Basketball is finally back on Wednesday afternoon. While the 8-game stretch into the 2020 NBA playoffs doesn’t begin until next week, teams are going to square off against one another in a series of scrimmages as players look to get back into playing shape following a four-month layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of things tipping off, the league is debuting a new ad featuring Issa Rae. In it, Rae heads into an empty arena, repeats the old adage “you don’t miss something until it’s gone,” and gives fans a reminder of some of the most exciting moments that occurred in the league this season prior to the stoppage.
“Thankfully the wait is over,” Rae says. “Because it’s all back … well, with a slight twist.”
Once we get through the next week or so of scrimmages, the league’s restart will begin on July 30. Things will tip off with a tilt between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans (which might not have the services of Zion Williamson) at 6:30 p.m. EST, followed by a meeting of the two Los Angeles squads at 9 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on TNT. From there, teams will be in the midst of an all-out sprint to the playoffs, which are slated to tip off on August 17.
