NBA Rumors: Seven-Game Playoff Series Still in Play?

The Philadelphia 76ers might not conclude the 2019-2020 NBA season with 82 games in the book. Therefore, many have been under the assumption that the NBA Playoff format could be altered to fit a shortened season.

But that doesn't seem to be the direction, which the NBA is moving. At this point, there's still no clear answer as to whether the NBA will come back after suspending action due to the COVID-19 pandemic or not.

However, as June approaches and practice facilities continue to open up, the possibility of resuming the NBA this summer is becoming more realistic. And soon enough, the league could allow players to fire up training camp 2.0 in preparation to finish out the 2019-2020 NBA season.

For a while, many assumed that if and when the NBA returns, the league is going to skip straight to the playoffs. That doesn't seem to be the case right now. While finishing an 82-game season is out of the question, there have been talks about teams reaching over 70 total games to honor regional sports network contracts.

Then at that point, the NBA can advance to the playoffs. Many altered playoff scenarios have floated around out there including a play-in tournament or something that's the same format as always but fewer games. For the time being, though, it sounds like the NBA is leaning towards keeping the postseason the same.

"The NBA is hell-bent on crowning a champion," writes Sports Illustrated NBA Insider, Chris Mannix. "Adam Silver -- who has handled this crisis as well as anyone could --intends to do everything possible to protect the integrity of the postseason, including having each round scheduled for the full seven games."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_