NBA Approves Plan To Restart Season; Warriors Season Over
(CBS Local Sports) -- The NBA has finalized a plan to resume play, close to three months after it suspended its season. The league presented the plan to their board of governors on Thursday.
22 teams, including 13 from the Western Conference and nine from the Eastern Conference, would resume play on July 31 at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports complex on the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida. All of the qualifying teams are within six games of a playoff spot.
"While the COVID-19 pandemic presents formidable challenges, we are hopeful of finishing the season in a safe and responsible manner based on strict protocols now being finalized with public health officials and medical experts. We also recognize that as we prepare to resume play, our society is reeling from recent tragedies of racial violence and injustice, and we will continue to work closely with our teams and players to use our collective resources and influence to address these issues in very real and concrete ways," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
The plan leaves out the Golden State Warriors, who were in last place in the Western Conference when play was suspended in March. The next big date on their calendar is August 25 for the NBA Draft Lottery. Golden State has a 14% chance of landing the #1 overall pick. The NBA Draft will be held October 15, which could be just three days after a potential Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
"We all recognize that there are much more important and pressing issues in our world right now that need to be addressed and corrected. Basketball is secondary at this point. Nonetheless, it is helpful to have a definitive resolution to our season. We can now focus our efforts on preparing for the 2020-21 season and, ideally, putting ourselves in position to be a very successful team. In many respects, despite our won-loss record, we had a productive season this year. Our rookies gained valuable experience, several of our young veterans showed marked improvement, our injured players progressed in their rehab, and our culture remained strong, said Warriors President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers.
The Warriors tumbled out of title contention this season after five straight years of playing in the NBA Finals. Injuries sidelined All-Star guard Klay Thompson for the entire season while two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry missed all but a handful of games. Draymond Green also saw his play limited by injuries.
Playoff mainstays Kevin Durant, Andre Igudoala and Shaun Livingston also left the team after last season. Durant signed as a free agent with Brooklyn, Igudoala went to Memphis and was later traded to Miami and Livingston retired.
A handful of players had been working at the team's practice facility at San Francisco Chase Center since Monday when local COVID-19 restrictions were eased.
"We all recognize that there are much more important and pressing issues in our world right now that need to be addressed and corrected," said Warriors President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers in a statement. "Basketball is secondary at this point. Nonetheless, it is helpful to have a definitive resolution to our season. We can now focus our efforts on preparing for the 2020-21 season and, ideally, putting ourselves in position to be a very successful team. In many respects, despite our won-loss record, we had a productive season this year. Our rookies gained valuable experience, several of our young veterans showed marked improvement, our injured players progressed in their rehab, and our culture remained strong."
The 22 resuming teams will play eight "regular season" games to set up seeding for the playoffs. After that short schedule, 16 teams will advance to the playoffs -- eight from the West and eight from the East. A short play-in round will determine the eighth seed if any team is within four games. The playoffs will begin in August.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics had previously clinched playoff spots. With only eight games left, the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets are locked in too. The Dallas Mavericks, with a seven-game lead on the Memphis Grizzlies, seem likely to make the postseason.
After that, things could get a little dicey. The Grizzlies hold the eighth seed in the West. But the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns all sit within six games. In the East, the Brooklyn Nets currently hold the seventh seed and the Orlando Magic the eighth seed, with the Washington Wizards within six games of both.
The NBA season went on hiatus on March 11, soon after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. All major sports leagues remained dormant through May and have only recently revealed plans to reopen.
