As expected, the NBA returned without feeling normal

Slate

"The NBA is back, baby, and so are all the things you love about the league: virtual fans displayed on giant screens above the court, plexiglass-shielded sideline areas, and aerial shots of empty conference complexes in Lake Buena Vista, Florida," says Nick Greene. "There were also basketball games. The Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 106-104, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Clippers in the second contest of Thursday’s double-header, 103-101. The NBA’s summer restart was never going to be a return to normalcy. This was immediately noticeable when TNT’s Inside the NBA opened to reveal an extra-long desk that ensured there would be sufficient distance between hosts Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal."

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