Sports

The NBA 2019-2020 Season Return Slated For July 30th

Since March 11th the NBA has been on a hiatus due to COVID-19. A plan has officially been put into place for the 2019-2020 NBA season to return. The tentative start date is at the end of next month, July 30th   and as a result the NBA finals would conclude October 12th.

The NBA’s plan states that 22 teams will be returning to play out the rest of the season’s games at a single site located near Orlando. The NBA and The Walt Disney Company came to terms that the NBA will the finish season at the Walt Disney World Resort. As for the players, their living situations would be accommodated by a campus on site. 

The teams are as follows in order of current seeding:

In the Eastern Conference:

  1. Milwaukee Bucks (53-12)
  2. Toronto Raptors (46-18)
  3. Boston Celtics (43-21)
  4. Miami Heat (41-24)
  5. Indiana Pacers (39-26)
  6. Philadelphia 76ers (39-26)
  7. Brooklyn Nets (30-34)
  8. Orlando Magic (30-35)
  9. Washington Wizards (24-40)

In the Western Conference:

  1. Los Angeles Lakers (49-14)
  2. LA Clippers (44-20)
  3. Denver Nuggets (43-22)
  4. Utah Jazz (41-23)
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-24)
  6. Houston Rockets (40-24)
  7. Dallas Mavericks (40-27)
  8. Memphis Grizzlies (32-33)
  9. Portland Trailblazers (29-37)
  10. New Orleans Pelicans (28-36)
  11. Sacramento Kings (28-36)
  12. San Antonio Spurs (27-36)
  13. Phoenix Suns (26-39)

Based on the Board of Governors, the way playoff seeding will function – in each conference the top seven teams with the best records in reference to the regular season and seeding games, clinch a playoff position. The eighth seed, however, would come down to a play-in-tournament unless the team in the eighth spot is more than four games ahead than the ninth best team.

Should a play-in-tournament prove itself to be necessary, (meaning the eighth seed team is four games or fewer ahead) it would be a best-of-two series between seed 8 and seed 9. Whichever team wins 2 games advances to the playoffs, where the playoff tournament will remain as usual, a best of seven series.

The medical protocols are of the upmost importance in this plan of the NBA returning, as the NBA and the NBPA are constantly in communication with experts in public health, disease specialists and government officials. Between these entities working cohesively, a tangible, meticulous plan will be established to monitor the risk involved in relation to the coronavirus.

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