The NBA is back. After ending the 2019-20 season in October with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, the league will start the 2020-21 season today with two games. Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors will take on Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m. ET. Also, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers will face LeBron James and the Lakers at 10 p.m ET. Both games will air on TNT.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked about the new season on NBC News’ TODAY and revealed what the league needs to do in order to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. “By following the protocols we know have been effective, we can do things in a safe, responsible way,” he said. “I accept that we had zero incidents of Covid when in the bubble, however, I think it had a real impact on many of the participants in terms of their families, their mental wellness. It’s not easy being cooped up for months.”
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All NBA teams will play a 72-game regular-season schedule, which will include a Play-In Tournament to determine the teams that will claim the seventh and eighth playoff spot in each conference. Here’s a look at fans reacting to the start of a new NBA season.
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The NBA is back tonight ๐ฟ
โ Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 22, 2020
Who’s making the playoffs? Who’s gonna disappoint? Who’s winning the title?
Full season predictions โก๏ธ https://t.co/2DhBmD1i8A pic.twitter.com/mqGi1Ydtvm
NBA regular season, NFL, Bowl Games & NCAAB all week long. pic.twitter.com/WHyVz8B2k5
โ KyleCovers.com (@itskylecovers) December 21, 2020
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A 36 year old LeBron is entering his 18th NBA season today and he’s still the best player in the world ๐คฏ pic.twitter.com/CEYpTdoTFK
โ LeGoat (@iamLeGoat) December 22, 2020
Kevin Durant won NBA Finals MVPs with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, becoming the 6th player to win the award in back-to-back seasons (LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon).
โ NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 22, 2020
KD faces his former team TOMORROW at 7pm/et on TNT. #KiaTipOff20 pic.twitter.com/E63BfNPqaW
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NBA Season Starts Tomorrow. Drop a GIF of your least favorite NBA team. I’ll start. pic.twitter.com/lnaO9xmJ0m
โ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ท ๐ข๐ฉ๐ (13-๐) #BEATNOP (@Wayden_SZN) December 21, 2020
The NBA is back and I need it! When I bet the NFL I feel like I’m Jim chasing Pam from @theofficetv in seasons 2 and 3. Mostly good moments, mostly winning, but a shit-ton of torture in between.
โ Chris R. Farley (@ChrisRFarley1) December 22, 2020
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New video: After the longest season in NBA history, the defending-champion Lakers are gearing up for a repeat run following the shortest offseason in the history of the game. My essay for @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/iszF7aJZA9
โ Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 21, 2020
How NBA Twitter waking up for the start of the season pic.twitter.com/InJLO1mScq
โ Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) December 22, 2020
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We did our family Christmas this week, and my wife got me this awesome wall art. Excited for the NBA season to start back up this week! #RipCity pic.twitter.com/HCM2n7h8Oh
โ Miles Custis (@MilesCustis) December 21, 2020
NBA: You want basketball back?
โ SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 22, 2020
Us: pic.twitter.com/3V8rOOTZVd
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IT’S TIME โ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/zLBQBjcXvS
โ ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2020
It’s #NBAJerseyDay!
โ San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 22, 2020
We wanna see how you rep the Silver & Black! Reply or quote tweet this with a photo/video of you in your Spurs jersey ๐ pic.twitter.com/tkJhgsGTEs
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#KiaTipOff20 begins with Kevin Durant’s debut for the @BrooklynNets, taking on his former team in Stephen Curry and the @warriors at 7:00 PM ET on TNT ๐ฟ๐บ
โ NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2020
Tell us #KiaWhoYaGot below!https://t.co/RihUOXiHL6 pic.twitter.com/ORNOWgcWtS
The Battle of LA caps off #KiaTipOff20 opening night tonight featuring Kawhi Leonard and the @LAClippers taking on the reigning champs in LeBron James and the @Lakers at 10:00 PM ET on TNT ๐ฟ๐บ
โ NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2020
Tell us #KiaWhoYaGot below!https://t.co/RihUOX16Ty pic.twitter.com/Bk3XjwFkTY
