NBA announces 2020-21 format, season to be played in two halves
Nov 18, 2020, 9:14 AM
Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns is congratulated by Devin Booker #1 after making a three-point basket against the Washington Wizards in the second half of an NBA basketball game at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 31, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images)
The NBA season is officially coming back Dec. 22.
But what will this season outside the NBA Bubble look like?
The 72-game season will be broken up into two halves, the league announced Tuesday.
Preseason games will run from Dec. 11-19, and the first half of the season will end March 4.
After an All-Star break March 5-10, the second half of the season will resume March 11 and end May 16.
Fans won’t see teams’ schedules right away, though.
The schedule for the first half is expected to be released around the start of training camp.
RELATED STORIES
The second half schedule is set to be announced toward the end of the first half, in order to include any games postponed due to coronavirus during the first stretch of the season that can “reasonably be added to the second half schedule,” according to a press release.
While the schedule is unknown, the league detailed what the opponent breakdown will look like.
Every team will play either two home games and one road game or one home game and two road games against each opponent within its conference, for a total of 42 games per team.
Each team will play two games – one home and one away – against each opposing conference opponent for 30 total games.
In addition, all five teams from within one division will play all five teams from one intraconference division twice at home, and all five teams from the remaining intraconference division twice on the road.
Similar to the Bubble earlier this year, the upcoming season will have a play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth playoff seeds for each conference.
In each conference, the teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages will each have two chances to win one game and earn a playoff spot.
The teams with the ninth-highest and 10th-highest winning percentages will have to win two consecutive games to make it into the playoffs.
The seventh seeds of each conference will host the eighth seed for the “Seven-Eight Game.” The winner will advance to the playoffs as the seventh seed, while the loser will host the winner of the “Nine-Ten Game” to decide the eighth playoff spot.
The play-in tournament will be held May 18-21. NBA Finals are scheduled for May 22 to July 22.
