NBA Restart: What You Need to Know
On March 11, the NBA season for 2019-2020 was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, plans are in top gear for the 2019-2020 season comeback.
On June 26, the National Basketball Players Association and NBA finalized the comprehensive plan for the 2019-2020 season resumption for July 30. As part of the plan, the association has put together strict safety and health protocols, and a collective action to mitigate the systemic racism while promoting social justice.
The 2019-2020 season comeback is expected to kick start on July 30 with the Finals slated for at the latest October 13. A total of twenty-two teams will return to the pitch this season covering teams from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. Suffice to mention that the eight remaining matches will be played by the team before beginning the playoffs.
Important Facts about the NBA Season Restart
There will be scrimmage games where teams will be required to compete in 3 inter-squad scrimmages. This will start on July 22 and runs through July 28 for the final preparation of the season’s resumption. Regarding where the games will be played, Disney and the NBA have come to an agreement to have the games played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando Florida.
All the games will be played in the Arena, Visa Athletic Center, and Field House. Due to the pandemic, there will be no tickets available for a live audience at the comeback season. This means that fans would not be able to attend the remaining 2019-2020 season restart games.
The NBA is working closes with government officials, public health experts, and infectious disease specialists to establish a meticulous plan to mitigate and prevent the health risks associated with COVID-19. The protocol will include stringent safety practices and regular testing.
Details of the NBA Playoffs
The first round of the playoffs will start on August 17 while the conference semi-finals will start on August 31. On September 15, the conference finals will start while the NBA Finals will begin on September 30. The total games that each team of the 22-team field would have played before the start of the playoffs will vary but most of the 22 teams would play between 72-73 games after the eight seeding games have been added to the standard season game total. The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs would have played a minimum of 71 games while the Dallas Mavericks would have played 75 games.
Facts about the NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery will take place on August 25. The fourteen lottery teams will consist of the eight teams that will not take part in the comeback and six teams that take part in the comeback but don’t qualify to play in the playoffs. These 20 teams will be seeded in the NBA lottery and given odds based on previous records.
Conclusion
At the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season comeback games, preparations will kick off again as the 2020-2021 NBA regular season is likely to start on December 1, 2020.
All You Need to Know About NBA Season Restart