It has been almost a year since COVD-19 decided to wreak havoc on the United States, shutting down almost every facet of life in most states, including sports.

Despite it all, most every sport found a way to play later in the year, even if it meant doing so with strict protocols.

But now, things may be changing again. And if reports are true, the NBA season may be heading towards a pause sooner rather than later.

Since this whole ordeal began, sports have served as a refuge for many around the world.

Somehow, someway, both college and professional sports have so far been able to play games, have entire seasons, and operate between the lines as if everything were relatively normal with only minimal issues.

We seem to be heading toward a trend of everything changing once again, though.

In the NBA in particular, team’s rosters are starting to thin as a number of players and coaches are testing positive for COVID-19 and being forced to sit out, per league protocols.

Attempting to operate a season as normal as possible is a vastly different undertaking than the bubble atmosphere the NBA utilized as they completed their 2020 season.

And sadly, reports indicate that the NBA’s top decision makers are set to meet this week to reevaluate safety protocols with the possibility of pausing the season on the table.

But while the media speculates that a pause in the season may be coming, league officials attempted to put those fears to rest while claiming they’re been prepared for this type of scenario all along.

“We anticipated that there would be game postponements this season and planned the schedule accordingly,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN in a statement. “There are no plans to pause the season, and we will continue to be guided by our medical experts and health and safety protocols.”

Quite frankly, no matter what side of the argument you are on, this is another classic COVID situation where no one actually knows what’s going on.

There’s no denying the fact that the NBA does appear to be a mess right now, with teams cancelling games or being forced to play short handed.

For whatever reason, the NBA simply hasn’t been able to do what the NFL and others have been able to do.

That’s not to say those sports never had any issues – that’s obviously not the case.

But the NBA clearly doesn’t have the right protocols in place to avoid the situation they’re in now where the pressure from the media and others is building to a point where they may very well be forced to pause the season.

No matter if you’re an NBA fan or not, the decisions the NBA makes over the next week or so will reverberate throughout sports and set a precedent.

Remember, it was the NBA that started last year’s sports shut down.

And they could very well do it again.

Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.

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