The NBA continues to take significant steps toward restarting its season. After the league’s stars backed plans to get back to business, the league has reportedly set a target date of July 31 to resume play and is expected to make Disney World in Orlando, Florida the venue for the games.
However, one major detail the league has yet to decide on is the format of play once the games resume. There were four main format proposals presented to the league’s Board of Governors, which is expected to vote on the final format on June 4.
These proposals differ on the actual number of teams involved, and they also have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
SBOBET is here to sort out all those pros and cons to see which of the four proposed formats is the most ideal for the league.
16 Teams – Straight to Playoffs
In this format, the NBA would do away with playing any more regular-season games and jump straight into the playoffs. That would mean only the 16 teams currently in the playoff spots would go to Orlando.
The big advantage of this format would be that limiting the number of teams and the number of games minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
On the flipside, teams that are just a few games away from the playoffs in the Western Conference will be disappointed not to get a chance to make the postseason.
Moreover, the lack of regular-season games won’t give teams the chance to get back up to speed before the playoffs, which could result in a poor quality of play — or worse — injuries.
20 Teams – World Cup group stage
Instead of resuming with a “normal” postseason, the NBA is also reportedly touting the possibility of a World Cup-style group stage, which would involve four additional teams.
This format would see the 20 teams placed in different groups. Each team would play each other twice, with the top two from each group advancing to the next round.
This format would favour the four teams on the Western Conference playoff bubble — the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs — who will likely be the ones invited to play and defy the NBA 2020 odds.
Blazers star Damian Lillard is known for his postseason heroics, so Portland is a team no one from the West would like to see in the playoffs.
Another pro is that this would be a new and innovative format that could spark interest and curiosity for the playoffs.
However, a potential downside is that it also might be considered too much of a departure from the usual playoff format, which could lead some to diminish the achievement of the eventual champion.
22 Teams – Play-in tournament
Aside from the World Cup-style group stage, the play-in tournament has also been a popular proposal going around.
There have been different versions of how the potential play-in tourney would look like, but one of the scenarios discussed was 22 teams and would feature a number of regular-season games leading into a play-in tournament for the last one or two playoff seeds per conference.
According to a recent report by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, NBA executives were overwhelmingly in favour of some sort of play-in tournament as opposed to the World Cup-style group stage.
With the added stakes, the play-in tournament could help build interest in the league before the start of the actual playoffs. The inclusion of some regular-season games would also help get the players up to speed before the postseason.
Again, though, the downside would be that purists won’t take to the change in the playoff format, although it would still be less drastic than the World Cup-style group stage.
30 Teams – Everyone comes back
The final proposed format put forth would see all 30 teams return to action, with each team playing around 8-10 regular-season games. There would also be a play-in tournament involved for the final seeds.
The big selling point for bringing everyone back would be the added games, which would see teams reach the 70-game mark needed to get more money from their local television deals.
But with some teams no longer in the playoff hunt and with nothing left to play for, the quality of some of those games are likely to be quite poor. And of course, all 30 teams coming to Orlando increases the risk of the virus spreading.
Which format will the NBA choose?
According to recent NBA 2020 news, there is growing support for the 22-team plan that will feature a few regular-season games as well as play-in games for the final playoff spots.
That appears to be the best and most logical choice out of the four options as the pros significantly outweigh the cons.
Not only would it give teams a few games to get their bodies prepared for the playoffs, but teams in the bubble would also get the chance to make it in. Meanwhile, teams with no chance of making the playoffs will no longer come and risk their health and safety for little reward.
Additionally, allows the league the opportunity to experiment with the play-in tournament, which has been a popular proposal in past years, and see whether it’s worth implementing moving forward.
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