Even if Kings’ playoff drought continues, calling off the game was the right decision

I’m glad the Sacramento Kings didn’t play the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

It was an important game for the Kings, both from the perspective of a playoff chase and from the national spotlight. The Kings would be showcased on ESPN, in a game that would have huge ramifications for the Kings playoff hopes. De’Aaron Fox vs. Lonzo Ball, Bogdan Bogdanovic vs. Jrue Holiday, Zion Williamson vs. Richaun Holmes, this way a marquee game in every sense of the word.

And yet I’m glad the league made the call to cancel.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported on Twitter that Courtney Kirkland, a ref assigned for Wednesday’s Kings game, had served as referee for a Jazz vs. Raptors game Monday. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, roughly an hour before the Kings were expected to tip off. Pelicans players, aware of the risks, had not taken the floor for warmups. Kings players had taken the floor, but returned to the locker room.

As a fan of the Kings, I wish the season could continue. The Kings have momentum and are chasing the eighth seed for the playoffs. The Kings sit 3.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies and have an identical record as the Pelicans and the Portland Trail Blazers. A win tonight would be huge. I desperately want the Kings to break their playoff drought.

Yet I spent my Wednesday hoping the Kings would announce that the Pelicans game would be played without fans in attendance. Rumors were swirling that effective Thursday the NBA would announce that games would proceed without fans attending games. In a pandemic, large gatherings of crowds are dangerous. It was the correct move to cancel the game Wednesday, but I worry the league and the Kings may have done more harm by still allowing fans to come together in the arena.

Basketball is my passion. I devote an very unhealthy amount of my life to reading, watching, thinking and writing about the Kings. But this is more important than basketball. This is about preventing the spread of an infectious disease that is transmitted before symptoms appear. It is a disease that is deadly to the elderly and those with compromised immune symptoms. If I catch this virus, I’ll be fine, but I worry about spreading it to my family.

I love the NBA. I love the Kings. But I love my Grandma Louise more.

If we can take steps to slow the spread of this virus, to slow the number of patients a hospital needs to handle at any given moment, I’ll happily put off having NBA games to watch. If this means the NBA forgoes the rest of the regular season and the Kings playoff drought extends another year, I’m fine with that.