With social distancing guidelines now in effect through April 30 at the least, the hopeful return of the NBA season continues to be pushed back. With players not able to return to practice facilities until, it now seems, May at the earliest, one would assume early June is now the absolute soonest the season could start up again — and even that seems overly optimistic.

As such, there are many ideas being floated about how the league could proceed if they are put into a serious time crunch and cannot restart until much later in the summer. While the league hopes to finish out the regular season (with approximately 17 games remaining for teams) and play out the playoffs, the timing might not make that possible. It could be an opportunity for the league to tinker with tournament ideas as they continue to kick around the idea of a midseason tournament — we have suggested looking at a pool play style tournament to seed a 12-team postseason.

Others, like LeBron James, have suggested a possible play-in tournament for teams on the playoff bubble for the final two seeds. The league has not indicated that any of those are seriously on the table at the moment, but there are surely contingency plans being put in place. One of those is starting, immediately, with the playoffs and just going with seeding as it stands now. If that were to happen, the good folks in Las Vegas are prepared, as Jeff Sherman of Superbook USA offered a look at where they would set series prices if the playoffs were to happen after the hiatus with seeding as it stands now.

Orlando +4000
Milwaukee -20000

Brooklyn +500
Toronto -700

Philadelphia -110
Boston -110

Indiana +180
Miami -220

Memphis +2500
LA Lakers -15000

Dallas +550
LA Clippers -800

Houston +105
Denver -125

OKC +140
Utah -160

At first glance, the Houston price looks juicy and hopping on the Rockets at plus-value in a series with the Nuggets would be hard to pass up. The Sixers and Celtics series being a toss-up isn’t a surprise, but indicates just how close Vegas sees those two, and the Lakers and Bucks being overwhelming favorites to advance in their first round series is to be expected.

What would make all of this difficult to handicap is knowing how teams would react to the hiatus. LeBron has already noted his body is struggling with being taken out of action, and surely there are others feeling similarly. Jumping straight into playoff basketball from a long layoff would be fascinating to see what teams can find their rhythm quickly or whether it would even the playing field a bit due to sloppiness from the best teams and open the door for some big upsets.

As much of the world and everyday activities stay on pause while the coronavirus outbreak impacts communities across the globe, the actual calendar continues to turn as days and weeks of social distancing have a real impact on schedules of all kinds. The uncertainty regarding how long people need to avoid crowds has created anxiety in a variety of ways, and those involved in organized sports in particular are stuck with a nearly unprecedented problem.

For leagues like the NBA, the question is slowly becoming one of balance: how important is it to finish the currently paused season compared to the importance of starting the 2020-21 season on schedule?

After postponing the 2020 Olympics officially a week ago, the International Olympic Committee announced on Monday that the new dates for the Tokyo Games will run from July 23 to August 8 of 2021.

FIBA, the international basketball governing body, then released a statement saying the organization would work to find the “best solution” to the ongoing scheduling problems that are plaguing basically all sports around the world.

The problem is relatively simple: no entity wants to outright cancel anything, but as the calendar keeps moving and guidelines for conducting public gatherings safely continue to be fluid, everyone involved is running out of time. The NBA season is still considered postponed, not outright canceled, which means the league may still try to hold a postseason of some kind this summer. The next NBA season, presumably, would start up again in November or maybe even as late as Christmas Day, and everything in between — the Draft, free agency, training camp and maybe even Summer League — would need to happen in proper order to avoid further disruptions.

Meanwhile, FIBA still needs to hold qualifying tournaments for the Olympic games, both in traditional 5-on-5 and the new 3-on-3 events slated for the Tokyo Olympics. While NBA players may simply be unable to participate in those given the timing of the Games and when the NBA season traditionally ends, that may not be the case come next summer if the NBA alters its schedule considerably.

As New York Times reporter Marc Stein laid out in his NBA newsletter last week, the NBA and pro sports in general will have a tight window to getting everything in that most owners would like before they start to impact league schedules moving forward.

Good luck predicting now what sort of squad (or coaching staff) will be available next year. If it becomes feasible for the N.B.A. to restart in June or July, it’s quite possible that the beginning and end dates of the 2020-21 season will be pushed back and could overlap with the delayed Olympics. So it’s no stretch to say that Olympic basketball itself may face an uncertain future — with little appetite in league circles to spend much time on it now when so many domestic issues are unresolved.

If the NBA tries to finish the regular season and playoffs currently on hold — a notion that seems more unlikely by the day — it could have a significant impact on what the next season looks like and even prevent NBA stars from participating in the games a full 16 months away. As Stein indicated, those involved in making league decisions may not have the luxury of worrying about the Olympics at all, but as social distancing guidelines keep getting extended and it becomes clear folks will be hunkering down for the long haul, the ticking clock makes it very clear that something will have to be canceled or left out of the traditional sports calendar in the immediate future, and perhaps impacting the long-term calendar in ways we may not be willing to understand right now.

By now you’re probably getting tired of being quarantined in your home. You’ve put together the 1,000 piece puzzle of Niagara Falls puzzle that had previously been collecting dust in your closet, you’ve caught up on every streaming show you’ve been meaning to watch, and you’ve eaten most of the food that was supposed to last for three weeks. You’re bored and tired, even though you take three naps per day.

There’s only one thing that will make the whole ordeal better and that’s whiskey. Okay, a vaccine for coronavirus. And a stimulus check. Then whiskey.

Not a ridiculous amount of whiskey (a hangover while stuck at home might not be fun). Just the right amount to take the proverbial edge off. If you’re a fan of bourbon or rye, you’re probably stocked up by now. But what if you were only allowed to pick one brand to be quarantined with? What bottle would you choose?

That’s the question we posed for some of our favorite bartenders. Their answers ranged from long-aged bourbons to classic Scotches, to Japanese whiskies. Check them all out below.

Parker’s Heritage Barrel Finished Curacao Cask Bourbon

Amanda Swanson, bar manager at Fine & Rare in New York City

Parker’s Heritage Barrel Finished Curacao Cask. This seven to eight-year-old bourbon is finished in ex-Curacao casks adding notes of orange that are otherwise very unusual to find in bourbon. It is bright and hot and bursting with orange marmalade flavor.

It doesn’t hurt that it’s a luxury bourbon on the rare side, exactly what you would want in a quarantine.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon

Sam Gay, bartender at Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, California

This is an easy answer for me. I’d go with Woodford Double Oaked Bourbon. Great dark chocolate notes in that whiskey.

Suntory Hibiki 21

Hector Acevedo, part owner of Spanglish Craft Cocktail Bar & Kitchen in Miami

For this, I’ll have to go with my favorite Japanese whisky, Suntory Hibiki 21. Because there’s a lot of dried fruit, strawberry jam, and baked apple — nice and warming for all those hours spent alone.

Wyoming Small Batch Bourbon

Osvaldo Vasquez, mixologist based at Chileno Bay Resort, Auberge Resorts Collection in Los Cabos, Mexico

I like Wyoming Whiskey (specifically their small batch bourbon) because it is crafted in small batches and there are three generations behind this brand. They keep consistency and quality on their product as a family business. You can enjoy it straight and it’s perfect to use in classic cocktails.

Kininvie 17 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

David Powell, Hudson Whiskey Brand Ambassador

I have a 375ml bottle of Kininvie 17 that I picked up on my way back from my first trip to Scotland a couple of years ago. It’s pretty rare in the states, and I’d say it’s my favorite dram not just because it’s delicious, but because I only break it out to celebrate momentous occasions with my closest friends.

Every time I share it and have a chance to taste it myself, there are good vibes surrounding the dram.

Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon

Darron Foy, head bartender at The Flatiron Room in New York City

Hillrock Solera Bourbon. Hillrock is the first to implement using the solera aging process to bourbon, though the technique is now spreading. You have a stack of barrels and small amounts of whiskey are taken out at different periods of time while all the time new whiskey is being added. A barrel is never completely empty, so the age and flavor increase. The final product is then finished in 20-year-old oloroso sherry casks. Big and bold with full of sherry tones, while still being smooth on the palate.

Medley Family Private Selection Bourbon

Matt Hoffa, lead bartender at The Mayfair Hotel in Los Angeles

This is a really tough question because there are so many great whiskeys. I guess I’ll have to go with Medley Family Private Selection. It’s the one that comes in the blue bottle, it’s over-proof and single barrel. It’s strong, yet mellow.

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon

Nikki McCutcheon, beverage director at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in New York City

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon is a premium bourbon that is perfect to drink neat and requires no mixers or ice. The bottle is also conveniently shaped like a coconut, which could lend a fun island vibe in your lonely apartment.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Kyle Walter, bartender at Grayton Beer Brewpub in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

My tried and true is Buffalo Trace bourbon. Though, if you can get it during the quarantine, good on you.

William Larue Weller Bourbon

Ben Schiller, beverage director at RPM Restaurants in Chicago

William Larue Weller – Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. I love wheated Bourbons, and this yearly bottling is one of, if not the best on the market. Finding a bottle of Weller is difficult enough at the moment, but one that’s barrel strength like this selection is almost impossible.

For the past two weeks Broken Matt Hardy has owned the main event slot of AEW Dynamite, and he hasn’t even made his in-ring debut yet. Week before last was his surprise debut (which admittedly was mostly a surprise because he debuted as a babyface instead of as the Exalted One), and then last week he and Chris Jericho had a confrontation in the ring, after Jericho called Hardy’s beloved drone Vanguard-1 “a piece of shit.”

Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio that the segment was originally pre-taped on Tuesday, but Jericho hated how it came out. They decided to do it again, but they couldn’t shoot it before Dynamite on Wesnesday, because it’s an outdoor arena and the sky would be too light to make sense at the end of the show.

Fortunately they had one pre-taped match for Dynamite — Kip Sabian versus Darby Allin — so while viewers at home were watching that match, Hardy and Jericho reshot the segment in the ring, which was then quickly edited to go up at the end of that same show. Sounds pretty stressful, but I thought it was fun to watch in the end.

Jericho confirmed the story in a Facebook Live video, saying of the original version, “It wasn’t my vision, really.”

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Conan — Late-night hosts are largely on hiatus right now to protect their crews and audiences, but Conan O’Brien’s found a way to get the job done regardless. Yes, he’s using an iPhone to shoot the whole darn thing, and his Monday guest will be Adam Sandler. In a statement, Coco promises, “The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible.” Nice.

9-1-1 (FOX, 8:00 p.m.) — A bowling alley catastrophe may need to yield to a home renovation accident while a car thief only leads to further distraction.

Better Call Saul (AMC, 9:00 p.m.) — Gus is at war against everyone and attempting to calm folks while plotting an empire while Mike attempts damage control. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Kim go to work on a legal firewall.

Roswell, New Mexico (CW, 9:00 p.m.) — Nora’s 1947 spaceship crash is the subject of an investigation by Alex and Michael while Isobel weighs a risky decision.

The Plot Against America (HBO, 9:00 p.m.) — Philip Roth’s novel sees part three of its chilling alternate history involving an anti-Semite becoming U.S. president.

Prodigal Son (Fox, 9:00 p.m.) — The NYPD dives into the dance world following the mysterious poisoning of an up-and-coming ballet star.

Breeders (FX, 10:00 p.m.) — Following Michael’s death, his family moves in with Darren, whose fixation upon work doesn’t sit will with Ally.

Manifest (NBC, 10:00 p.m.) — Ben must work with a guilt-ridden passenger while Saavani tries to find help to fend off the Major. Manwhile, a trio of ruthless meth dealers are hell bent upon enacting revenge.

Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC, 10:00 p.m.) — The gang’s all searching for Clara, Janice’s artwork preoccupies herself and Simone, and Fred Wynn and Peter tie the game to a large corporation.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Guest John Oliver will follow up on his trio of coronavirus deep dives, so you’ll wanna tune in for this one.

With no live sports for the foreseeable future, many sports fans, teams and Tom Brady have turned to re-watching old games while social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many sports providers are trying to fill the gaps of time typically spent on discussing and analyzing the previous day’s games and events. First there was the return of The Ocho, ESPN’s eclectic roundup of peculiar sports like the Stupid Robot Fighting League, marble racing and stone throwing. Then, on what would have been this year’s Opening Day, MLB Network aired classic Opening Day games including Derek Jeter’s debut in 1996.

On Monday night, in a celebration of Women’s History Month, four classic U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team matches will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 6 p.m. ET. The eight-hour soccer marathon will start off with the 1-0 USA victory over Canada on July 19, 2009 when all-time women’s national team goal-scorer Abby Wambach scored her 100th national team goal.

At 8 p.m., the network will then air the showdown between the USA and Mexico from December 2004 — the last game for longtime captain Julie Foudy, two-time FIFA Women’s Player of Year Mia Hamm and legendary defender Joy Fawcett. That game will be followed by the USWNT’s comeback victory against Brazil in the 2017 Tournament of Nations at 10 p.m. ET and a replay of the March 11 SheBelieves Cup final against Japan at midnight ET.

The USWNT is the most successful international women’s soccer team in history, with four Women’s World Cup trophies, four Olympic gold medals and eight CONCACAF Gold Cups. Aside from trophies and on-field accolades, many of the team’s players have always been a beacon for feminism and social justice.

In 1999, Brandi Chastain shocked the world after celebrating scoring the winning penalty in the World Cup final by ripping off her jersey and falling to her knees in jubilation before being swarmed by her teammates. Chastain received a lot of flak from pundits and critics who called her actions disrespectful and inappropriate. But she, along with the rest of the 99ers, as they are affectionately dubbed, inspired an entire generation of young girls who would grow up playing soccer and idolizing Chastain, Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers and many more.

The current crop of USWNT stars has embraced their role as models of women who are unabashed in their success. After smashing in 13 goals against Thailand for the most lopsided win in World Cup history last summer, the team was criticized for being excessive in both scoring and celebration but the players stood up for each other. “I think it’s disrespectful if we don’t show up and give our best and play our game for 90 minutes,” captain Alex Morgan, who was targeted for scoring and celebrating five goals, said after the game. “It’s disrespectful to the Thai team. I believe they wanted us to play them straight up. For the celebrations, these are goals that we have dreamed of our entire lives.”

From Megan Rapinoe kneeling during the national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter movement to the USWNT’s equal pay lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, the players have stood up time and again for what they believe in and inspired many fans along the way.

On Monday, six-time Ballon D’Or winner and FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi announced on Instagram that Barcelona players will take a 70% pay cut while the La Liga season remains suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The players will also assist the club in order to ensure that its workers will receive their full wages.

His full message, which the rest of the players also shared, reads:

“Much has been written and said about the Barcelona first team in relation to the players’ salaries during this state of alarm.

Before going any further, we want to make it clear that we were always willing to reduce our salaries because we understand perfectly that we are in an exceptional situation. We, as players, are always here to help the club when they ask. Sometimes, we have done things on our own initiative during times when we felt it necessary and important.

It didn’t surprise us that inside the club there are some trying to put us under the microscope and pressure us into doing something that we were always clear we would do. In fact, if the agreement came a little late is it because we have been looking for the formula to help the club and also the workers of the club at this difficult time.

For our part, the moment has arrived to say that the cut will be 70% of our wage during the state of alarm. We will also help out the club in order for the workers to be paid 100% of their wages.

If we didn’t speak until now, it’s because the priority was to find solutions to help the club and to see who the most affected were during this situation.

We don’t want to sign off without giving a massive salute and our strength to all of the cules who are going through a bad moment in these difficult times and those waiting patiently in their homes until this crisis is over. Soon, we will come out on the other side of this and we will all join together.”

Other Spanish first division clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Espanyol have also announced temporary pay cuts during the suspension and there had been earlier reports of Barcelona’s wage cut plan, but the club had been unable to negotiate a deal with the players (an earlier plan was to . The players allude to this in the message, and it appears that Messi and the squad do not appreciate the pressure from some inside the club to submit to its leadership.

This is not the first instance of conflict between the Barcelona board and the players — and Messi in particular. Last month, former player and current sporting director Eric Abidal publicly accused the players of not playing hard enough under former manager Ernesto Valverde, seemingly suggesting that they were the reason the head coach was fired in January. Messi hit back at Abidal two weeks later, writing that Abidal should be accountable for his own role in the firing of Valverde. “Lastly, I think that when one speaks about the players, they should give names because if not they’re dirtying everyone and feeding things that are said and are not true,” he continued.

Then there was the rumor that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu had hired a PR firm to covertly attack current and former players on social media. The club, of course, denied these allegations and Messi said that we would have to “wait and see if it is true or not,” but that it was certainly “strange.”

In recent years, the club has strayed from its tradition of promoting young players from its famed academy, La Masia, in favor of splashing cash on top players like Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezman and Martin Braithwaite without seemingly contemplating how they fit into the team’s system and style of play.

Additionally, the club has seen a carousel of managers come and go with four coaches in the past seven years. And since Neymar’s record-breaking departure in the summer of 2017, the team has looked worse for wear, struggling with injuries, consistency and form on all parts of the pitch.

Things at Barcelona have not been good between the club and players for some time, but that all needs to get sorted rather quickly.

Messi’s current contract runs out at the end of next season, and it would be a shocking and complete failure on the side of the club if the world’s best player and face of the team were to leave.

Singer-songwriters have away of placing their finger on the pulse of society and capturing a piece of our humanity. And for five decades, Paul Simon has been a master at it.

Simon wrote “American Tune” in 1973, but his recent live performance of it during the coronavirus pandemic feels incredibly relevant. As he sings outside, a chorus of songbirds insists on accompanying him, which somehow makes it all the more lovely and heartfelt and real.

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If you need a cathartic moment, here it is. Enjoy.

Many’s the time I’ve been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
But I’m all right, I’m all right
I’m just weary to my bones
Still, you don’t expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

And I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
I don’t have a friend who feels at ease
I don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But it’s all right, it’s all right
We’ve lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road
we’re traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can’t help it, I wonder what went wrong

And I dreamed I was dying
And I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying

We come on the ship they call the Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the age’s most uncertain hour
and sing an American tune
But it’s all right, it’s all right
You can’t be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow’s going to be another working day
And I’m trying to get some rest
That’s all, I’m trying to get some rest

American Tune for Til Further Notice 03/19/2020

www.youtube.com

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Even before launching her solo career, Hayley Williams ventured outside of Paramore for some collaborative efforts. Most notably, she featured on B.O.B.’s “Airplanes,” which was a No. 2 single in the US. She also had a big Zedd collab in 2013, “Stay The Night.” There are plenty of collaboration opportunities she has turned down, though, including one with Lil Uzi Vert. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, she gave her reasons for saying no the rapper, saying it was because she didn’t “want to be that famous.”

She told Lowe:

“This is so, so random, but I get asked to do features on country songs sometimes. I’m no hater of country music. I mean, I grew up very young in Mississippi on Shania Twain and Dixie Chicks. I’m pretty sure Jason Aldean asked me to sing on one of his songs. I remember too Uzi asking me to do some stuff with him, and I know that fans are going to be so pissed at me for saying this, but I literally wrote him back on Instagram and I was like, ‘Buddy, I love you so much, but I don’t want to be that famous.’ I told him like we were getting ready to take a break. I obviously had a lot of issues going on that no one really knew about and I was like, ‘Bro, I just need to disappear. I don’t want to be that kind of a famous person.’ Because that is… He’s like a big artist, man. My stepbrother is obsessed with them. He was pissed when I told him the story.”

She’s had a couple of collaborations in recent days that pleased the indie crowd: She and the members of Boygenius teamed up on a new song, and Caroline Polachek also offered a remix of “Simmer.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.