Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Before the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, they were forced to conduct a shootaround for the game without a basketball and within a Miami hotel’s ballroom.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com pointed out that the odd circumstances are a continuing byproduct of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
“No basketball,” wrote Fedor. “No hoop. Just visualization. Socially distanced drills and dummy sets with masks on.
“‘Our guys need it,’ Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ‘We couldn’t have come here and played this team without any reps. But we couldn’t get on the court. We had to figure it out in a ballroom.'”
That effort did the Cavaliers no good and sent them to their fourth straight defeat, the last three of those coming after the team returned from the All-Star break.
All NBA teams have to endure this new reality within the league, but the Cavaliers are trying to get over the hump and make their first trip to the postseason since 2018.
The Cavaliers had little time to dwell on their current misfortunes with a Wednesday night home game against the Boston Celtics on the schedule.
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