NBA deal with Walt Disney World to resume season finally gets the official go-ahead

Jun 26, 2020 in "ESPN Wide World of Sports"

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Posted: Friday June 26, 2020 12:49pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The National Basketball Association officially announced today it will finish its 2019-20 season at Walt Disney World Resort, ending weeks of speculation and discussion around the plans.

ESPN Wide World of Sports overview

Game play will resume on July 30 with 22 teams (the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference) competing to determine seeding for the NBA Playoffs. The playoffs will feature 16 teams and the NBA Finals will end no later than October 13 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Games will be played at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the Arena, HP Field House and Visa Athletic Center. Players will be staying at Gran Destino Tower, Grand Floridan and Yacht Club.

“We’re glad to be able to provide a unique venue where the NBA can resume its season at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. “We look forward to welcoming the players, coaches and staff to Walt Disney World Resort as they prepare for the exciting return of professional basketball.”

ESPN Wide World of Sports overview

Under the competitive format for the restart, the 22 participating teams will be the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.

The restart will begin with each participating team playing eight “seeding games,” as selected from its remaining regular-season matchups. The complete game and national television schedules for the seeding games will be announced tonight. The NBA and its broadcast and technology partners are collaborating to enhance game telecasts and bring fans an immersive, interactive viewing experience.

At the conclusion of the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the NBA Playoffs for that conference. If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage (regular-season games and seeding games) in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would be the eighth playoff seed in that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference (Team 8) is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference (Team 9), then those two teams would compete in a play-in tournament to determine the eighth playoff seed in the conference. The play-in tournament will be double elimination for Team 8 and single elimination for Team 9.

The NBA’s standard playoff tiebreaker procedures will be used to break any ties on the basis of winning percentage. Once the 16-team playoff field is set, the NBA Playoffs will proceed in a traditional conference-based format with four rounds and best-of-seven series in each round. The 2020 NBA Finals will end no later than Oct. 13.

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durangojimOct 15, 2020

Doesn’t seem like this experience was the PR slam dunk Disney was hoping for.

TheDisneyDaysOfOurLivesSep 03, 2020

Oh I know. Plus RSNs and who knows how many cord cutters there are now since the pandemic.

Tony PerkisSep 03, 2020

It was wrong when it was first brought up. They had record opening nights, and a sharp decline on day 2-3. Like every Opening Day/Night in the NBA and MLB ever.

TheDisneyDaysOfOurLivesSep 03, 2020

That fake narrative of poor NBA ratings seemed to go out the window last night for the Rockets-Thunder game. Even the Nuggets-Jazz game was north of 3 million viewers. https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2020/09/nba-ratings-thunder-rockets-game-7-jazz-nuggets-espn-abc/ But, you know, it's a failure.

Paper straw fanSep 02, 2020

A lot of the most recent conversation on here is why I’m pro choice.

"El Gran Magnifico"Sep 01, 2020

Ok. So I’m at a place showing the game. But I have a question. I get the wall of video people “zooming” in on the side behind the benches. But Why no “zoomers” behind the baskets for free throws?

UnderdogAug 31, 2020

The condescension, bigotry and 'informed' opinions that are spouted off as 'facts' in this thread have really helped me see who to put on ignore. This thread was of use and had value until all of that came in.

gljvdAug 31, 2020

Yup , what's scary is everyone defending a man accused of raping a minor that was about to get in a car and drive away with kids. There was an active warrant out for his arrest on multiple things and he had been in trouble with the law countless times. Yea all the officers information is tied to the ticket they gave you. You then get a lawyer or go to court on your own to fight it. Why would you argue or fight with someone that has a gun ? What exactly do you want me to respond to. Whatever it is was days ago so you'd have to link it to me at this point The major issue for the black community is the lack of fathers. 70% of violent crime is committed by fatherless children. Guess what community has the highest rates of fatherless children ? What i find funny is that Biden the man who did this is supposed to be the person to vote for so we can fix it. Biden spent 47 years in politics trying to keep black people on the plantation and yet they are going to go out in droves to vote for him. Ignorance is bliss as they say. Do you know what the Padrone act is ? Do you know about Emancipation day of June 23rd 1874 ? Do you know some places like New York kept the system in place until 1924 ? African American's are the only ones to have suffered slavery in this country. It just seems they are the only ones that define who they are by it and that is why they as a people wont ever over come in Hell forget about Italians being slaves and then getting rounded up into interment camps in ww2 ... instead look at Asian americans. They were able to come to this country and become the highest educated and highest earners out performing "white" people. Hell even with anti discrimination laws discriminating against them they are still the highest in the land. Blacks can do so also they just have to do it themselves instead of waiting for another group to do it for them

crispyAug 31, 2020

I think this is well-said. People want easy answers, and they just don't exist.

crispyAug 31, 2020

It's a struggle to overcome poverty if you are white, too, and if you read anything I wrote, you will see I do not rail against the black community or those in poverty. Poverty is soul-crushing. If we are playing the oppression Olympics, I'll play, too. My dad was one of twelve kids born to a single mother in the 40s. I have no idea who my grandfather is. He and his siblings dealt with a tremendous amount of abuse to the point that he refused to even speak of his childhood as an adult. He struck out on his own when he was twelve. My mom was one of eight whose father died when she was a young teenager. She married my dad when she was sixteen. Neither one finished middle school, much less high school. My dad worked his tail off to provide and eventually owned a small home an land free and clear - a house that had no insulation or heating and cooling systems until I was much older. Before living in that house, my family of five lived in a camper. We lived in poverty for most of my life even though things got better eventually - we were working poor, not impoverished. As I mentioned earlier, my saving grace was God and having parents who never actively tried to sabotage my efforts to get an education. I remember being overwhelmed trying to apply for college on my own because no one in my family had every gone to college before me. It is hard trying to navigate life when you feel ill-equipped and there is no one to teach you. It is even harder when the community around you actively brings you down and ridicules you for trying to do better. I saw this happen to a lot of kids both black and white. Their dreams were crushed by the people around them. Poverty is a cloak of shame that you wear no matter what race you are. I am an adult now with a good job, a college degree, a nice family, and a nice home, and I still carry that burden. When people talk about their childhood toys or happy memories, I can't relate at all. I remember hardship and hand-me-downs. One of the reasons that I have always loved WDW so much was because I felt like it allowed me to reclaim a piece of my past - I finally got to go to that awesome place that I had heard about for years. Which gets us back to the NBA. There are millions of ways that they can help those in poverty, but instead, they choose to take a knee, celebrate a rapist, and put an empty slogan on their back. That is sure to make things better.

Club CooloholicAug 31, 2020

Racism exists and when you are treated as a criminal no matter how you act it can be crushing. That said, society, until it can have frank discussions will never fix it's ongoing problems, and they are not just in the black community. We have too many children born out of wedlock, the numbers are horrific for the black community and continuing to grow on all other demographics. The stigma is not there, and maybe there should be some. That said that is a whole other issue. The one at hand was NBA players protesting police brutality, which does exist. One can be sensitive to that and understanding of people being sick of it. I can believe that and separately believe that racism effects the black community in a variety of ways, while also believing that their needs to be a greater emphasis on not having children before you have acquired your high school and yes even college degree.

TheDisneyDaysOfOurLivesAug 31, 2020

Why do they live in poverty? Because for nearly 200 years, racism was the way. You act like Black people have been free in this country since day one when that's not the case and you know it. Then from emancipation through the end of segregation, are you under the impression that Black men were working as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies? They weren't, I assure you. My grandfather, a Black man, has been teaching me about the history of his side of the family. His father owned a farm in Kentucky in the 1930s and 40s until he died. The fact that he owned a farm in Kentucky caused an uproar as it was virtually impossible for a Black man to own property in that time period. Not even a hundred years ago. These men and women weren't going to schools or colleges that truly wanted them to be the best version. Those who were born in the 1960s are truly the first wave of Black men and women who are able to do something with themselves. My father, a Black man, is one of them. That is literally the first generation of Black men and women who are able to truly make something of their own lives, free from the shackles of slavery and segregation. It's easy not to understand because for so many people who are on this forum, they've had a massive headstart against the very set of people you are determined to rail against. 50 years. And we wonder why 40% of them are in poverty. If you don't think that racism is the issue, that the system was built against them from day one and it is a tremendous struggle to overcome poverty as a result of being Black, then I don't know what else to tell you.

corran hornAug 31, 2020

qualified immunity is a hell of a thing, I agree.

crispyAug 31, 2020

Why do they live in the poverty? Is it racism, bad leadership, or culture? I agree there is a lack of education, but money hasn't fixed that problem. I spent years working in social services as a trainer and saw firsthand what was happening. The lack of male role models and strong fathers is a huge issue whether you want to believe it or not in both black and white communities. Boys seek those male role models and if they don't find them at home, they find them on the street. Many of my clients went to prison at a young age and then couldn't find a job once they got out because no one wants to hire an ex-felon. I saw many of my clients wind up back in jail within months because they got pulled back in immediately. Some wound up dead. Was racism the issue? I don't really think so. It is a vicious cycle of poverty, fatherlessness, lack of education, and hopelessness. Unfortunately, these cycles continue because so many leaders don't want solutions. Issues win elections, solutions don't. I don't blame an NBA star for not wanting to tackle these issues, but it is really irresponsible to glorify someone like Jacob Blake (who was wanted for 3rd degree sexual assault) and demonize the police. Where is the outcry about the deaths of Tamarriss Bohannon and David Dorn? Once again, it is slacktivism and virtue signaling that harms the black community more than it helps it.