COVID-19 has affected the entire world, and the entirety of consequences have yet to be felt in all aspects of our existence. The economy is struggling, our usual routine has been completely disrupted, and for many, this ,ay be the toughest period they’ll experience in their lifetime.

No More NBA in 2020?

Of course, all sporting events have been called off too, and according to the current situation and the predictions of the experts, we won’t see major competitions back for quite some time. Leading the way on that front is the NBA which became one of the first professional leagues to suspend their season.

The season was coming down to a fantastic finish. All competing teams were shifting into the higher gear in preparation for the NBA Playoffs when the hiatus hit.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks were the No.1 team in the league, and according to many, Mike Budenholzer’s crew was one of the the top contenders to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The other contenders were found in the City of Angels. The Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers with the same chances for capturing the title. Odds on both teams are at 5/2, right now. The LA Clippers are following the duo with 33/10. Far behind are the Houston Rockets 13/1, Toronto Raptors 18/1, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat 20/1, and the Denver Nuggets 22/1.

Now, all these odds might change if a different format for the closure of the season is applied. Although there were some proposals and ideas about future steps, things are still unclear for the moment.

There were suggestions that the season should end with all teams playing in one city (some proposed Las Vegas) or several of them, in order to avoid the traveling and minimize the health risks. Others are recommending that it should end like this, with organizing tournaments for the teams who are on the edge of the playoffs, to see who progresses to the off season.

Also, numerous designs for the playoff system have been discussed. One involves one-game elimination, similar to the NCAA tournament. The other combines this with the best of five series in the finals. All in all, there are various scenarios, and it is up to the Commissioner Silver and his task force to solve this. He stated that there are several plans for the future, each one made for different circumstances and development.

Who Wins the MVP and ROY Awards?

The race for the title will be very interesting, but the battle for the NBA MVP is, according to the oddsmaker, pretty clear. Giannis is by far the biggest favorite to take the honors. Odds on his win are 1/5, with LeBron James behind the Greek Freak at 9/2. The reigning rookie of the year, Luka Doncic, who started the season furiously but slowed down due to the injuries is third 25/1, James Harden follows him 33/1, with Anthony Davis, who was a dark horse at one moment and behind the leading duo, sitting at 100/1.

There’s no contesting that Giannis had a marvelous season. His Bucks were the best team in the league record-wise with strong momentum to reach 70 wins. Led by The Greek Freak, who was posting unreal figures – nearly 30 points and 14 boards and six assists per night. Plus, his impact on the game can’t be described.

When listing the odds for the MVP race, you must include LeBron James. The ageless superstar hadn’t lost a step this year, teaming with Anthony Davis to push the Lakers to the top of the West. We’ve mentioned that Luka Doncic won the ROY award during the previous season. The young Slovenian was by far the most dominant figure among the newbies in the league. The situation this season is not entirely like that.

When it comes to who was the best rookie, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson are on top of the list. Morant simply played more games and the Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard has much better chances of taking the award because of that. He’s been playing excellent since the start of the season, while on the other side, Zion came back from injury to participate in 19 games. Even though Williamson’s performances were superb, there’s just no way Zion should take the award over Ja Morant.

Ja’s odds for the win are 1/5, Zion comes next 4/1, Miami’s duo Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Hero are third and fourth. Nunn began the campaign good, but dropped as time went by is at 50/1, Hero 100/1, same as RJ Barrett form the Knicks, Brandon Clarke from Memphis and Michael Porter Jr from the Nuggets.

We all hope that the circumstances will improve and that all these awards would be presented with the entire season played until the end. There are certain indications that the whole COVID-19 pandemic might be over until summer and that the NBA would continue after that. No doubt, it would be a blessing to all the fans across the globe.