2019-2020 Official Regular Season Thread

[tlance]

I support this.

I am not a fan.

Totally devalues the 60 games of regular season play already in the books.

What happens if the Lakers, or Bucks, or Clippers lose a couple tough games and finish 3rd in their group?

Sorry, no playoffs for you!

Playing everyone twice is better than once, but this is totally unnecessary!

Just let the top 16 play.

 

[flyerhawk]

I am not a fan.

Totally devalues the 60 games of regular season play already in the books.

What happens if the Lakers, or Bucks, or Clippers lose a couple tough games and finish 3rd in their group?

Sorry, no playoffs for you!

Playing everyone twice is better than once, but this is totally unnecessary!

Just let the top 16 play.

I think they are just looking for a way to gin up excitement for the playoffs.

But I would be fine with just doing the top 16 as well.

 

[CitySushi]

This is some of the dumbest logic/takes I've ever seen. Like what?

 

[Stakesarehigh]

agreed. Saw this recently. Long but a good read. Fair and balanced with no hyperbolic agenda.....



This was posted by Dr. James Stein, cardiologist based at U-Wisconsin at Madison. Well-informed update on how we can make smart and reasonable Covid-related choices going forward. I found it helpful.

COVID-19 update as we start to leave our cocoons. The purpose of this post is to provide a perspective on the intense but expected anxiety so many people are experiencing as they prepare to leave the shelter of their homes. My opinions are not those of my employers and are not meant to invalidate anyone else’s – they simply are my perspective on managing risk.

Key point #1: The COVID-19 we are facing now is the same disease it was 2 months ago. The “shelter at home” orders were the right step from a public health standpoint to make sure we flattened the curve and didn’t overrun the health care system which would have led to excess preventable deaths. It also bought us time to learn about the disease’s dynamics, preventive measures, and best treatment strategies – and we did.

For hospitalized patients, we have learned to avoid early intubation, to use prone ventilation, and that remdesivir probably reduces time to recovery. We have learned how to best use and preserve PPE. We also know that several therapies suggested early on probably don’t do much and may even cause harm (ie, azithromycin, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir). But all of our social distancing did not change the disease.

Take home: We flattened the curve and with it our economy and psyches, but the disease itself is still here.

Key point #2: COVID-19 is more deadly than seasonal influenza (about 5-10x so), but not nearly as deadly as Ebola, Rabies, or Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever where 25-90% of people who get infected die. COVID-19’s case fatality rate is about 0.8-1.5% overall, but much higher if you are 60-69 years old (3-4%), 70-79 years old (7-9%), and especially so if you are over 80 years old (CFR 13-17%). It is much lower if you are under 50 years old (<0.6%). The infection fatality rate is about half of these numbers.

Take home: COVID-19 is dangerous, but the vast majority of people who get it, survive it. About 15% of people get very ill and could stay ill for a long time. We are going to be dealing with it for a long time.

Key point #3: SARS-CoV-2 is very contagious, but not as contagious as Measles, Mumps, or even certain strains of pandemic Influenza. It is spread by respiratory droplets and aerosols, not food and incidental contact. Take home: social distancing, not touching our faces, and good hand hygiene are the key weapons to stop the spread. Masks could make a difference, too, especially in public places where people congregate. Incidental contact is not really an issue, nor is food.

What does this all mean as we return to work and public life? COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon. It may not go away for a year or two and may not be eradicated for many years, so we have to learn to live with it and do what we can to mitigate (reduce) risk. That means being willing to accept *some* level of risk to live our lives as we desire. I can’t decide that level of risk for you – only you can make that decision. There are few certainties in pandemic risk management other than that fact that some people will die, some people in low risk groups will die, and some people in high risk groups will survive. It’s about probability.

Here is some guidance – my point of view, not judging yours:

1. People over 60 years old are at higher risk of severe disease – people over 70 years old, even more so. They should be willing to tolerate less risk than people under 50 years old and should be extra careful. Some chronic diseases like heart disease and COPD increase risk, but it is not clear if other diseases like obesity, asthma, immune disorders, etc. increase risk appreciably. It looks like asthma and inflammatory bowel disease might not be as high risk as we thought, but we are not sure - their risks might be too small to pick up, or they might be associated with things that put them at higher risk.

People over 60-70 years old probably should continue to be very vigilant about limiting exposures if they can. However, not seeing family – especially children and grandchildren – can take a serious emotional toll, so I encourage people to be creative and flexible. For example, in-person visits are not crazy – consider one, especially if you have been isolated and have no symptoms. They are especially safe in the early days after restrictions are lifted in places like Madison or parts of major cities where there is very little community transmission. Families can decide how much mingling they are comfortable with - if they want to hug and eat together, distance together with masks, or just stay apart and continue using video-conferencing and the telephone to stay in contact. If you choose to intermingle, remember to practice good hand hygiene, don’t share plates/forks/spoons/cups, don’t share towels, and don’t sleep together.

2. Social distancing, not touching your face, and washing/sanitizing your hands are the key prevention interventions. They are vastly more important than anything else you do. Wearing a fabric mask is a good idea in crowded public place like a grocery store or public transportation, but you absolutely must distance, practice good hand hygiene, and don’t touch your face. Wearing gloves is not helpful (the virus does not get in through the skin) and may increase your risk because you likely won’t washing or sanitize your hands when they are on, you will drop things, and touch your face.

3. Be a good citizen. If you think you might be sick, stay home. If you are going to cough or sneeze, turn away from people, block it, and sanitize your hands immediately after.

4. Use common sense. Dial down the anxiety. If you are out taking a walk and someone walks past you, that brief (near) contact is so low risk that it doesn’t make sense to get scared. Smile at them as they approach, turn your head away as they pass, move on. The smile will be more therapeutic than the passing is dangerous. Similarly, if someone bumps into you at the grocery store or reaches past you for a loaf of bread, don’t stress - it is a very low risk encounter- as long as they didn’t cough in your face (one reason we wear cloth masks in public!).

5. Use common sense, part II. Dial down the obsessiveness. There really is no reason to go crazy sanitizing items that come into your house from outside, like groceries and packages. For it to be a risk, the delivery person would need to be infectious, cough or sneeze some droplets on your package, you touch the droplet, then touch your face, and then it invades your respiratory epithelium. There would need to be enough viral load and the virions would need to survive long enough for you to get infected. It could happen, but it’s pretty unlikely.

If you want to have a staging station for 1-2 days before you put things away, sure, no problem. You also can simply wipe things off before they come in to your house - that is fine is fine too. For an isolated family, it makes no sense to obsessively wipe down every surface every day (or several times a day). Door knobs, toilet handles, commonly trafficked light switches could get a wipe off each day, but it takes a lot of time and emotional energy to do all those things and they have marginal benefits.

We don’t need to create a sterile operating room-like living space. Compared to keeping your hands out of your mouth, good hand hygiene, and cleaning food before serving it, these behaviors might be more maladaptive than protective.

6. There are few absolutes, so please get comfortable accepting some calculated risks, otherwise you might be isolating yourself for a really, really long time. Figure out how you can be in public and interact with people without fear.

We are social creatures. We need each other. We will survive with and because of each other. Social distancing just means that we connect differently. Being afraid makes us contract and shut each other out. I hope we can fill that space created by fear and contraction with meaningful connections and learn to be less afraid of each of other.

That's such a good post I may share it

 

[tlance]

I think they are just looking for a way to gin up excitement for the playoffs.

But I would be fine with just doing the top 16 as well.

That is dumb, IMO.

People will be excited as hell just to have NBA basketball back.

Don’t do something gimmicky that could drastically impact the outcome. There is already plenty of reason in the minds of many people to place an asterisk on this season’s results. Why try to invent another?

It isn’t like this pool play system is saving any time either.

 

[dtgold88]

That's such a good post I may share it

Right? so hard to find one about Covid that does not look like it's written by someone with an agenda....and agrees with concerns from those on both sides.

 

[bksballer89]

That is dumb, IMO.

People will be excited as hell just to have NBA basketball back.

Don’t do something gimmicky that could drastically impact the outcome. There is already plenty of reason in the minds of many people to place an asterisk on this season’s results. Why try to invent another?

It isn’t like this pool play system is saving any time either.

They're making this way more complicated

 

[Stakesarehigh]

They're making this way more complicated

Yep

I'd just go playoff only

Test in screen within and test out

That's it

 

[flyerhawk]

That is dumb, IMO.

People will be excited as hell just to have NBA basketball back.

Don’t do something gimmicky that could drastically impact the outcome. There is already plenty of reason in the minds of many people to place an asterisk on this season’s results. Why try to invent another?

It isn’t like this pool play system is saving any time either.

Well I get your opposition to it but I really don't think it is a terrible idea. No matter what this season will get an asterisk next to it. So it is an opportunity for the league to try a new format.

I think it is pretty unlikely that a team like the Clippers or Bucks would fumble enough to miss being one of the top 2 teams in a bracket. Not with 8 games being played.

 

[flyerhawk]

They're making this way more complicated

I suspect that they will go with a straight to playoff 16 team 2 conference format when it is all said and done.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Watching Bar Rescue on our DVR....

 

[DJ Fieri]

I am not a fan.

Totally devalues the 60 games of regular season play already in the books.

What happens if the Lakers, or Bucks, or Clippers lose a couple tough games and finish 3rd in their group?

Sorry, no playoffs for you!

Playing everyone twice is better than once, but this is totally unnecessary!

Just let the top 16 play.

I agree....

 

[tlance]

Well I get your opposition to it but I really don't think it is a terrible idea. No matter what this season will get an asterisk next to it. So it is an opportunity for the league to try a new format.

I think it is pretty unlikely that a team like the Clippers or Bucks would fumble enough to miss being one of the top 2 teams in a bracket. Not with 8 games being played.

I disagree.

Nuetral site, 2 games vs each opponent and they would have a random draw within each tier of teams?

There will almost certainly be a bracket of death in that scenario.

What if, instead of facing the Magic in the first round, the Bucks end up in a pool with Utah, Houston and Dallas.

Does that seem fair to you? That is a 4, a 6 and a 7 seed. I could easily envision a scenario where a top seed, not having played in months gets tripped up by a tough group draw. I don’t want to see that.

 

[thunderc]

Original comment to which I replied. Once again, no, Matt Joyce did not make a lot of sense. Not even close. If you think he made a lot of sense (or any sense) you do not know more about the CBA, labor struggles, etc, than pretty much anyone who follows this.

But I'll look for sand to pound if it makes you feel better. Might have some in our old swing set.

from a fn common sense stand point he made shit tons of sense. Obviously he didn’t give a shit about labor history. He basically said don’t just ask for rev sharing in the one year you are going to lose money, let’s look at all the money you have made the last 10 years. The players union is not known for common sense muzh and the owners are idiots. Just don’t tell me, repeatedly, that I misheard somethimg. Then you won’t have to pound so much sand.

 

[DJ Fieri]

The NHL PROPOSING a 24 team.playoff...

 

[DJ Fieri]

Dame doesn't want to return unless the Blazers have a shot at the playoffs.....

 

[thunderc]

They're making this way more complicated

well they haven’t had shit to do for 2 months, now they have to show us how smart they are.

 

[bksballer89]

Perk speaking facts

 

[bksballer89]

 

[trojanfan12]

Right? so hard to find one about Covid that does not look like it's written by someone with an agenda....and agrees with concerns from those on both sides.

Yeah, excellent article. I really liked how he broke down the age groups, etc.