NBA players voted late Thursday morning to eventually resume the playoffs, but all three scheduled games on Thursday will be postponed until at least the weekend. That includes Game 1 of the Celtics-Raptors second-round matchup scheduled for Thursday night.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com was first to report the decision to resume the postseason. A resumption of the playoff games could begin as soon as Saturday, with Wednesday’s postponed games taking place then, followed by Thursday’s games happening on Sunday. Celtics-Raptors Game 1 would fall sometime on Sunday if that's the plan the players and league agree upon.
Multiple players from each team are expected to meet with ownership in a meeting later Thursday to help create plans to further address racial injustices in local communities while mapping out a plan for the resumption of the season.
The decision to resume comes after the majority of the league’s players voted to keep playing on Wednesday evening following a lengthy meeting after the initial players strike. The Lakers and Clippers were the only two teams out of the 13 that were in favor of ending the season initially but both reportedly changed their stance on Thursday morning in the second meeting.
NBA referees also held a march against racism from the Orlando campus on Thursday morning in support of the players’ boycott as well.
Thank you for standing with us today as we rallied against the senseless shooting of Jacob Blake by the police and the systemic racism that thrives, while young black men and women continue to needlessly die. We won’t be silent. #EverybodyVsRacism @NBA @TheNBPA pic.twitter.com/294HH5PkX9
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) August 27, 2020
Jaylen Brown reportedly challenged players who want to leave bubble and go home "If you leave, are you going to leave and hang out with your families?are you going to be in the trenches, are you going to be in the streets? (via @MarcJSpears ) pic.twitter.com/Asrwu8ddCo
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) August 27, 2020