Sixers' Kyle O'Quinn Hopes to Avoid Ending the 2020 NBA Season on a Cliff-Hanger

Not even two weeks ago, Kyle O'Quinn and the Philadelphia 76ers were wrapping up a victory against the Detroit Pistons in front of their home crowd in South Philadelphia. Although the crowd was a bit lighter than usual, more than 15,000 fans still showed up to support the Sixers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Unfortunately, nobody knew that would be the last time for a long time before the game tipped off. Not even 20 minutes after the Sixers-Pistons matchup wrapped up, NBA commissioner Adam Silver greenlit a message to the masses. The NBA season was postponed until further notice.

Sixers players were immediately notified when the news got out to everybody. The team decided to keep players in the locker room, as opposed to allowing a few speak to the media. Fast forward ten days later, and Sixers' veteran center Kyle O'Quinn is penning a letter in The Players' Tribune describing what life has been like in self-quarantine.

For the last ten days, O'Quinn has remained in Philly, as ordered by the NBA. During his time in self-isolation, the veteran reserve has been doing yoga, reading books he had to catch up on, and unexpectedly watching hours worth of YouTube videos with highlights of Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Roy, Norfolk State, and himself.

Over time, the 29-year-old big man has been doing a lot of reflecting -- on this season specifically. And as O'Quinn remains in the unknown about whether the 2019-2020 season is canceled or not, he hopes to eventually finish this storybook season filled with drama and ups and downs, since it has been shelved for the time being.

"Were we forming a championship team, or would we have fallen short?" O'Quinn asked himself during his Tribune piece. "That’s the biggest cliff-hanger for me if the season doesn’t come back — and there’s a chance I’ll never know. It felt like we had really turned a corner and were getting everyone back healthy. Damn. Maybe it’s better not to think about it. But I have to think about it because that was our goal in the preseason, right?"

Despite having goals of being a number one contender coming out of the Eastern Conference, the Sixers were posted up as the sixth-seed before the league went on a hiatus. Regardless of the rankings, though, they have proven from time to time that they can compete with the best of them when the team is healthy.

Just like last season, the Sixers, when healthy, were viewed as a team that could potentially get hot and make a run for the Finals when the postseason rolls around. This year has been run off track, though. For a handful of teams, their players are going to have the same issues as O'Quinn, with the season being left on a cliff-hanger. Hopefully, this isn't how the story ends, but at the moment, a return isn't guaranteed.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_