The Nets and Lakers played as scheduled Thursday in China.
According to Darren Rovell, the stadium in Shanghai was full for the game at tip-off after much speculation the event might not even take place.
Lakers-Nets game is on. Players are in arena. Told that Adam Silver felt it was important to stand his ground, not leave China, not cancel the game, not back down, but not be antagonizing or aggressive to China. Genuinely surprised Chinese are letting them play.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 10, 2019
The Chinese took down the signs. Adam Silver called their bluff. Bet that game would still happen, didn’t cancel. Full crowd. Silver comes away with a win in the most complex scenario any sports executive has ever had to deal with. pic.twitter.com/uRzd4Pxh5k
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 10, 2019
Well, this is certainly a very interesting development. I would have bet just about anything a day ago that the Chinese would either cancel the game or the NBA would get the hell out of the country before it was played. (SOURCE: ESPN Not Interested In Getting Involved In NBA/China Feud, Deadspin Memo Was ‘Misreported’)
The NBA was in a standoff with the league after the Houston Rockets general manager tweeted his support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
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The Chinese refused to air NBA games, Adam Silver supported Daryl Morey’s freedom of speech and the communist government, which has an atrocious human rights record, wasn’t pleased.
It looked like the two sides were on the brink of an absolute collapse. Yet, the game got underway, and there were even fans in seats.
All things considered, that’s very surprising.
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Now, we’ll see what the two sides do next. After initially bungling the response, Adam Silver and the NBA seem to be intent and not condemning Morey.
While the situation could have been handled much better from the start, the NBA should hold the line at all costs.
Force the Chinese to be the people who cancel stuff and force the dictatorship to be the bad guys. Whatever happens, don’t give in.
Silver pulled the NBA out of a nosedive, and now it’s time to dig in.
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The game taking place today is a sign that the Chinese government might be turning around on this situation. We’ll have to wait and see. Either way, the NBA can’t give in. They just can’t.