More safety protocols, fewer games. A rundown of what to expect from the 2020-21 Heat season
This will be a very unique NBA season.
The league calendar is different, some of the rules are different, and there are lists of health and safety protocols teams must follow in order to have a functioning season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the Miami Heat opening its two-game preseason schedule against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena, here’s a guide on what’s different and what to expect this season:
Note: Some answers come from a 158-page Health and Safety Protocols manual that was recently distributed to NBA teams and was obtained by the Miami Herald.
Will NBA teams play a traditional 82-game schedule?
A. No. With the season beginning on Dec. 22 (about two months later than a normal season begins) and projected to end in July (about one month later than a normal season ends), the league cut 10 games from the regular-season schedule.
Each team is scheduled to play 72 regular-season games at home arenas around the league this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Games will not be held in a quarantine bubble to start the season, and there is currently no plan to play any games in a bubble this season.
The Heat opens the season on Dec. 23 against the Magic in Orlando.
In order to help reduce travel and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the NBA added a somewhat new element to the schedule. For teams that play twice in one market, the league is often having those teams play both of those road games in that respective city consecutively on one trip instead of having to make two separate trips to play those games.
Why did the NBA only release the first half of the 2020-21 regular-season schedule?
A: The league decided to release the regular-season schedule in two segments to allow for flexibility in an uncertain world dealing with a raging pandemic.
The schedule for the second half of the season will be released toward the end of the first half (Dec. 22-March 4), and the second-half schedule will include the remainder of each team’s 72 games not scheduled in the first half and any games postponed during the first half that can “reasonably be added” to the second half.
Are there any changes to the NBA’s playoff format this season?
A: Yes, the postseason will look a little different this season.
The traditional playoff format is still being used, with eight teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs and three best-of-7 series determining which team will represent its conference in the best-of-7 NBA Finals series.
But there is one tweak to the normal format: A play-in tournament was approved on a one-year basis for the upcoming season. The tourney will take place after the regular season and before the first round of the playoffs, and it will include the teams with the seventh-highest through the tenth-highest winning percentages in each conference.
The teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have two opportunities to win one game to earn a playoff spot. The teams with the ninth-highest and tenth-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have to win two consecutive games to earn a playoff spot.
At the end of the regular season, the team with the seventh-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the eighth-highest winning percentage in its conference in a play-in game. The winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup in each conference will be the seventh seed in the playoffs for its conference.
The team with the ninth-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the tenth-highest winning percentage in its conference in a play-in game. The loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game will host the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game, and the winner of that game will be the eighth seed in the playoffs for its conference.
Are rules surrounding NBA rosters different this season?
A: Slightly, but the difference isn’t major.
Teams are still only allowed to carry a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts and two players on two-way contracts during the regular season.
But two-way contract players will be allowed to spend more time in the NBA as a form of roster reinforcement during a season played in the middle of a pandemic. Rather than being limited to spending up to 45 days with their NBA teams, two-way players will be eligible to be active for up to 50 of their team’s 72 NBA games.
The Heat’s roster is currently at the 20-player preseason limit (15 standard contracts, one two-way contract and four Exhibit 10 contracts), and must cut to the regular-season limits before Dec. 22.
When is the trade deadline?
A: This date has not been finalized yet. During a traditional schedule, the deadline is usually in early February. But this season’s deadline won’t come until March, at the earliest.
Will there be an All-Star break this season?
A: An All-Star break is scheduled to take place from March 5-10, between the first half and second half of the regular season. But the break will not include an All-Star Game.
Plans for a revised All-Star 2021 will be announced at a later date.
Will fans be allowed to attend Heat home games at AmericanAirlines Arena?
A: No, not for the start of the season, at least.
The Heat announced Friday it will play Monday’s preseason opener against the Pelicans and its Christmas Day regular-season home opener against the Pelicans in a fan-less AmericanAirlines Arena. Nothing official has been decided yet beyond those first two home games.
As part of an email sent to season-ticket holders, Heat president of business operations Eric Woolworth said season-ticket holders “will be credited accordingly for any home games missed until we decide to host fans at AmericanAirlines Arena in 2020-21.”
“We’re just not yet ready to welcome fans back to AmericanAirlines Arena,” Woolworth said in the email. “And we will not be ready by the start of the preseason on December 14th or our regular season home opener on Christmas Day. At this time, the amount of games we will host without fans is unknown. Believe me, I’m not happy being the bearer of this news. But I’m optimistic about 2021 and hopeful that in the near future, we will be together again rooting for our team.”
Heat season-ticket holders are asked to call 786-777-1400 or email SeasonTicketMemberships@Heat.com with any questions.
What happens if a player tests positive for COVID-19 this season?
A: Players, coaches and staff have already begun undergoing regular PCR testing for COVID-19, and that will continue throughout the season. Players who test positive will have to miss at least about two weeks in most circumstances, and also must successfully complete a cardiac exam, before returning to the court.
There are two methods by which a player can return to play after a positive test:
A time-based resolution in which the infected person would have to remain in isolation until at least 10 days have passed since the date of the first positive test or the onset of any symptoms, if they have any; at least 24 hours have passed since their fever went away without the use of medications; and other symptoms have improved.
If a player is cleared based on the time-based resolution, they must then spend two days working out by themselves when no other players are present at the facility while wearing a mask at all times. So any player who tests positive will have to miss a minimum of 12 days before they can return.
The other is a test-based resolution in which the infected person would have to return at least two consecutive negative PCR tests from samples taken at least 24 hours apart.
What happens if a team or player does not follow the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols?
A: As part of the league’s Health and Safety Protocols manual, the NBA warned teams that protocol violations resulting in COVID-19 spread that causes changes to the game schedule and impacts opposing teams “may subject the violating team to additional penalties, which may include fines, suspensions, adjustment or loss of draft choices, and/or game forfeiture.”
For players who violate health and safety protocols this season, the league warned that in-season quarantine and “proportionate adjustment to pay for any games missed during the period that the player is in quarantine and undergoing testing due to engaging in such activities and/or conduct” are possibilities.
Teams and players who are found to repeatedly violate the protocols could be subject to “enhanced discipline.”
What will it take for a game to be postponed because of positive tests?
A: This is expected to be determined by the NBA on a case-to-case basis, like most other leagues have dealt with this question.
What are players allowed to do on the road, and how many people can be included in a team traveling party?
A: The NBA is allowing for players and staff to leave the team hotel for meals during road trips, but with rules: an NBA/NBPA approved restaurant, any other restaurant with outdoor dining, or any indoor restaurant in a fully privatized space. The NBA, NBPA and teams are working to put together a list of at least three approved restaurants in each team market.
In addition, whether at home or on the road, players and staff are not allowed to enter bars, lounges or clubs, visit live entertainment or gaming venues, or use public gyms, spas, pool areas or be part of a large indoor social gathering that includes 15 or more people, according to the memo.
Each team’s traveling party is limited to 45 people this season, which must include 13-17 players, at least three coaches, at least two athletic trainers, at least one strength and conditioning coach, at least one equipment manager, at least two team security staff members, at least one public relations staff member, and at least one team content producer.
What would it take for the NBA to suspend the season?
A: This is unclear. As part of the Health and Safety Protocols document, the league says: “The occurrence of independent cases or a small or otherwise expected number of COVID-19 cases will not require a decision to suspend or cancel the 2020-21 season.”
The NBA added that the protocols “are designed to promote prevention and mitigation strategies to reduce exposure to, and transmission of, the coronavirus; however, it is likely that some staff, players, and other participants in the 2020-21 season nonetheless will test positive or contract COVID-19, particularly as the virus remains prevalent in particular team markets and surrounding communities.”
