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sports Diasabra 24 OctOber 2020

NBA targeting Dec. 22 as start to coming season

(AP) - The NBA may be fans, the nearly $200 million
back before Christmas price tag for operating that
and fans could return to bubble and a yearlong rift
games at some point next with the Chinese govern-
season, if one plan consid- ment that saw NBA games
ered by the league's board not shown on state television
of governors becomes re- there.
ality.
No decisions have been final-
The board is targeting a Dec. ized on next season and talks
22 start to what would be with the National Basketball
a season of 70 to 72 games, Players Association remain
with the NBA Finals end- ongoing on many matters,
ing in June again as has been including the financial pa-
in the case for many years, rameters for the coming year.
according to a person with Those talks, especially on the
knowledge of the situation. money issue, would have to
The person, who spoke to be concluded before any real
The Associated Press Friday decisions about next season
on condition of anonymity are made.
because no plan has been fi-
nalized, said the possibility The NBPA has not made
of fans being at games would any final decisions on how it
hinge on how a particular wants to see the league pro-
market is faring against the ceed, either. But this plan,
coronavirus at that time. starting in December and It would also mean that the compete for the final four pandemic and the delay in
ending in June, would get the league, and its broadcast spots in the men's basketball the season, this is where we
There are other options, 2021-22 season — virus-per- partners, would get to keep field for the Tokyo Games, are now," Miami Heat Presi-
such as waiting until later in mitting — back to normal, Christmas games on the with those qualifiers set to dent Pat Riley said Friday,
the season to begin play with with 82-game slates starting schedule. The league has begin in June. If the NBA speaking at his annual end-
the hope that more arenas in October. made Christmas a five-game season goes into July or lon- of-season availability with
would be able to have fans. slate in recent years, primarily ger, it would seriously jeop- reporters. “I think the NBA
But starting in December in- A pre-Christmas start for because of how many viewers ardize plans to have many and the Players Association
stead of mid-January or later the upcoming season would tune in on the holiday. of the league's players taking are going to try to get that to-
could generate a difference of mean the offseason for the part in the Olympics. gether."
roughly $500 million in rev- NBA champion Los Ange- Typically, a mid-June end Still, any December resump-
enue, the person said. les Lakers and Eastern Con- to the finals is followed by tion of play would necessi- There were 171 games can-
ference champion Miami about a 3 1/2-month break tate a serious time crunch to celed this season by the coro-
Revenue projections for Heat would be almost ab- before the following training get rosters settled. The NBA navirus, which caused the
the league this season were surdly short, since a Dec. 22 camp. But a June ending of draft is scheduled for Nov. 18 league to suspend operations
missed by about $1.5 bil- start date would mean teams next season would also allow and it remains unclear when on March 11. The league sent
lion, the person said. The would likely be starting train- players to compete in next free agency — which typical- 22 of its 30 teams to a bubble
losses were the result of a ing camps around the end summer's rescheduled Tokyo ly follows the draft — would at Walt Disney World in July,
combination of factors — the of November. This season’s Olympics, which are set to take place. with play resuming July 30
shutdown caused by the pan- NBA Finals ended on Oct. begin in July. and the full 16-team playoffs
demic, the cancelation of 171 11, so the Heat and Lakers The U.S. has already quali- “It would be nice to have all going on as scheduled —
regular-season games, com- could basically have as little fied for those Olympics, as of the numbers and every- though all without fans.
pleting the season in a bubble as seven weeks off. have seven other nations. thing in a tiny little binder,
at Walt Disney World without There are 24 teams left to you know, but because of the

Aston Villa's perfect start in EPL ended by Leeds 3-0

(AP) — Aston Villa's perfect start the chance to top the Premier half hat trick made the striker only Rodrigo into the area. His effort was
to the English Premier League League for the first time since the second player to score in each initially palmed away by Emiliano
was ended by Leeds 3-0 on Fri- October 2001. of Leeds' opening three away games Martinez, but Bamford was lurking
day. Villa had never won its open- in a top-flight season, after Gordon to slot home the loose ball at the far
ing five league games. And it still The little piece of history was earned Hodgson in 1937. post.
hasn't after this defeat saw it miss by Patrick Bamford, whose second-
It took Bamford to six Premier Leeds doubled its lead shortly after-
League goals as Marcelo Bielsa's team wards. Bamford curled a shot into the
continued their impressive return to top corner from just outside the area
the top division. with unerring accuracy.
Leeds enjoyed the better of the open- Bamford completed his hat trick af-
ing 25 minutes but survived a penalty ter 74 minutes, showing good feet to
scare late in the half when Villa cap- work a yard of space inside the penal-
tain Jack Grealish went down under ty area before curling the ball beyond
a challenge from Helder Costa just Martinez.
inside the area. Referee Paul Tierney
waved away the appeals and his deci- Leeds was creating chances at an
sion was supported by a VAR check. alarming rate and Bamford had an
opportunity for a fourth but looped
Villa started the second half better, his header into the goalkeeper’s arms,
but Leeds went ahead after 55 min- then Pablo Hernandez wildly blazed
utes. Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Har- a shot over the crossbar when he had
rison spearheaded a counterattack, time and space to do much better.
with the latter picking out the run of