The unimaginable happened when the NBA pulled the plug on its season and the lights went out on games around the globe. By the time sports returned, the roar of the crowd was replaced by canned noise, and fans morphed into cardboard cutouts. Masks were everywhere, even if many on the sidelines and in dugouts never figured out how to wear them. AP sports columnists Jim Litke and Tim Dahlberg weigh in on the highlights and lowlights of a year in sports few will forget and none want to repeat.
