Clippers Playoff Game Postponed As NBA Strike Continues

Thursday night's playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks has been postponed as NBA players continue to strike due to the police shooting of Jacob Blake and subsequent attacks on protesters.

The NBA confirmed no games would be played today in a statement released on Thursday.

"NBA playoff games for today will not be played as scheduled," said Mike Bass, Executive Vice President. "We are hopeful to resume games either Friday or Saturday. There is a video conference call meeting scheduled later this afternoon between a group of NBA players and team governors, representing the 13 teams in Orlando, along with representatives from the National Basketball Players Association and the league office and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman Michael Jordan, to discuss next steps."

Late Wednesday night, it appeared that the NBA season might be over as players feared basketball games were detracting from the societal changes they wanted to see. According to several reports, both the Lakers and Clippers wished to cancel the rest of the playoffs during an informal poll after a player's meeting. LeBron James was especially vocal in wanting owners to take a more active role in the push for justice and national police reform.

Players held a second meeting at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, however, and it appeared the tone had changed. Following the meeting, ESPN reported the players opted to continue the season.

While the league strike on Wednesday caught fans and even NBA players off-guard, Black Lives Matter has been at the forefront of the NBA restart. Players have been wearing messages of change on the back of their jersey, and frequently use their postgame platforms to speak on the state of America and demand urgent change.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers issued a passionate statement on Wednesday tying issues of injustice to messages being pushed from the Republican National Convention.

"They're spewing this fear, all you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear," Rivers said. "We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We're the ones who are denied to live in certain communities, we've been hung... it's amazing to me why we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back."

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer echoed Rivers' statement and stressed the need for informed voting.

"Now is the time to research and vote for the mayors, council people, commissioners, legislators, governors, judges, prosecutors, and attorneys general who can make it happen," Ballmer said. "Now is the time to work out bipartisan national police reform."