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Orlando Bubble Playoffs Criticized By Former NBA Coach

The playoff bubble ended in a Los Angeles Lakers championship two years ago.
Orlando Bubble Playoffs Criticized By Former NBA Coach
Orlando Bubble Playoffs Criticized By Former NBA Coach

ORLANDO - Two years ago, the Orlando Magic along with 21 other NBA teams, traveled to Orlando to compete in an NBA event unlike anything ever done before in sports history.

With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the world, the season was suspended in early March 2020 and there was serious doubt if the season would be completed.

After a long negotiation process between the players and governors, the two sides agreed to play the remainder of the season, including the NBA Finals, in a "bubble" at Disney's Wide World of Sports just outside of Orlando.

This meant no fans, no outside contact and no homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

And ever since the beginning, there have been many critics about the style of the tournament. The critics can add former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl to their club.

Karl, 71, coached in the NBA across four decades and last coached the Sacramento Kings in 2016. His longest coaching tenure came with the Denver Nuggets from 2005-13, and he still supports the team from a distance.

One of the top replies to Karl's tweet came from a Lakers fan, who pulled out some receipt tweets from the former Coach of the Year during the Bubble playoffs.

In the top tweet, Karl says he hates the Lakers, who beat the Nuggets in five games in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals and won the championship. 

Perhaps that's why Karl isn't a fan of the bubble playoffs.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor and writer for Orlando Magic On SI. He has been a credentialed member of the media for the Orlando Magic since 2022. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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