Explaining the NBA format for the remainder of the 2019-20 season

Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks on March 11, 2020 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

With the NBA set with its plan for the 2019-20 season, it is important to delve into what is the format they agreed upon for the season.

Here are the standings when the NBA suspended play back in March:

Screenshot from the NBA website.

To determine the field, the teams that would be in the playoffs if it started today comprise the initial field.

In the Eastern Conference, that would be the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and the Orlando Magic.

In the Western Conference, that would be the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and the Memphis Grizzlies.

In addition, any teams within six games of the team currently pegged as the eighth seed in both conferences will be included in the field.

There are six teams that fall within that criteria:

The Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference.

The Portland Trailblazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.

The 22 teams will each play eight "seeding games" determined from the remainder of its remaining regular season schedule, with these games counting in the league standings.

The best seven teams from each conference are automatically in the postseason, while the eighth seeds will have to sweat it out to see if it will have to participate in a play-in game. If the ninth seed is within four games of the eighth seed in the standings when the regular season concludes, the play-in game will take place. The eighth seed will have a twice-to-beat advantage over the ninth seed.

Here is the race for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference:

Here is the race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference:

Once the play-in games are completed (if necessary), the postseason can commence accordingly. Format remains unchanged, with best-of-seven matchups in all rounds.

Teams that miss the postseason will qualify for the NBA Draft Lottery, slated to take place on August 25 (26 in the Philippines).

Already locked in with regards to their lottery odds seeding are the teams who are not participating in Orlando:

Screenshot from Tankathon.com

The six remaining lottery teams will be coming from this group below. The odds will be distributed accordingly based on their record when the NBA paused action back in March.

Screenshot from ESPN

If everything augurs well, league will resume play on July 31 (August 1 in Manila).