national TV, with the possibility of each getting one more" (USA TODAY, 6/27). A source said that there "will be no exclusive national telecasts during the seeding games" (DENVER POST, 6/27).
