When will we return to the game?
Like the rest of sports competitions around the world, the NBA depends for its return on the spread of the Covid-19 in North America. If Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, wanted to believe last week still a return in mid-May, he admitted Wednesday on ESPN "have no more idea." Only one thing is certain: Commissioner Adam Silver, who should in principle speak in a big week, will defer to the green light from the health authorities, whose date cannot be the subject of a precise prediction. Nevertheless, the option hoped for by the boss of the League and the franchises is to replay in July, according to several media. Three months, this would also allow the teams to meet beforehand and gradually prepare for a return to competition.
What about the end of the regular season?
Time is playing against the prospect of seeing the regular season end normally, with less than twenty games to play per team, or one month of competition. Especially since the race for play-offs has already almost given its verdict. So mathematically, on the evening of March 11 - the date when Silver decided to suspend the championship after the positive test of Rudy Gobert (Utah) - four teams already had their sesame (Milwaukee, Lakers, Toronto, Boston), the other 12 were almost all known. The only semblance of suspense remains in the West, Memphis occupying 8th place, the last qualifier, with three to five victories ahead of a quartet made up of Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, San Antonio.
Two options can be imposed: either the regular season does not resume and the photograph of March 11 will constitute the final classification, determining the order of the seeds by conference. Either it resumes but to reach 70 matches instead of 82, both to give the aforementioned contenders a chance to win a qualification and to satisfy local broadcasters. "We just want to finish the regular season, whatever form it takes, to try to qualify," said JJ Redick (New Orleans Pelicans). “The worst scenario is that the play-offs start directly without having been able to finish struggling to hook them. Steve Kerr, Golden State coach not involved in this race, believes that "if the championship resumes, it is unlikely that we will play the remaining games of the regular season, given the limited time available for that."
Reduced-size play-offs?
Usually, each confrontation is played at the best of the seven matches, the advantage of the ground returning to the best classified. This format is likely to be modified, some evoking series in five or even three matches. Latest trend reported by the CNBC chain, the NBA considers the idea of play-offs starting with a 1st round to the best of five games, semi-finals and conference finals in a single match, before an NBA final "classic" in best of seven matches. According to Sports Illustrated, the League is considering organizing these play-offs in Las Vegas, behind closed doors, in the halls usually used for its Summer League preparatory to the coming season and whose hotels would provide accommodation for quarantine players and staffs. All of which should all be tested. A possibility confirmed by Houston player Austin Rivers on Instagram.
And next season?
If the season resumes at best in July, it will end in late August, early September. This will shift the calendar for the next fiscal year which could start around Christmas. This upheaval has its supporters. Atlanta owner Steve Koonin says it will avoid NFL competition (September to January) and improve media exposure. In this case, the epilogue of the season would intervene in August 2021, if it retains its format of 82 matches per team in addition to the play-offs, preventing its stars from defending the colors of Team USA at the Tokyo Games, July 23 to August 9. A hypothesis rejected by Portland's rear, Damian Lillard: “I'm really not a fan of such a change. I don't see a lot of guys supporting it. ”
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