The wait is officially over. Basketball is back.
As a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Basketball Association halted all operations, stopping the season in its tracks. We were nearing the playoffs and it was a real shame that some of the league's best teams, like the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and more, would not be able to fight it out to see which team would win the NBA Championship. Well, after months of discussions, it looks like basketball is coming back soon.
According to the all-knowing Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the NBA is inviting a total of 22 teams to Orlando to finish out the season. 13 teams from the Western Conference and 9 teams from the Eastern Conference will resume with each squad playing a minimum of 8 regular-season games. A play-in will determine the eighth seed in the playoffs.
The proposed dates for the end of the NBA season, as well as the playoffs, are from July 31 to October 12.
That would normally be the time that NBA free agency begins but, as you all know, this isn't exactly a normal year.
Although things are still pretty terrible out there, at least we'll have basketball back to keep us entertained.
Nets’ Dinwiddie Suggests March Madness-Like NBA Playoff Format
Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie poses an interesting league-wide tournament if NBA season resumes following coronavirus outbreak.
The NBA season, as well as every other sports schedule, has been put on pause until further notice as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. As it stands, NBA action will be suspended until at least April 12th, 30 days after commissioner Adam Silver made the original announcement, but there's a growing belief that the game will be sidelined for much longer than that.
If and when the games resume, the league will surely have to present a revised schedule so that the playoffs don't drag out deep into the summer. One idea, posed by Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, is to hold a league-wide March Madness-like tournament.
Under Dinwiddie's format, every team in the league would essentially be awarded a spot in the playoffs. The top four seeds, the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers, would all receive first-round byes.
Meanwhile, the bottom for teams, the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, would be matched up in a pair of best-of-three series' with the winners moving on into the first round bracket. The 24-team first round would utilize a best-of-five format, and then the typical seven-game series would resume once the field is narrowed down to the final 16.
Who knows if the NBA will actually consider such a radical change to their playoff format but it's certainly an intriguing option to discuss.
Mark Cuban Reveals How NBA Season Could Extend Into August
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban envisions a scenario where NBA games will be played into August as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban doest not believe that the NBA season will be cancelled entirely, but he could see the season postponed long enough that games could be played into August. During an appearance on ESPN's Get Up on Thursday morning, Cuban explained how the league could play a handful of regular season games once the season resumes before going into the post-season format.
As it stands, most NBA teams have approximately 20 games remaining on the regular season slate; Cuban thinsk they may only play a third of those games before jumping into the playoffs later this summer.
The NBA suspended the season until further notice on Wednesday night, after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. The league's statement reads in part: "The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of Wednesday's schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."
Of course, the players and coaches aren't the only ones impacted by the work stoppage. As a result, Mark Cuban is putting in motion a plan to financially support hourly employees that work at the American Airlines Center.
