NBA announces structure, format for 2020-21 season
Each team will play three games against in-conference opponents. It will either be two home games and one road game, or two road games and one home contest. This will amount to 42 games per team.
The structure and format for the upcoming NBA season were released on Tuesday. As expected, they included the Board of Governors' approval of a play-in tournament proposal for this one season.
As reported early, the regular season will begin Dec. 22 and consist of a 72-game schedule. Teams will play three games versus each conference opponent. It will either be two home games and one road game or two road games and one home contest. This will amount to 42 games per team.
Here’s a glimpse of the Sixers regular-season opponent matrix versus Eastern Conference foes. They will play at the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks twice and host them once at home. Then they’ll play at the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards once and entertain them once at home.
Meanwhile, teams will play two games against each nonconference foe, making up the other 30 games. They’ll play one game at home and the other on the road.
The league schedule, however, will be revealed in two segments. The first-half schedule will be released around the start of training camp, which begins Dec. 1. The second-half schedule is expected to be released late in the first half of the season.
Preseason games will be played Dec. 11-19.
The first half concludes March 4. The All-Star break will be March 5-10. There won’t be an All-Star Game this season. The second half of the season will begin March 11 and conclude May 16, with a play-in tournament for seeds 7 through 10 scheduled for May 18-21.
The seventh-place team in each conference, at the conclusion of the regular season, will host the eighth-place team. Meanwhile, the ninth-place team will host the 10th-place team. The winner of 7/8 game will be the seventh seed. The loser will face the winner of the 9/10 game, with the winner earning the eighth seed.
The playoffs will start May 22, and the NBA Finals are scheduled for July 8-22.