Lakers to have shortest offseason in NBA history with just 71 days separating seasons

Frank Vogel's Los Angeles Lakers will have the shortest offseason in NBA history after the NBPA announced it had agreed to start the upcoming season from December 22 onwards. The Lakers' 2020-21 NBA regular season schedule was also partially released on Friday and the defending champions are set to begin their campaign at home against the LA Clippers on December 22. However, this meant that the Lakers will only get a 71-day offseason, the shortest in NBA history, as they played and beat the Miami Heat in the 2020 Finals in October. 

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The Lakers recorded a 4-2 win over the Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals as they won Game 6 on October 11. The delay in completing the season was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted the season in March, leading to the remaining games being postponed and held in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida. Meanwhile, the teams that didn’t play in the bubble at all will have been relaxing for 285 days.

The Heat will begin their 2020-21 campaign on December 23 and will face Orlando Magic in their opening game. The Eastern Conference giants will have a 72-day offseason, one day more than the Lakers. 

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A short offseason comes as a disadvantage to the two teams that participated in the NBA Finals and sure enough, Lakers'  Anthony Davis and Heat's Udonis Haslem were puzzled by that logic. Fans on social media were also quick to react to the Lakers getting just 71 days of rest until the next season began. 

More so, the Lakers will face the LA Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, twice each as part of their pre-season. 

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NBA Schedule: Lakers' fixtures for NBA 2020-21 season released

On Friday, the Lakers' 2020-21 NBA regular season schedule was partially released. Frank Vogel's men will also play on  Christmas Day for the 22nd consecutive season, hosting the Dallas Mavericks at the STAPLES Center.

The defending NBA champions will take a seven-game road trip from Milwaukee on January 21 to Atlanta on February 1. The Lakers also have five consecutive home games from February 4-12. The Lakers will face NBA title rivals Golden State Warriors on January 18, the Denver Nuggets on February 4, and the Brooklyn Nets on February 18.

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Image Credits - AP