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UPDATE: June 12 — Shams has some new details on the restart of the season and here’s what the schedule will look like now. It’s a little bit different from what was previously reported.
Sources: NBA's expected restart dates:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 12, 2020
- July 30-Aug. 14: Seeding games
- Aug.15-16: Play-in tournaments
- Aug. 17: Playoffs begin
- Aug. 30: Family/guests of teams arrive
- Aug. 31-Sept. 13: Conf. Semifinals
- Sept. 15-Sept. 28: Conf. Finals
- Sept. 30-Oct. 13: NBA Finals
The initial date was July 31, which has been moved up one day. It’s still 16 days for the regular season and then we get the potential play-in tourney. After that it’s the playoffs on August 17 and then the trek toward the Finals.
The NBA has its plan set in place for a return to the regular season on July 31. Shortly after the 16-day regular season, we’ll get right into the play-in tournament (if needed) and then the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The Athletic’s Shams Charania gave us a good picture of the key dates for each round.
Tentative NBA postseason dates:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 8, 2020
Aug. 16-17: Play-in tourney
Aug. 18: First round
Sept. 1: Second round
Sept. 15: Conference Finals
Sept. 30: Finals Game 1pic.twitter.com/Y2bL8CpkSL
So as you can see, the 16-day window for the regular season starts at the beginning of August. Each of the remaining teams will play around eight games in order to decide seeding in each conference. If the teams in the No. 8 seed trail by fewer than 4.0 games after the regular season, they’ll be forced into the play-in tourney format. If the Grizzlies and Magic are 4.0 games clear of the next best record, they’re good to go. Seeding will be decided by winning percentage.