The National Basketball Association (NBA) is considering the possibility of playing the current season with 22 teams out of 30. This was reported to ESPN by sources on the board of governors of the organization. According to them, such an option for ending the championship, which was interrupted on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, was proposed by the NBA commissioner Adam Silver and received approval among most members of the council.

The discussion of the main issues on the resumption of the basketball season took place the day before on Friday. According to ESPN, participants in the conference, among whom were representatives of all NBA clubs, decided that the teams that are currently in the playoff zone, as well as those that lack a maximum of six matches in their conference, can continue to fight.

“We side with Silver on this issue. Disputes will end. It’s impossible to please everyone, ”ESPN quotes one of the club owners.

According to the current situation in the standings, in addition to the 16 clubs that are already in the playoff zone, the chances of playing the title will be retained by New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, The Phoenix Suns of the Western Conference and the only representative of the Eastern Washington Wizards.

The Governing Council also considered three other options for continuing the season, media reported. It was assumed that either the eight best teams from each conference at once will immediately go to the playoffs, or 20 clubs will continue to struggle, or all members of the association will finish the regular season, which will be reduced to 72 matches instead of the usual 82. It was reported that the last of It was decided that these scenarios should no longer be considered reasonable.

It is planned to resume the season only after two months - the approximate date is July 31. It is assumed that all the remaining matches will be held in one place, namely in the sports complex of the Disney World amusement park in Orlando.

The final vote of the NBA Governing Council is due on June 4. In order for a decision to be made, at least three quarters of club owners must vote for it. Judging by what the sources of the American media say, the option with 22 teams will be chosen, to which most stakeholders are inclined.

The format with 22 teams involves holding several matches of the regular season and play-in - a separate round in which trips will be played to the final stage of the season.

The fact that before the playoffs it is necessary to hold several more matches of the “smooth” championship, the NBA players union insists. These games will be necessary in order to better prepare for the final part of the season after a break, which can last more than four and a half months. Also, the association's clubs hope with the help of preliminary matches to make up for their financial losses from stopping the season.

At the same time, according to a survey conducted among all general managers, the majority advocates resuming the season immediately from the playoffs, in which only 16 teams will take part, taking the highest places at the time the championship stopped. This opinion was expressed by 16 out of 30 specialists. The rest felt that it would be better to give a chance to other clubs, which in March and April could still influence the situation in the standings.

Regarding the format of the playoffs, there is also no consensus. 16 coaches believe that nothing needs to be changed, but the rest spoke out in favor of the idea of ​​drawing the draw without dividing at the conference, which makes no sense if all the remaining matches will be held in one place. The opinions of experts were also divided on the possible play-in format, the number of regular season matches, if these stages are nevertheless adopted by the governing council, and the increase in the roster for the rest of the season.