All You Need To Know About The Restart Of The 2019-20 NBA Season

It’s happening! The NBA has confirmed that it is restarting the 2019-20 NBA season on July 30th (was July 31st) in Orlando. The NBA has been on hiatus since March 11th due the Covid-19 pandemic. Here is everything you need to know regarding the restart.

Back on June 4th the NBA and NBPA approved a 22 team format for resuming the season.

Where: Walt Disney World, Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando Florida

When: July 30th

Who: 22 Teams

16 playoff teams from each conference plus five bubble teams in the west and one in the east

WEST

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Clippers

Denver Nuggets

Utah Jazz

Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets

Dallas Mavericks

Memphis Grizzlies

Portland Trail Blazers

New Orleans Pelicans

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Phoenix Suns

EAST

Milwaukee Bucks

Toronto Raptors

Boston Celtics

Miami Heat

Indiana Pacers

Philadelphia 76ers

Brooklyn Nets

Orlando Magic

Washington Wizards

TV: ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBATV, NBA LEAGUE PASS – unknown if local affiliates will air games

Time Table: 

June 30th: Training Camp

July 7th: Teams travel to Orlando/Disney World

July 30th: Season resumes

August 15th: Season ends

August 16th and 17th: Play in for bubble playoff teams

August 18th: Playoffs begin

August 25th: Draft lottery

October 12th: Playoffs end

October 15th: 2019 NBA draft

October 18th: Free Agency

November 1st: Training camp for 2020-2021 season

December 1st: (Date is flexible – subject to change) 2020-2021 NBA season opening night

There will be 2-3 preseason games before the 2019-20 season resumes. There will be 8 regular season games based on the next 8 included opponents on team schedules. Games against teams not taking part in Orlando will be skipped. The Lakers and Blazers in the west, would play their 7th and 8th games against opponents who already will have played 8 games. The Magic and Heat in the east would play their 8th game against a team that has already played 8 games. The Blazers and Lakers will therefore play a game against each other and play their 8th game against one of either the Heat or Magic.

After 8 games if whoever is in 9th place is within four games of the team in 8th place a two game play will take place. The team in 9th must win both play in games to make 8th seed and the playoffs.

22 Teams 

6 Teams eliminated after 35-40 days (based on play in) 

14 Teams will be eliminated by 53 days 

4 teams will be left after 67 days (2nd rnd of the playoffs)

2 Teams will be left after 82 days (end of conference finals) 

Other Logistics:

• The NBA will be using winning percentages instead of win/loss to determine seeds since some teams have and will have played more games than others. All teams will play at least 70 games, with the Lakers playing the least, 71 and the Mavericks playing the most, 75.
• NBA players will be asked to stay in the complex in Orlando.
• NBA Players can bring up to three family members. NBA Players, staff, and families will not be allowed to go on the attractions in Disney World or mingle with guests or fans.
•  There will be a maximum of 1600 people in th complex
• Two way players will be available. Teams will be allowed to have up to 17 players
• Players can opt out of going to Orlando and will not be punished. Teams can replace them with alternate players
• Teams can only sign as replacements, players who played on a NBA team, on a NBA G League team, or a training camp roster in the 2019-20 season. (This is subject to change)
• Older NBA coaches who may be in more danger of or susceptible to the coronavirus may be given the option of taking special precautions such as coaching virtually from home or an alternate location rather than being on the bench, or other precautions around social distancing on the bench. (These precautions as it seems, will be offered but not taken as coaches want no obstacles between themselves and their respective teams).
• For any player who tests positive for Covid-19 a quarantine period of at least 1 week and up to 2 weeks time is required. All players and staff will be tested nightly at the complex. Teams can sign also sign a replacement if one of their players tests positive. The same restrictions as above apply.
• Disney employees will not be in quarantine with the players. They will always wear masks and have constant temperature checks. They will never be within 6 feet of the NBA players or staff. Disney housekeepers will never be in rooms while NBA players or staff are present. Housekeepers and other staff will be assigned certain rooms and there will be no rotation as to minimize the risk of infection.
• NBA Teams who should have had home court advantages may or may not receive benefits including extra timeouts and possesion of the ball to start three instead of two of the four quarters. This is still unclear.

Draft Lottery: 

• NBA lottery teams will be the 8 teams that didn’t get invited to Disney plus the 6 teams that don’t end up making 8th seed. For those teams, the lottery will be determined by the records as they were on March 11th when the league went on hiatus. The games in Orlando will not count towards the lottery for them. For the teams who make the playoffs, they will pick in the draft inversely based on both their games up to march 11th and the games in Orlando.