When does the NBA 2020-21 season start?

The NBA season is set to start later this month. The schedule for the upcoming season was revealed not long ago.

All teams are already preparing for the 75th regular season, as the training camps were set to open on December 1. Although it is known that the season is set to start next December 22, there is more to the schedule that is important to know.

The NBA revealed in mid-November the schedule for the upcoming season, which consists of the following format:

• From December 11 to 19th the preseason games will take place.
• The first half of the season will start officially on December 22 and is scheduled to finish on March 4 of the next year.
• Once the first half of the season is over, there will be an "All-Star break." It is meant to start on March 5, immediately after the first half of the season. It will only last five days, though.
• The second half of the season will begin on March 11 of the next year and will finish on May 16.
• From May 18 to the 21st day of the month, the Play-in Tournament will take place.
• And finally, the Playoffs will last a whole month, starting on May 22 and finishing on July 22.

Although the dates have been announced, the NBA has made it pretty clear the dates are tentative, and they may or may not change.

As for the season format, here's what you need to know about it.

There will be three games per team as they face their different intraconference opponents, meaning that each team will play 42 games throughout the season. The pairings can be one road game or two home games (not in that order). The pairings have already been made, and the results were completely random. 

The divisions are composed of five teams, and they will face a particular intraconference division team at home, while the rest of the games will be played on the road.

Individually, each team has two games scheduled against their respective interconference opponent. Each team will play a total of thirty games, featuring the same schedule mentioned previously: one home game and then one road game.

What about the Play-In Tournament?

The Play-in tournament is scheduled to start on May 18, at the end of the season. This Play-in tournament will include the remaining seventh and tenth seeds, which will determine the final two playoff seedings per conference. Although this format is a bit odder than what we're used to, the NBA Board of Governors only approved it for this season. 

It is unknown whether other particular measurements will be taken for this format. We still have to wait until the season starts to see what's different from previous seasons.

This season will be different than what we're used to seeing, but the peculiar format seems to be excellently planned. 

Basketball is nearer than you think, as the preseason games are scheduled to begin this Friday, December 11. About two weeks later, the season will officially start.