NBA Rumors: Lakers vs. Nets, Raptors vs. Grizzlies Among Potential Playoff Matchups In New Format

As the NBA finalizes plans to return during the coronavirus pandemic, the league is looking at several different options to best crown a 2020 champion. One scenario includes skipping the remainder of the regular season and going straight into the playoffs.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up” Monday that there’s a good chance only the teams in the current playoff picture will finish the season. Windhorst suggested that could mean commissioner Adam Silver will try to change the postseason format, seeding all teams 1-16 instead of keeping the conferences separate.

The owners would have to approve the measure, and the odds might be against such a drastic change happening. This is a unique circumstance, however, and anything is possible.

All games are expected to be played without fans at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Home-court advantage would no longer be a factor, removing one possible obstacle from implementing the change.

What would the playoffs look like if the NBA decided to seed the teams 1-16?

The Milwaukee Bucks (53-12) are the East’s No.1 seed, and they would face the Orlando Magic (30-35) in the first round of the playoffs in either format. Orlando is the East’s No.8 seed with the 16th best record in the NBA.

With the best record in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are currently set for a first-round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. In the 1-16 format, the Lakers would take on the Brooklyn Nets (30-34).

Brooklyn is the East’s No.7 seed and likely headed for a first-round exit with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving sidelined. It’s unlikely that either player would return for the playoffs, though the possibility can’t be ruled out.

The Nets are set for a first-round matchup against the defending champion Toronto Raptors (46-18) under the traditional postseason format. The 1-16 seeding would pit Toronto against Memphis.

The Los Angeles Clippers (44-20) are set to take on the Dallas Mavericks (40-27) in either scenario. The same goes for a matchup between the Boston Celtics (43-21) and Philadelphia 76ers (39-26).

The remaining first-round matchups would feature the Denver Nuggets (43-22) vs. Indiana Pacers (39-26), Utah Jazz (41-23) vs. Houston Rockets (40-24) and Miami Heat (41-24) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-24). Houston has eliminated Utah from each of the last two postseasons.

Seeding the playoff teams 1-16 would allow the Clippers and Lakers to meet in the 2020 NBA Finals.