The Magic Insider

Orlando Bubble Playoffs Criticized By Former NBA Coach

The playoff bubble ended in a Los Angeles Lakers championship two years ago.

Jeremy Brener

Orlando Bubble Playoffs Criticized By Former NBA Coach
Orlando Bubble Playoffs Criticized By Former NBA Coach /

ORLANDO - Two years ago, the Orlando Magic along with 21 other NBA teams, traveled to Orlando to compete in an NBA event unlike anything ever done before in sports history.

With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the world, the season was suspended in early March 2020 and there was serious doubt if the season would be completed.

After a long negotiation process between the players and governors, the two sides agreed to play the remainder of the season, including the NBA Finals, in a "bubble" at Disney's Wide World of Sports just outside of Orlando.

This meant no fans, no outside contact and no homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

And ever since the beginning, there have been many critics about the style of the tournament. The critics can add former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl to their club.

Karl, 71, coached in the NBA across four decades and last coached the Sacramento Kings in 2016. His longest coaching tenure came with the Denver Nuggets from 2005-13, and he still supports the team from a distance.

One of the top replies to Karl's tweet came from a Lakers fan, who pulled out some receipt tweets from the former Coach of the Year during the Bubble playoffs.

In the top tweet, Karl says he hates the Lakers, who beat the Nuggets in five games in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals and won the championship. 

Perhaps that's why Karl isn't a fan of the bubble playoffs.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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