Report: NBA Planning For Seven-Game Playoff Series Despite COVID-19 Hiatus

NBA commissioner Adam Silver informed players of the league's contingencies for a potential return to play in 2020 on Friday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Silver noted that the league office has yet to determine when games will resume, and no decision on a start date is imminent. The NBA "doesn't have to make a decision on re-starting in season in May, nor does it have to decide right away in June," per Wojnarowski. 

The league reportedly would like to still hold a full playoffs if the season resumes, with each round being played with a slate of seven-game series, per Wojnarowski. The league would look to hold all series in a single location. Orlando and Las Vegas are still reportedly the most likely sites for a quarantined playoffs. 

As the NBA evaluates its options for a return to play, practice facilities are beginning to open in select cities where coronavirus restrictions are being eased. The Blazers and Cavaliers opened their respective facilities on Friday, and the Nuggets reportedly plan to open their facility on Monday. 

Players are permitted to practice and workout their facilities under strict guidelines for the league, though all workouts should be voluntary, per the NBA. 

"Some players told Silver that they were feeling pressure from organizations to return to volunteer workouts at facilities," Wojnarowski wrote on Friday. "Silver said he'd address it with teams."

The NBA suspended play indefinitely on March 11 after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. A slate of players have since tested positive, including Nets forward Kevin Durant, and Gobert's teammate Donovan Mitchell.