NBA Considering Reseeding Conference Finalists And Shortening The Regular Season

For the in-season tournament, the NBA is focused on 30-team participation that begins with a divisional group stage of scheduled regular-season games, ESPN reports.

Those pre-knockout-round games would be part of the regular-season schedule. Six divisional winners — based on home and road records in the group stage — and the two teams with the next-best records would advance to a single-elimination knockout round, league sources said.

Those teams could each potentially compete in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.