In Taiwan, Play Remains ‘Pseudo Normal’ for Pro Basketball

The S.B.L. indeed has some significant advantages over the N.B.A., as well as various leagues in the region that have either stalled in their efforts to relaunch (China) or decided to outright cancel the rest of the season after unsuccessful restarts (Japan and South Korea). Taiwan’s league comprises only five teams — in a country that has coped with the coronavirus pandemic as well as any. Despite its proximity and considerable business ties to China, where the coronavirus originally spread, Taiwan’s successful containment — fewer than 400 reported Covid-19 cases and only six deaths as of April 10, according to the island’s health minister — has been attributed by many experts to lessons learned and measures adopted after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003.

“Life here is pseudo normal,” Metcalf said.

An order from the Taiwanese government nonetheless shut down all arenas under government control on March 19, suspending indoor events with more than 100 people and all outdoor events with more than 500. The S.B.L. initially planned to shut down for two weeks but managed to relocate days later to the HaoYu Basketball Training Center to stage all games there and ensure gatherings in the building never stray beyond 100 occupants.

The only people allowed inside, beyond the teams playing and the referees, are camera operators for the television broadcasts, officials found at the scorer’s table, and journalists at a press-row table behind one of the baskets. Many working in those capacities, as well as various team staffers and inactive players on the bench, wear masks — with some forced to watch in socks if they forget that only rubber-soled shoes are permitted inside. Grey curtains hang over the windows behind the opposite basket, covering the glass from an adjacent weight room so it stays hidden from TV viewers.

“It feels like an adult league,” said Charles Garcia, Pauian’s star American import.

“It’s a rec center,” Metcalf said, “for lack of a better term.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/sports/basketball/taiwan-pro-basketball.html