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Woj does not think every NBA team is going to play 72 games during the 2020-21 season.
The NBA decided not to go with a bubble format for the 2020-21 regular season and that meant cancellations were to be expected. They have come early and often so far.
The Washington Wizards have not played since January 13 and the Memphis Grizzlies have already had their games postponed this weekend and early next week.
One thing the NBA did was decide to schedule the second half of the season during the first half. That allows for postponements to be made up and fit into the creative schedule. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski made it clear he doesn’t believe every team will play 72 games.
Woj sees problems with the schedule
Woj discussed his views on his podcast with Zach Lowe.
“It’s hard to believe that every team is going to get to 72 games. By the time we get to the playoffs, it may look like we’re [ranking seeds] by winning percentage.”
This type of scenario was also discussed during the MLB season because of the COVID-19 issues faced by the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the NBA may be dealing with several teams in playoff contention who can’t realistically play a full season.
The NBA has taken precautions and has even limited travel to make things easier during this ongoing pandemic. Yet that has not stopped the spread of the virus in the country, or within the league, so cancellations were bound to happen. The next question is when players and coaches could get vaccinated, which may change any talk of another postseason bubble.
Ranking teams based on winning percentage may be the only option if more outbreaks come throughout the year. All the teams can do is be as careful as possible to avoid contracting and spreading the virus. And hopefully, Woj’s prediction is proven to be wrong.