LOOKING AT POSSIBLE THUNDER SCENARIOS
Ideas ranging from practical to radical have been floated for how the NBA can resume this season
The NBA is still deciding how to resume the season.
And as ESPN' s Adrian Woj na row ski reported Wednesday, “there's no current expectation for a decision on a finalized return-toplay plan” to emerge Friday when the league's Board of Governors meet with commissioner Adam Silver.
That hasn't slowed a stream of suggestions, ranging from all 30 teams returning to action to a World Cup format. While t he when a nd how of returning are unknown, Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is the likely answer to where.
Here's a rundown of several return-to-play possi bi lities, and how they affect the Thunder:
Resuming the regular season
If the NBA is to create a bubble environment to protect players, coaches and staff from the coronavirus, a greater number of teams equals a greater risk.
Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that the idea of 30
teams playing in Orlando “has lost momentum, but it still has a significant lobby.”
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have discussed a model of all teams returning to meet a target of 72 regularseason games, according to Wojnarowski.
The Thunder (40-24) would play eight more regular-season games under that format.
Straight to normal playoffs
The No. 5 seed Thunder would play the No. 4 seed Jazz in the first round, and a traditional playoff structure would be preserved.
But freezing the current standings and proceeding to the playoffs creates a problem. Not all teams have played the same number of games. And some teams had more manageable schedules down the stretch than others, which could have impacted playoff races.
For example, New Orleans (28-36) is 3½ games behind Memphis (32-33) for the No .8 seed in the West, but the Pelicans had a much easier remaining schedule.
Analytics site Five Thirty Eight gave New Orleans (60%) a significantly better chance to make the playoffs than Memphis (15%).
Reseed the playoffs
This, like the above scenario, would take the top eight teams from the West and the top eight teams from the East. But instead of traditional conference clash es, teams would be reseeded from No. 1 to 16.
The Thunder, as a No. 9 seed, would face the No .8 seed Heat in the first round. The winner of that matchup would likely play the No. 1 seed Bucks, which would be matched up with the No. 16 seed Magic in the first round.
Group stage
Perhaps the most radical change, but also one that seems to be gaining traction. The Ringer' s Kevin O'Connor reported that the World Cup-style format is one of the proposals that was sent to Silver.
A group stage, consisting of the top 20 teams, would replace the first round of the playoffs. There would be four groups of five teams, and each team would play two games against each opponent in their group, as O'Connor outlined.
The two teams with the best records in each group —for a total of eight teams — would advance to the second round of the playoffs. Then traditional seven-game series would resume.
This format would include the 16 current playoff teams, along with the next four teams with t he best records: Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Kings and Spurs.
Tiers would t hen be divided to ensure a competitive balance. For example, the top four teams — Bucks, Lakers, Rap tor sand Clippers — would comprise Tier 1. They would all be at the top of their separate groups.
Using this format, The Oklahoman conducted a sample draw.
Group 1: Raptors, Nuggets, Thunder, Grizzlies, Pelicans
Group 2: Bucks, Celtics, Pacers, Mavericks, Spurs
Group 3: Clippers, Heat, Rockets, Magic, Kings
Group 4: Lakers, Jazz, 76ers, Nets, Trail Blazers
There's not an obvious “Group of Death,” to use a soccer term.
Getting the Raptors instead of the Bucks, Clippers and Lake rs is a lucky draw for the Thunder, but the Pelicans are the most dangerous Tier 5 team.
Cuban's plan
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested a plan for all 30 teams to return and play five to seven regular- season games, he told ESPN.
According to the report, Cuban consider sit“a must” for all team store turn given the money tied into television contracts.
Cuban proposed that the top- 10 teams from both conferences would make the playoffs and be reseeded based on record. Then there would be two play-in matchups — No. 17 vs. No. 20 and No. 18 vs. No. 1 9 t hat would advance to play the No. 15 and No. 16 seeds for the final spots, Cuban told ESPN.
Every team except t he Timberwolves and Warriors would have a chance to make the playoffs under Cuban's proposal.
Similar play-in tournaments have been suggested to give teams currently outside the playoffs a chance to qualify for the postseason.