SALT LAKE CITY — As the NBA continues its discussions about how and when it could bring back games and what that might look like, I took to Twitter to ask Jazz fans how they think it should proceed.
For the most part, people seem to be optimistic about the NBA being able to pull off resuming the season or at least playing playoff games, though there were plenty of suggestions as to what the schedule should look like.
One of the more popular suggestions sent to me is that in order to fit in the playoffs in a small window of time this summer, the NBA should consider a truncated version of the postseason.
Currently the NBA playoffs consist of four best-of-seven rounds before a champion is crowned. Since the league is hoping to start the 2020-21 season by Christmas, and because it isn’t going to be able to resume games until later in the summer and still needs time to hold a draft, free agency and some sort of abbreviated offseason, there isn’t much time between the summer and fall to squeeze everything in.
That’s why it’s been proposed that the NBA look at shortening the first couple rounds of the playoffs to a best-of-three or best-of-five series.
While some suggestions offer minor tweaks to the normal way that the NBA does things, others offer a new way of looking at the playoff schedule altogether.
One fan wrote in with the idea of a full NBA tournament including all 30 teams rather than the top eight seeds from each conference. The tournament idea has also been promoted by NBA players and personalities, but while the league is listening to all ideas, they’re more likely to stick to what they know than completely revolutionize they way they do things.
The NBA has already told players to expect fans to be absent from games for the foreseeable future and that games will most likely take place in an isolated location. Some fans are excited about the idea of seeing something new and different and just having basketball back in their lives.
Some, though, are less optimistic that the NBA will eventually find a way to even play games.
There’s no way that I would let this all end on such a pessimistic note though.
The most important thing, as one fan wrote in, is that everyone’s health is the absolute top priority, and if the NBA is able to ensure safety of all players and personnel, then we would all love to have basketball back in whatever form we can get it.
Lastly, Jazz fans always come through, and they weren’t going to let this mailbag go by without interjecting some very Jazz-centric ideas, which I’m pleased to present.
For example, how about the NBA comes back with playoff games, and during the games they can cut to stories about the team that was at the center of the NBA’s shutdown?
If all else fails, just give the crown to the Jazz and call it a day. Thanks, @_MAC_III_.