In hopes to finish their season, the NBA has been looking for a remote location where they could control testing, players’ health and play basketball in a safe way. Throughout the process, three options came to light: Las Vegas, the Bahamas, and Disney World in Orlando.
While Las Vegas and the Bahamas would’ve been interesting, Disney World HAS to be the move here.
It almost makes too much sense. There are plenty of hotels in the area not being used that could be occupied by teams; the state of Florida is allowing professional sports to resume; the NBA has a great partnership with ESPN/ABC (who are owned by Disney); there’s already an NBA team in Orlando (sponsored by Disney!). How many more reasons do you need?
We could get some amazing sights and sounds as well, as you know Disney characters are going to be making appearances during the broadcast. Plus, the NBA literally just opened up the NBA experience in Disney Springs (awesome, but expensive), this would be one of the most genius marketing moves ever.
Naturally, if the NBA is going to be playing at Disney World, we have to compare teams to movies. Sorry, it’s just the way of the world. Let’s get to it.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Avengers
The Los Angeles Lakers are on an absolute mission this year. There’s no team in the NBA with more motivation to win the championship this year. They started the year on a mission to revitalize one of the great NBA franchises, with LeBron James also trying to prove he’s still the best player in the world. Then, with the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, winning a championship to honor the Lakers legend also became a factor. Finally, with the success of ‘The Last Dance’, Michael Jordan will expand his lead on LeBron as the greatest of all time in the minds of fans and experts alike. One way to close that gap? For LeBron to win another championship. Avengers, assemble.
Milwaukee Bucks: Lion King
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been learning how to become the best player in the NBA over the last couple seasons, much like how Simba learned how to become king in The Lion King. Can Giannis officially take his place as the NBA’s best player this year with a championship, or will he fail to make the finals for a second straight year? He could become king this year if he wins Milwaukee a championship, along with his second straight league MVP.
Memphis Grizzlies: Cinderella
You knew Cinderella was going to represent a young, hungry underdog team who can pull off some upsets, right? Duh. The slipper fits for the Memphis Grizzlies. This team isn’t scared of anyone. They have a young superstar in Ja Morant who’s been under-appreciated since high school, and he’s finally about to get his due. He’ll be awarded the 2019-20 NBA rookie of the year, and his squad could make a Cinderella run if they can shock the world in round one.
New York Knicks: Cars 2
Cars 2 was BAD. The movie forgot what made the first iteration of it so great. Despite it being a terrible movie, it still made millions, and Disney was okay with that. Does this sound familiar, maybe a little too familiar? The New York Knicks are BAD. The Knicks continue to make money despite them being terrible. In fact, they’re the most valuable team in the entire NBA. Why would Disney care about how bad Cars 2 was if it still makes millions no matter what? Why would Knicks owner James Dolan care about how bad the Knicks are if they still make money? Jeez. Was this movie based on the Knicks? What is going on here?
Brooklyn Nets: Wreck-It Ralph
In the movie Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph becomes so fed up with the work he’s doing that he tries to change everything. In doing so, he almost ruins a bunch of other video games that have nothing to do with him. Of course, in the end, it all works out for Ralph, but how does this relate to the Brooklyn Nets? If you haven’t caught on yet, Kyrie Irving IS Ralph. Kyrie enjoyed success in both Cleveland and Boston, but he wasn’t happy in either situation. Now in Brooklyn, where his head coach was fired after dealing with him for less than a year, will he continue to wreck teams, or will his story have a happy ending like Ralph’s did? Time will tell.
Utah Jazz: Chicken Little
In Chicken Little, the namesake believed the sky was falling, and nobody believed him. The NBA believed the Coronavirus was a serious threat, but Rudy Gobert didn’t believe them. He went around touching microphones and neglecting warnings, so naturally he got the disease, the NBA shut down and a game hasn’t been played since. If the citizens of Oakley Oaks believed Chicken Little, maybe they would’ve been more well prepared for the sky to fall. If Rudy Gobert believed the warnings about the Coronavirus, maybe he wouldn’t have sullied his reputation and gotten sick.
Los Angeles Clippers: Pirates of the Caribbean
If Disney was actually writing the script for this NBA season, the Lakers would be crowned champions. This isn’t the movies though, and the Clippers have had the Lakers number so far. The Clippers are the team that can come in and ruin the hopes of the Lakers dream championship run, much like how the Pirates scavenged the Caribbean seas throughout the Disney movie series. Kawhi Leonard can play a perfect Jack Sparrow, going around to different cities and stealing championship rings for them. He’s already graced San Antonio and Toronto with some treasure, Los Angeles could be next.
Toronto Raptors: Toy Story
Toy Story was a huge success for Disney, spawning some highly successful sequels as well. Last season, the Toronto Raptors got a shiny new toy in Kawhi Leonard, and even though he’s not with them any more, the success hasn’t stopped. Currently the two seed in the East, the Raptors could be looking at some pretty successful sequels to their championship season themselves. Also, what makes Toy Story so great isn’t just one toy, but the whole bunch of them. The Raptors are proving this year their success was due to more than just one toy.
Villen 