Whichever team wins an NBA championship this season does not deserve to have an asterisk attached. That team deserves to have an exclamation point.
Yes, the season might be abbreviated. Yes, the playoffs might not feature best-of-seven series. Yes, the postseason will not reveal which team became most equipped to handle a hostile road environment, since they won’t play in front of fans.
Nothing about the NBA’s 20019-20 season is normal. That became a reality as soon as the NBA suspended play on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the novel coronavirus.