Eric Gordon Supports Permanently Shifting NBA Finals to August
The NBA is exploring a slate of contingencies for resuming the 2019-20 season, with the playoffs possibly shifting to August after the league's coronavirus suspension. And the move could become permanent past the current interrupted season.
The league may opt to shift the NBA Finals to August beyond 2020, necessitating a starting date sometime in December. Such a move would mark a radical change for the NBA, but it already has one proponent: Rockets guard Eric Gordon.
"I really do want to have the season start in December, like on Christmas," Gordon told SportsTalk 790's Matt Thomas on Tuesday. "And end in early August or maybe late July. ...That would do everyone well."
The NBA kicked off the 2011 season on Christmas, though that was due to the league's lockout and subsequent shortened season. But perhaps Gordon's idea has some merit even with a full 82-game schedule.
Christmas is considered the unofficial start of the NBA's season to most casual fans, and the first 30-plus games often cede the limelight to the NFL and college football season. Rather than compete with football in the fall, the NBA could kick off on Christmas, play through the spring, then crown a champion in the dregs of baseball season. What would a potential league calendar look like? Let's run through the potential framework for an altered season.
Dec. 25 – Opening Night
April 10 – NBA Trade Deadline
April 16-18 – All-Star Weekend
July 10 – Begin playoffs
August 20 – Begin NBA Finals
September 20 – NBA Draft
October 1 – Begin Free Agency
October 10 – NBA Fall League
Nov. 20 – Begin preseason
The above schedule is only an approximation of a potential schedule for the next decade, and teams around the NBA would likely balk at certain aspects of a league proposal. But Gordon's original point is sound. There's a better NBA calendar available, one that doesn't spend the first 30 games buried by the NFL. If the NBA is willing to get creative, it could see impressive growth in the 2020s.
