Report: NBA Looking to End Finals by Labor Day Weekend

The NBA weighing a number of contingencies as it looks to return from the coronavirus suspension, and the league reportedly has a target date for the end of the 2019-20 season. 

"[The NBA] would like to have a champion crowned by Labor Day weekend," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said on Tuesday. 

The league is eyeing the start of September to conclude its season, largely to avoid its calendar coinciding with the NFL. But Labor Day weekend isn't exactly a finalized date.

"Does that mean if they create a scenario where they'd have Game 6 or Game 7 of an NBA Finals on Sept. 7 or 8 or 9 that they wouldn't do it? No," Wojnarowski said. "But ideally, the date they've circled is Labor Day weekend to have this finished."

So how could the NBA return to play as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic? We could see the league come back in a significantly altered state. 

The NBA is reportedly considering holding all games in Las Vegas, creating what is essentially a mass quarantine for players and team personnel. And the format of the playoffs could change, as well. 

The first round and NBA Finals could become five-game series', while the middle-two rounds may be moved to single-elimination battles, per CNBC's Jabari Young. No plans have been finalized, but as the NBA looks to avoid a cancelation of the season, no ideas are off the table. 

The Rockets are currently No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24. They are slated to face the Nuggets in round one of the Western Conference playoffs if the season resumes.