The 2020 NBA season is set to resume on July 30, but only 22 of the league’s 30 teams will be playing in Florida. Due to the coronavirus, the NBA paused the regular season in March and is almost going right to the playoffs, although there are a some games to decide the last playoff spot in each conference. All of the remaining games, regular season and playoffs, will take place in the NBA bubble at the ESPN World of Sports in Walt Disney World, Florida. Let’s look at the seeding games, possible play-in games, problems that could happen in the bubble and NBA odds.
Seeding Games – July 30-August 14
All 22 teams will play a total of eight games to determine NBA Playoff seeds and at the end of the seeding games there is a chance there could be a play-in tournament. That will only happen if the No. 9 seed finishes within four games of the No. 8 seed and that seems unlikely. The Magic have a 5.5 game lead over the Wizards and it is hard to see them blowing that lead with just eight games left. In the West, it is more likely, with Memphis leading Portland, New Orleans and Sacramento by just 3.5 games. If a play-in is needed, the teams will compete in a best-of-two series, with the No. 8 seed needing to win just once to advance. Those games would take place on August 15-16.
Playoffs Begin – August 17
Conference Semifinals – August 31-September 13
Conference Finals – September 15-28
NBA Finals Begin – September 30
2020 NBA Draft – October 16
2020-21 Season Begins – December 1
Bubble Concerns
The NBA is planning for no disruptions to the schedule, but as we have learned over the past few months, nothing is set in stone. The NBA bubble has already had issues and players are complaining about everything. Players will be tested every other day while in Orlando and players testing positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined. Teams are allowed to bring 17 players into the bubble for the restart, but they will have to get down to 15 players once the playoffs begin.
2019-2020 NBA Championship Odds
Los Angeles Lakers +226
Los Angeles Clippers +300
Milwaukee Bucks +310
Boston Celtics +1250
Philadelphia 76ers +1435
Miami Heat +4800
Houston Rockets +975
Toronto Raptors +2000
Denver Nuggets +3300
Dallas Mavericks +4500
Utah Jazz +8000
Oklahoma City Thunder +9500
New Orleans Pelicans +10500
Portland Trail Blazers +13000
Indiana Pacers +15500
Memphis Grizzlies +21000
Sacramento Kings +42500
Brooklyn Nets +45000
San Antonio Spurs +60000
Orlando Magic +80000
Phoenix Suns +100000
Washington Wizards +150000
Favorites vs. Underdogs
Normally when the NBA Playoffs begin you can count on the best teams advancing, but that is not a guarantee this time around. Never before has an NBA season ended like this one.
Throw out all of the home court edges, as all of the games will be played in the Orlando bubble. Teams with great home court advantages could be teams to bet against once the NBA Playoffs begin and those teams that struggled on the road won’t have to worry much in this year’s NBA Playoffs.
I have to mention the 76ers when it comes to this because the 76ers are a very talented team that struggles on the road. The 76ers won’t have to deal with “true” road games, as all of the games are in Orlando and anytime you can put Joel Embiid on the floor you have a chance to win. You can make a case that other than Giannis Antetokounmpo, the player who could impact the Eastern Conference playoffs the most is Embiid. Keep in mind that the 76ers are likely to be a No. 6 seed and that would mean they would start all of their series on the road.
That means nothing now with none of the teams having a home court advantage.
The 76ers could have another advantage as well, because no one really knows how these bubble games are going to be played. It could be that the players are really rusty and outside shooting suffers. If the playoffs turn into a street fight then the 76ers could very well be the favorite, as they have very talented players who thrive on physical play.
Check out all of the NBA odds at BookMaker beginning with games on July 30, including a big one between the Clippers and the Lakers and don’t forget you can bet on teams to win their respective conferences and bet on who you think will win the NBA title.
