The day has finally arrived. NBA teams have begun relocating to the league’s campus at Walt Disney World with the Orlando Magic the first team to arrive. They made the trip on July 7.
The Thunder are among the second batch of NBA teams to arrive, as they were scheduled to make the trip on July 8. Although play will officially resume on July 30, teams are arriving three weeks ahead of time in order to complete mandatory quarantines, conduct training camps and play some exhibition games.
Based on the schedule, the NBA Finals could end as late as October 12, meaning that the two teams that compete for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy are likely to have spent more than three months at Disney.
On the day his signing with Converse was reported, rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander let it be known that he’s planning on being in Disney for the long haul, packing three months worth of clothing to get him through.
The 21-year-old certainly isn’t short on confidence, as teams will be departing Disney World as soon as their season ends. The six teams that don’t qualify for the playoffs will be heading home by mid-August, with an additional eight, four and two teams departing the bubble after the conclusion of the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, respectively.
The young guard expects to be there until the end.
“I got hella clothes I need to pack. I plan to be gone for the NBA Finals, so two, three months,” he was quoted as saying by ESPN’s Nick DePaula.
Entering play on July 30, the Thunder will hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record. How they fare in the eight games before the playoffs will go a long way toward determining their fate, as they can finish as high as second or miss the playoffs, altogether.
Obviously, we know what Gilgeous-Alexander is expecting.
