NBA
How Do the 2020 NBA Playoffs Work Inside of the Bubble?
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sports7 in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sports7, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
All posts by Joe KozlowskiUpdated17 Aug 2020
If you're a basketball fan, you'll probably never forget March 11, 2020. That night, Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19; before anyone knew what happened, the NBA season was suspended until further notice. Now, just over five months later, the 2020 NBA playoffs are slated to begin.
It goes without saying, however, that this season has been a bit different; the home stretch of the campaign, after all, had to happen in a bubble. With that in mind, it's perfectly reasonable to wonder how the 2020 NBA playoffs will work. Thankfully for basketball fans, things won't be too different once the games get underway.
COVID-19 forced the NBA to make some changes
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It goes without saying that 2020 has been an unconventional year for everyone. Even sports leagues like the NBA were forced to make some changes once the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world.
As mentioned above, the NBA placed the 2019-20 season on pause after Rudy Gobert's positive COVID-19 test; while the league had discussed the possibility of playing games in empty arenas, that would be a moot point if players and officials became infected. Ultimately, discretion proved to be the better part of valor.
Basketball, however, wasn't done for the year. The season resumed at the end of July, albeit inside a bubble at Walt Disney World. That unique set-up, however, forced the league to make some changes.
Beyond the physical realities of everyone being in the same location and playing on the same courts without fans, the conclusion of the NBA season almost became more of a miniature tournament than anything else. Only 22 teams joined the bubble—you had to be within six games of 8th place to make the cut—and each played eight games; the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers then had a play-in game to determine who earned the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
How will the 2020 NBA playoffs work in the bubble?
After the Blazers-Grizzlies play-in game, the 2020 NBA playoffs are set to begin. Thankfully for basketball fans everywhere, things will look pretty normal from here on out.
As always, the playoffs will take place in a 16-team bracket, with teams ranked in their respective conference by their regular-season record. Each series is a best-of-seven matchup with the winner advancing to the next round; the bracket doesn't reseed during the playoffs.
With eight teams from each conference on their respective side of the bracket, it will take 12 wins across three series to reach the NBA Finals; another four wins will clinch the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
While things won't change in terms of the way the playoff games work, the atmosphere will, of course, be a bit different due to the bubble. Playing in an empty gym will remove the higher seed's home-court advantage; the lack of travel could also make fatigue and physical fitness less of a factor.
Who's the top dog in the 2020 NBA playoffs?
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As anyone who watches March Madness or soccer can tell you, single-elimination tournaments increase the possibility of shenanigans; when all you need is one victory to advance, a lucky bounce can make all the difference. In the NBA playoffs, however, talent will usually shine through.
This year, that makes the Milwaukee Bucks the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference. Thanks in large part to Giannis Antetokounmpo, 538 gives the club a 53% chance to reach the finals and a 22% chance of taking the crown.
In the West, things will probably come down to the two Los Angeles-based clubs. While the Lakers held the advantage for most of the season, they faltered down the stretch; 538 now gives the Clippers a 30% chance of winning the NBA championship, as compared to the Lakers' 21% chance.
At this point, though, there's only one thing left: to watch the 2020 NBA playoffs and see who comes out on top.
