The Opening Tip

• What rules will the NBA have to follow when it heads to Orlando?
• In the words of Howard Bryant, Kyrie Irving has gone Full Dissident 
• Both classic Lakers-Celtics series of the 2000s ended on this day
• Manute Bol playing basketball was a marvel

1. The Lead: Key details from the league’s hefty handbook for life in the Orlando bubble

• There will be “frequent” COVID-19 testing, which is perfectly ambiguous. 
• Players will have access to a players-only lounge, with TVs, arcade games, and ping pong. All the while, they are expected to remain six feet apart. 
• When playing ping pong, players must keep competition one-on-one. No doubles. 
• Entering another person’s hotel room is prohibited. 
• Players will be able to ride certain roller coasters, and have been pre-approved to board based on height checks. (Joking.) 
• There will be an anonymous hotline for players concerned about other players breaking the rules. 
• Masks must be worn by all while indoors, except while eating, playing and isolating. 
• Each team is allowed a crew of 37 players; the teams will split up into three resorts.

In short: It’s basically an overly-cautious, luxury high school trip, complete with no-entering-other-hotel-room rules. Wonder if they’ll have a chaperone tape the doors at night?

The timeline:  

• If a player has second-thoughts based on health or social justice priorities, he does not have to play, but must alert the NBA before June 24.
• Mandatory workouts at team facilities will be held from July 1-11.
• All teams will be in Disney by July 21. Players will be given the green light after two negative tests. 
• After a week of scrimmaging, games will begin on July 31.  

2. Reports: Kyrie Irving wants to leave the NBA, slowly float away from earth, start new league, planet, species

Kyrie Irving steps onto his virtual soap box…
 

3. 06/17/2008 & 06/17/2010: The Celtics blow out the Lakers for title No. 17; the Lakers outlast the Celtics for title No. 16

On this day 12 and 10 years ago, the Celtics and Lakers finished their two most recent Finals series. One ended with anything’s possiblllllllllllllle and the other ended with Kobe passed me the ball!

On 06/17/08:

• Boston beat L.A., 131-92 in Game 6, in more of a celebration than an actual game. The real work was done in Game 4, when the Celtics took a 3-1 lead after coming back from a 24-point deficit. 
• Paul Pierce (21.8, 4.5, 6.3) won Finals MVP.
• Ray Allen made 22 3s in the series, then a Finals record. 
• The most memorable play: Kevin Garnett’s one-handed and-one that gave the Garden a collective bump of adderall. 

On 06/17/10:

• The Lakers beat the Celtics, 83-79 in Game 7, to clinch a repeat after the Celtics had gone up 3-2 in the series. 
• Kobe Bryant (28.6/8/3.9) won Finals MVP. 
• Pau Gasol (18.6/11.6/3.7) had his best moment as a pro.
• The most memorable play: Metta World Peace’s prayer 3-pointer that gave L.A. a 79-73 lead with a minute left.

4.  The Grip Asks: Is Manute Bol’s 3-point shot the strangest sight in NBA history? 

Manute Bol made 43 3-pointers in his career. He made 10 during the 1992-93 season. Six of those 10, including the one above, came in one half of a game on March 3, 1993. We feel confident in saying he is the only 7-foot-7, 190-pound center to slingshot in six 3-pointers in one half of an NBA game.

Which brings us back to our question: Is Bol’s trebuchet (Age of Empires reference) from deep the most surreal thing you’ve seen on a basketball court?

Other nominees: 

• Mark Eaton’s stand-still block
• Spud Webb winning the dunk contest
• Nate Robinson blocking Yao Ming
• Earl Boykins doing anything on a court
• Muggsy Bogues doing anything on a court

5.  Off the Press

• Bill Russell’s hope for America: That this time will be different [The Boston Globe]
• Would Kevin Durant have won a title with the Trail Blazers? [The Ringer]
• Peering inside Germany’s basketball bubble [The New York Times]