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The NBA Is Back: Here's Where & How We're Starting
Let’s get things started
As the world started to adjust to the pandemic, we saw industries close shop and move online—deliveries have never been as busy, musicians finally let us into their home studios and movies were delivered on a pay-per-view situation. And the NBA, one of the world’s most followed sports leagues, announced its hiatus on March 11.
Then on June 26, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association finalized a restart for the 2019-2020 season that will kick off on July 30. Included, of course, are health and safety protocols and a single-site campus housed at Walt Disney World Resort Florida.
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That said, there are still questions. So, here are some of the answers:
What’s the schedule?
As mentioned earlier, things start on July 30. The NBA Finals, on the other hand, won’t end any later than October 13.
Other important dates to note are the following:
August 17: Start of the Playoffs
August 25: NBA Draft Lottery
August 31: Conference Semifinals
September 15: Conference Finals
September 30: NBA Finals
October 16: NBA Draft
December 1: Start of NBA Season 2020-2021
Who’s in?
A total of 22 teams from both the Eastern and Western conference will be returning to play this season:
Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
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But while these teams have confirmed their participation in the games, fans from everywhere will not be allowed to attend as they normally would have. No tickets will be sold for the remaining season.
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The matchups we’re eyeing
Granted that every meet in the NBA is a worthwhile game to watch, we cannot help but particularly watch out for a few key matchups in each of the conferences.
Eastern Conference. Over at the Eastern Conference, things are definitely going to heat up quickly. But as the current Conference’s second seed and defending NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors are hungry and keeping their eyes on the Playoffs prize. That said, they’ll have to defeat the current first place in the Easter Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, first.
Western Conference. Right before the NBA went on hiatus, the LA Lakers defeated the LA Clippers for the first time this season—after a double-loss during Christmas Day and the season-opener. What will happen now that we’ve had months of silence? Will LeBron James and Anthony Davis continue their streak over Kawhi Leonard and Paul George or will they continue to fall behind in the series?
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None of us will be able to see an on-ground game for the rest of the season, but there are still so many games to look forward to. We’re adjusting our expectations and simply reveling in the fact that the NBA is back; so don’t get left behind, get yourself an NBA League Pass.
Avail of a 30-day subscription to the NBA League Pass to access live NBA games and a 3-month free HomeCourt subscription, which will give you access to interactive and guided workouts, as well as some tips from your favorite NBA players, available on iOS devices 12 and up. Redeem the same with your Globe Postpaid plan via the Globe Rewards app.
Looking to see more ways technology helps enable your life? Head over to Lifetech by Globe Postpaid to find out.
