The Memphis Grizzlies arrive Wednesday in Orlando (7/8) to begin their "bubble" routine of practice, rest, safety precautions, and play resumption for the NBA. Memphis will practice for the first time on Friday (7/10) at noon on the "Coronado 1" court.
Here's some key dates:
Grizzlies vs. Blazers live on 92.9 FM ESPN at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 31st
• July 30: Resumption of 2019-20 season
• Aug. 14: Seeding games conclude
• Aug. 15-16: Play-in for eighth playoff seed (if necessary)
• Aug. 17: 2020 NBA Playoffs begin
• Oct. 13: Last possible end date for 2020 NBA Finals
The 2019-20 FULL NBA season will resume on Thursday, July 30 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Here is an overview of the competitive format.
22 TEAMS: The 22 participating teams are the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.
SEEDING GAMES: Each team will play eight "seeding
PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION: At the conclusion of the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the NBA Playoffs for that conference.
EIGHTH SEED: The eighth playoff seed in each conference will be determined as follows:
• If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference (Team 8) is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference (Team 9), Team 8 will be the eighth playoff seed in that conference.
• If Team 8 is four games or fewer ahead of Team 9, those teams would compete in a play-in to determine the eighth playoff seed in the conference.
• The play-in will be double elimination for Team 8 and single elimination for Team 9.
NBA PLAYOFFS: Once the 16-team playoff field is set, the NBA Playoffs will proceed in a traditional conference-based format with four rounds and best-of-seven series in each round.
NBA DRAFT CONSIDERATIONS
• The 14 teams in the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery will be the eight teams that do not participate in the season restart and the six teams that participate in the restart but do not qualify for the playoffs.
• The 14 non-playoff teams will be seeded in the NBA Draft Lottery and assigned odds based on their winning percentages through games of March 11.
• The 16 playoff teams will draft in inverse order of their combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games.
SOCIAL JUSTICE EFFORTS
• The NBA and the NBPA are having ongoing discussions to address the game’s role in facilitating solutions to the persistent inequities plaguing the Black community.
• The goal of the season restart is to take collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice.
• The parties have discussed the formation of an NBA foundation to expand educational and economic development opportunities across the Black community.
• The NBA and the NBPA have also discussed strategies to increase Black representation across the NBA and its teams and ensure greater inclusion of Black-owned and operated businesses across NBA business activities.
• In recognition that long-term change can only come from an informed and sustained commitment, conversations regarding these efforts will continue and additional details will be released at a later date.