Published 12:04 IST, April 8th 2020
NBA looking to conclude 2019-20 season latest by Labour Day weekend: Reports
The NBA owners are reportedly looking to crown a champion for the 2019-20 NBA season latest by Labor Day weekend, which concludes on September 7, 2020.
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Officially suspended since March 12, the NBA officials are constantly discussing if and when the season can be resumed, according to reports. While no return date is slated, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the league indeed has a date in mind to conclude the 2019-20 season. On Tuesday, Wojnarowski stated that league officials are targeting to have an NBA champion latest by Labor Day weekend.
Also Read | Trae Young Picks Lakers as 2020 NBA Champion, Says LeBron James Was On A 'different Mission'
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NBA 2020 champion to be determined by Labor Day weekend? Lakers, Bucks favourites?
It is reported that the NBA is particularly wary of not delaying the start of the 2020/21 NBA season, which could be affected if the current season potentially stretches well beyond the Labor Day weekend. The said weekend concludes on September 7, but the league owners are reportedly willing to conclude the current season by the second week of September. According to ESPN, despite being in a shutdown, the front office executives are constantly on conference calls in order to formulate a contingency plan for the current season.
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Adam Silver speaks out on the fate of the current season
Earlier this week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said a decision to determine the format of deciding the NBA 2020 champion will be made in May. Appearing in a video interview on NBA on TNT with Ernier Johnson Jr, Silver stated, "In a perfect world, yes we would try to finish the regular season in some form and then move on to the playoffs, but what I’ve learned over the last few weeks is that we just have too little information to make those sorts of projections." He further noted that, although a distant expectation, the league officials are now discussing the broader impact of the lockdown in the NBA., especially on the upcoming season and beyond.
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NBA 2020 champion: Lakers, Bucks headed their respective conferences at the time of suspension
At the time of NBA suspension, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks topped the Western and Eastern Conferences respectively with Bucks being the best side in the league with a 53-12 (win-loss) record. All the teams have 13-16 games left to play in the regular season. However, multiple publications have reported that the NBA could use the current regular-season standings and move straight away to the playoffs to determine an NBA 2020 champion. While nothing is concrete yet, the league owners are believed to be in constant touch with the NBA teams in regards to the 2019-20 season.
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12:04 IST, April 8th 2020