NEW YORK — The Golden State Warriors will be greeted by a half-full arena Saturday night in Toronto, the latest reminder of the havoc COVID-19 and its mutations is again wreaking across the sporting world.
Over concerns of the fast-spreading omicron variant, the Toronto Raptors will become the first NBA team forced to limit attendance at their games since the initial round of pandemic restrictions. The province of Ontario capped capacity at 50% for all large venues, beginning Saturday. But more concerning is the growing rash of outbreaks throughout the 97%-vaccinated NBA, prompting Warriors coach Steve Kerr to deliver a message to his team.
“We’re asking everybody to wear masks as often as possible and to be as smart as they can, as safe as they can, because it is really scary,” Kerr said following practice Thursday before the team departed for Boston.
To cross the border after their game Friday night in Boston, every member of the Warriors traveling party was tested with mouth- and nasal-swabs Thursday morning. Results were not yet available.
“That alone — the testing — is a reminder of what’s happening,” Kerr said. “Even though we knew it was still going on, obviously, the first couple months of the season have felt very normal. Full crowds, very little if any testing because everybody’s been vaccinated. It feels like that’s about to change.”
A half-capacity Scotiabank Arena will provide the Warriors their first taste Saturday.
Golden State can so far consider itself fortunate that it hasn’t been more directly impacted by the new surge of cases that is spreading around the league. Thirteen teams have had players enter health and safety protocols since the start of December, but not the Warriors.
Kerr said all of his players “who are eligible” received their booster dose of the vaccine.
On Friday, the NBA will begin to impose stricter rules on players who have not taken the booster, including game-day testing. Previously the only mandated testing for vaccinated players came over Thanksgiving weekend; the league is considering similar policies for Christmas and New Years, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Of the 63 NBA players to enter health and safety protocols this season, 47 have come since the start of December, including former Golden State training camp candidate Avery Bradley, who was sidelined Thursday along with Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook.
The Warriors’ opponent Saturday, the Toronto Raptors, were scheduled to face the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, but the game was one of two postponed this week with 10 Chicago players caught up in COVID protocols.
“It’s pretty interesting. What are we up to now, like 30 something guys the last few days? It’s crazy,” said Draymond Green. “I don’t know. I just need some answers. What the (expletive) is going on?”
Green, who said he received his booster dose of the vaccine, wondered why vaccinated players were suddenly testing positive.
“They say get vaccinated, right? I did that. And I got a booster shot,” Green said. “If I’m supposed to worry, then why did they ask me to get those? … However, we are having a great year and I am aware of that and I do know that catching COVID can alter that, so I try to do what I can to not. But at the same time, I’ve taken all the precautions so that I could live my normal life.”
After Steph Curry broke the all-time 3-point record Tuesday night, he celebrated with a group dinner in Manhattan that, according to the New York Post, lasted until 5:27 a.m. Green didn’t take part in the postgame dinner, but he said he isn’t treating his hotel room like a jail cell, either, as was the case for the players on the road last season.
“I wear my mask. But I’m not just going to sit in the hotel room,” Green said. “Because, again, I was told if you got vaccinated, you could, like, live your life. I’m not an idiot. I’m not just going to be reckless and go wherever and maskless. If I go near a crowd of people, I wear my mask.”
With a day off Wednesday, Kerr wasn’t able to confirm whether his team heeded his words.
“I wasn’t with them the last couple of days,” Kerr said. “… It’s obviously a great place to go out and have some fun. It’s a reminder to our guys if they’re going to go out to be safe and not be jammed into a big crowd of people somewhere and to wear a mask.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com