THE 2019-20 NBA season is set to restart at DISNEY WORLD in July – with just 22 of the 30 teams invited.
All teams in contention for playoff places will all head to the famous Florida resort where they will train and play all of their matches.
The eight teams mathematically out of the playoff picture under new rules will not be invited, with their season over.
Following a meeting in New York on Thursday, NBA chiefs pencilled in a “tentative” return date of July 31.
Of the 30 teams, 29 of those voted to go ahead with the Disney plan, with only the Portland Trail Blazers resisting.
The top eight sides in each 15-team conference – those already in the playoff places – will be heading to Disney.
From the East, the Washington Wizards are the only non-playoff team to be invited, as they have a chance to jump into the top eight.
Out West, the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns will be on the guest-list, with the battle for the eighth seed heating up.
Why has Disney World been chosen as the venue?
BOASTING a staggering 25,000 acres, Disney World is as massive as it is iconic – roughly twice the size of Manhattan.
The resort features three large arenas, able to host 20 basketball courts for matches and training.
In having three arenas – all closed to the public – the NBA will be able to host two matches at once, leaving the other open for training.
Disney World, of course, also houses restaurants to allow players to eat, as well as a baseball stadium, 17 grass playing fields as well as a running track.
And, yes, the Orlando Magic WILL be there, currently sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference…
Most teams had around 17 or 18 matches to play in the 2019-20 season – with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers top of their respective conferences.
But now, the 22 teams heading to Disney World will play just EIGHT times.
Their record from those games will be combined with their regular season record from the pre-lockdown games to determine their seeding in playoffs.
In an added twist, if the team sitting ninth – one spot outside the playoffs – after those games finishes within four games behind eighth, they will compete in a mini-tournament for the final seed.
In that scenario, the eighth-placed team needs just won win against ninth to progress – while the lower team will require two wins to progress.
After that, the NBA playoffs will be played out as normal, with best-of-seven series across the board – from the first round, to the Conference Semi-Finals, Conference Finals and, of course, the NBA Finals.
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The NBA also revealed August 25 has been pencilled in as the date for the draft lottery – where teams will find out which picks they’ll have for the 2020 draft.
The draft itself is set to be held on October 15.
The 2020-21 season, initially scheduled to start in October, could now be pushed back to December 1.
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