Full List of NBA Proposed Restart Dates Revealed
By Alexander Wolz
When the NBA revealed its plan to head to Orlando to conclude the 2019-20 season, there were many questions pertaining to health and scheduling. The only thing we knew was that July 30 was the new start date.
Over the following weeks, more info has surfaced about the NBA's plan. While subject to change, the latest includes a complete schedule of proposed dates in terms of how the remainder of the season will play out.
Twenty-two teams will kick off play in Orlando, starting the eight-game period of seeding games. From there would come the play-in tournaments for those in reach of the eighth seed.
The playoffs are set to begin just a day later, which may come at a disadvantage to those in the play-in tournament. After a 14-day period, family and guests of teams will be able to arrive on-site in Orlando. There's been a lack of clarity in terms of who that may include, but it's been stated that the NBA wants no more than 1,600 people there.
Conference semifinals will begin Aug. 31 and extend to Sept. 13, with a similar period for the Conference Finals from the 15th to the 28th. The season will then conclude with the NBA Finals from Sept. 30-Oct. 13.
The breaks between each of these playoff rounds risk being a bit shorter than usual. To put things in perspective, Toronto downed Milwaukee in the 2019 Conference Finals on May 25, with the Finals starting on the 30. Golden State finished five days earlier.
With health concerns and rising coronavirus cases in Florida, the NBA's restart plan is becoming more complicated than it seemed. But at least we have an idea of how the rest of this season may pan out if no other issues arise.