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The 2020 NBA playoffs are set to start on Aug. 17 after the play-in game. The Portland Trail Blazers have to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies once to clinch the No. 8 seed in the West, while the Grizzlies are the underdogs and have to beat Portland twice to make the playoffs in the first year of the Ja Morant era.
The winner of the play-in series will face LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The 2020 postseason will follow the typical best-of-seven format.
However, there are no fans at the games in Orlando, Florida and everyone is in one place, meaning for the first time ever, there won't be any traveling required for teams.
That could certainly benefit some of the older teams in the bubble as the NBA playoffs move on.
James, who is searching for his fourth NBA title at Disney World, said it was strange to play in the seeding games without fans but that he got used to it. The playoffs are where the fans get even rowdier and help home teams win with their energy.
With no fans in the 2020 playoffs, there isn't a home-court advantage, which is unfortunate for James and the Lakers since they had the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
“I am getting more and more used to being out there. It’s a very weird dynamic. I haven’t played in an empty gym in a very, very long time,” James said, via USA TODAY Sports.
“I’m getting more and more comfortable playing in an empty gym. Just having the backdrop here is a lot different from playing in a high school gym or a college arena where you’re playing in the summer time, whatever the case may be. It’s very dark, extremely dark. You can literally hear a feather hit the ground. I’m just getting more and more comfortable playing with my game here in the bubble.”
Since referees can hear everything players are saying due to the absence of fans, they may be tempted to call technical fouls at a higher clip.
Hopefully, that's not the case, as players are going to increase the trash-talking in the NBA playoffs. The refs have to be mindful and let it play out since it's part of the game.
However, we saw some cheap technical fouls handed out during the seeding games, so there isn't much cause for optimism on that front.
The no travel aspect is interesting because guys like James (35), Chris Paul (35), Russell Westbrook (31) and even role players such as Kyle Korver (39) could benefit from the lack of flying and traveling in between games. We'll see if guys are fresher more than usual as the playoffs go on since they don't have to travel and put hours on their bodies.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers are expected to meet in the 2020 NBA Finals. However, the Los Angeles Clippers played the Lakers really well in the regular season with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way, so if the two L.A. teams meet in the Western Conference Finals, don't be surprised if the Clippers come out of the West instead.
We also have to mention the Houston Rockets, who are the only team in the NBA with two MVPs leading the way in James Harden and Westbrook.
The Bucks, meanwhile, are like the Lakers in that their No. 1 seed doesn't matter with no fans in Orlando. Milwaukee is heavily favored to win the East, but they could be challenged by the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference crown.
