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SI Insider: Reviewing the NBA's Proposal for a 22-Team Resumed Season

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Video Rating:
TV-G
Video Duration:
2:24

Adam Silver and will be presenting the NBA's plan to resume the season at Thursday's Board of Governors meeting. The proposed format consists of 22 teams playing for reseeding via an 8-game tournament to move on to the postseason. The 16 teams currently in line for a playoff spot will be joined by six other bubble teams.

Video Transcript:

Robin Lundberg: The NBA continues to discuss how it will resume to play if and when the season does, in fact resume. For more, I'm joined by our senior writer, Chris Mannix. Chris, what's the latest when it comes to the format? 

Chris Mannix: Well, there's expected to be a vote on Thursday during the NBA Board of Governors call, on the recommendation Adam Silver will present to the 30 league owners. And there's some momentum now, strong momentum to have a 22-team format where you take the 16 playoff teams right now and six other teams who are within six games of the final playoff spots at their respective conference. That means the five teams in the Western Conference that are within six games and the Washington Wizards who were in the east still within mathematical distance of that final playoff spot in the conference. The other topic of conversation that's gone on around the last couple of days has been the subject of reseeding. There is some momentum to have a reseeding format where you go 1-16 in the playoffs as opposed to the traditional 1-8 in each conference. This is something that's been proposed before. It's been shot down because of logistical issues travel-wise. But now that travel has been taken off the table. There is momentum among some owners to have that be part of this process.

Robin Lundberg: You know, Chris, we've heard these rumblings for a long time, and it seems the return is imminent. Are we going to get that official announcement soon?

Chris Mannix: The hope is that they are able to have some form of announcement after this Board of Governors call. It takes three quarters of the governors to approve any type of situation like this. It is expected, Robin, one way or the other - that whatever Adam Silver decides, these owners are going to go along with. You have some owners like Clay Bennett in Oklahoma City who have raised the issue of small-market teams that are shut out of the playoffs are potentially being hurt long term by the possibility they may not play basketball for nine, maybe 10 months since the season stopped in mid-March. So there are going to be some unhappy owners one way or the other, however this shakes out. But for the benefit, the greater good of the league. I think most will go along with it.