One Team Just Got an Unfair Advantage in NBA Playoff Race

This past week, the NBA announced it had reached a vote to officially resume the 2019-20 season after nearly three months of no basketball due to COVID-19. Teams will fly to Orlando to play eight regular season games before a potential play-in tournament and the start of the postseason in Disney World.

According to league sources, the NBA has made another decision regarding its return to play that could greatly impact conference standings, playoff seeding, and most notably, give one team a leg-up in the chase for the eighth spot.

In preparing for its Orlando return in July, the NBA has decided that it will base the standings and tiebreakers in both conferences based on the teams' winning percentages following the eight seeding games. The decision by the NBA will give one team fighting for a spot in the top eight an unfair advantage: you're welcome, Portland Trail Blazers.

Among the 22 teams involved in the games in Orlando, there is an imbalance in games played before the league suspension, with some having played 63, while others have already completed 67. Portland (29-37) has played 66 games, while the Pelicans and Kings (both 28-36) below them are at 64.

With the standings and tiebreakers decided by winning percentage, even if Portland remains tied in games below .500 with the Pelicans and Kings after the seeding games, their winning percentage will be greater due to the schedule imbalance. Thus, the Trail Blazers would finish above them, despite having been swept by the Pellies in the regular season.

We're surprised the NBA gave a leg up to a team other than Zion's outfit, considering how hard they worked to fit the Pelicans into the puzzle, quite frankly.