The NBA Restart, Part 2

How the Bubble Changed the NBA

A season that should get an asterisk for being the most grueling in league history could have far-reaching effect in the future

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The NBA preseason starts in ten days, so it’s time to look back at the bubble again before we predict the next season.

In part one, we looked at how the NBA came back from the shutdown and changed in many profound ways. In part two, let’s look back at how the bubble affected the playoffs and what it may tell us about the upcoming season.

The death of home court advantage

One of the most interesting developments in the bubble was how the level of play improved, especially for role players.

Players were not burdened by travel and social distractions in each new town, while they got to see the same basket and background environment in every game.

Teams shot better in the bubble and there were wild scoring games.

In the bubble games, eight teams exceeded a 115.0 offensive rating, with the Clippers #5 at 115.9. For context, Dallas led the league during the regular season…