Clippers' Paul George Talks NBA Restart, Playing Without Fans Amid COVID-19

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George said Thursday the excitement of restarting the 2019-20 season will help players overcome the unfamiliarity of not having fans at games because of the coronavirus pandemic.

George discussed the situation with actor Kevin Hart as part of the LOL Network's Cold As Balls: Cold Calls series on YouTube.

"I think it's going to go through stages," George said. "Yeah, when we first start back up everybody is weird about no fans being there. But I think honestly, bro, we going to be so excited to hoop again and so excited to play ball again that that's not going to matter."

Here's a look at the full conversation (fan discussion starts at the six-minute mark):

The NBA has announced its plan to restart the campaign with a shortened eight-game finish to the regular season, possible play-in tournaments for the final playoff berths and then the traditional 16-team postseason format at the Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida.

It's continued to move forward with preparations for the resumption despite several players dropping out of the restart and the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Florida.

Last week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on ESPN (via Ben Golliver of the Washington Post) he understood if players wanted to avoid the Orlando bubble.

"[The campus] may not be for everyone," he said. "It will entail enormous sacrifice on behalf of those players and for everyone involved—the coaches, the referees. Listen, it's not an ideal situation. We're trying to find a way to our normal in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, or worse, with 40 million unemployed and now with enormous social unrest in the country. As we work through these issues, I understand that for some players, this is not for them."

George and the Clippers ranked second in the Western Conference with a 44-20 record behind only the rival Los Angeles Lakers (49-14) when play was halted in March. Those two teams along with the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks (53-12) will be the top championship contenders when play resumes.

The six-time All-Star joined L.A. in July as part of a blockbuster trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder. He's averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals across 42 appearances in his first season playing alongside Kawhi Leonard.

NBA play is tentatively scheduled to resume July 30.