Bam Adebayo enjoyed the phrasing, so he decided to adopt it.
“Hopefully positive thoughts, but negative tests,” the Miami Heat center said of both short-term and ongoing concerns when it comes COVID and the emerging Omicron BA.2 variant.
Two seasons ago, when the Heat advanced within two games of the 2020 NBA title, the playoffs were reduced to the quarantine bubble setting at Disney World.
Last season, there was a move closer to normalcy, but still enough testing and restrictions to create a decidedly different feel, including a postseason that started later than usual and ran into July.
This time around, arenas are full, masks no longer mandatory, restrictions largely relaxed.
And yet, as the Heat prepare for Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, an ongoing reality will hit home soon enough.
While the Heat no longer have to test their way into Canada for Sunday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at the conclusion of this three-game trip, they will have to test to return home, due to enduring U.S. restrictions.
“That’s scary,” Adebayo said. “Thinking about that, that’s scary, because nobody wants to be stuck in a different country. So, you know, those type of things do pop in your mind. Those type of things you do have to be aware of it.”
The Heat are expected to test during Sunday’s game-day walkthrough at their Toronto hotel, making it possible players have to deal with test results ahead of meeting the Raptors.
It is the lone remaining mandatory testing policy incurred by the NBA, one the Boston Celtics earlier this week opted to avoid for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown by leaving both behind for their game in Toronto.
“And it’s scary out here knowing you can go to a country, and you get a test, and you’ve been vaccinated and everything, and you got a test, and you can’t get home,” Adebayo said.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said there are no plans to hold players out in order to avoid border requirements, even as critical playoff-race games loom next week.
“That’s the plan right now,” he said.
So there will be a late-night flight from Chicago, clearing customs, limited sleep, COVID testing and then a waiting game before a game that could have significant playoff-seeding implications for both teams.
“We’ll get to that when we get to that,” Spoelstra said.
As vigilant as the Heat have been through the pandemic, Spoelstra, his staff and his players have embraced the lessening of NBA restrictions, with the Heat reported to be fully vaccinated and well boosted.
“I think we’ve all had some level of fatigue over it,” Spoelstra said. “But you do want to be responsible and take the necessary steps that we can, without living in fear. We still have a job to do.”
So while Adebayo said there have not been as many player social gatherings as prior to the pandemic, Spoelstra still appreciates the need to bring his players together.
“Coming together as a group and meeting and watching film is a big part of our business,” he said. “So we intend to do it. We just have to be vigilant about it.”
For the Heat and other East contenders, the border situation will take on a broader impact for the team that opposes the Raptors in the playoffs.
So Sunday might not be the last time the Heat get back to testing while on the road.
“I mean,” Adebayo said, “at this point in time, you can’t just live your life anymore. There’s restrictions, there’s obviously certain things you can and can’t do with vaccination cards. So at this point, you can’t really live a normal life, like you used to.
“So you’ve got to be vigilant. At this point in time, you’ve got to be aware now. You’ve got to look at the news. You’ve got to turn your notifications on to see if anything is happening, because there’s new variants.”
All while competing in one of the NBA most heated playoff races in years.
“We got one goal and that’s to win,” Adebayo said. “So hopefully positive thoughts but negative tests, so we can just walk in and walk out just fine.”
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