Just 20 days ago the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA championship against the Miami Heat, finishing an NBA season that had everything, from good performances, great stories, some retirements and even acouple of tragedies along the way. It was the longest NBA season to date, believed to be done after the coronavirus outbreak. Fortunately, everything worked out for the league and now we’re just waiting to know when the next season is starting.
Some reports saidMartin Luther King Jr day was a probable day for the beginning of the new season, others said January was a better option for the league and now reports are suggestingChristmas Day as the date to start the next NBA campaign with some changes that would ease things for players, the league’s front office and even USA Basketball.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the Board of Governors held a meeting on Friday trying to find the best way to put together the next NBA season without hurting the players’ health, which included an optative start date. Well, it appears that next Christmas Day is getting more supporters around the Board of Governors.
2020/21 NBA season to start in December
It was first reported that the league was planning to start the new season on Christmas Day but now the date could be earlier than that, although only a few days. NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news that the league is targeting December 22 for the start of the next campaign, with a shorter calendar. This is meant for the season to finish before the 2021 Summer Olympic Games and don’t disrupt the plans of USA Basketball.
This would allow players to be part of Team USA that will play in Tokyo, will make things easier for the league with TV partners but not everything looks good for the league ahead of the new season.
2021 All-Star Game in jeopardy with shortened calendar
One of the bad things that could happen this season is the All-Star weekend being canceled. The league cutting 10 games from the calendar will make everything easier but it could also mean not All-Star game. The fact that they’re playing 10 games less than in normal seasons, added to the coronavirus measures to prevent people from getting infected are major reasons to make this decision.
The All-Star Game is the biggest event of the league besides the Finals, and people from all over the world travel to the United States to enjoy the show. This would create a lot of complications for the league and fans so opting to cancel the game would be the best option for the league’s front office.
Well, at least we know we will have basketball and when it can start. The NBA is arguably the best league in America in terms of logisticsand their capacity to make things work even against the biggest obstacles. They have a plan to play the next season and nobody seems to have a problem with it.
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