NBA season 'would end Oct 12 under proposed plan'
Wednesday 3 June 2020 07:45, UK
Returning to the court for a modified postseason in late July could mean the NBA Finals extend all the way to mid-October, according to reports.
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The campaign has been on hold since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
An ESPN report, which was based on unnamed sources, said a timeline shared with teams showed October 12 as the latest the best-of-seven NBA Finals series could finish and a proposal would go to a vote of the league's board of governors on Thursday.
Both the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) were still discussing details on a return-to-play format, the report said.
The NBA Finals typically conclude around mid-June.
A 22-team playoff model is part of a proposal expected to be presented by commissioner Adam Silver to the league on Thursday.
Last month the NBA said it was in talks with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the season at Disney World in Florida in late July. The plan would see games held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex which is inside the Orlando resort. It has hotels and three arenas and would allow the league to limit outside exposure.
During a Board of Governors call last week, Silver and owners discussed a possible play-in round of the postseason to finalise the top eight seeds in each conference. The traditional best-of-seven series format would follow with the No 8 seed in the West playing the No 1 seed.
However, ESPN reported Silver remains open to input and ideas on all aspects of the return-to-play plan.
The NBA typically opens each regular season in late October. The 2019-20 campaign began October 22.
