I really don’t know how to start this piece without rambling. But in short, I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas as we enter the last week of 2020. Thank God this year is almost over. To keep everyone in the spirit, I had to post Pop Queen Mariah Carey’s iconic hit above. I have to!
But it’s also a reminder of what a 2019 pre-coronavirus world was like. We were just happy the holidays were here. Today, the coronavirus has killed over 329,000 Americans and affected nearly 19 million so far. There will be many more people who get it, and die from it by the time the 2020-21 NBA season ends. And even more are not going to have the gifts or the family dinners they may otherwise have in a pre-COVID-19 world.
It’s just hard to feel good about the situation right now, even with vaccines coming out this month. But I’m also optimistic that we are now bottoming out in regard to the pandemic. So I hope you are staying safe at home, without too many people in your house.
Though I wish the NBA would have held off on starting the season until later in the winter for safety reasons, I understand why the league started during the worst stretch of the pandemic: Christmas day basketball.
Today, there are five games on. While the Washington Wizards won’t be on today, there will still be some good matchups.
- Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 12 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors, 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC (WJLA-TV in the D.C. area)
- Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets, 5 p.m. ET on ABC (WJLA-TV in the D.C. area)
- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Enjoy the games today everyone.