Because of the many imponderables in the Corona crisis, the basketball Bundesliga has adjusted its mode for the play-offs.
The BBL is gradually entering the hot phase.
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Keyword 2-2-1 format
Although the series should continue to be played in the best-of-five format, home law does not change after every game as is usual. The BBL announced on Tuesday. Instead, the knockout round is played according to the 2-2-1 mode, as is currently the case in the Euroleague. This means that one team has home rights in the first two games and one possible final game, and the other in games three and four. This is intended to reduce unnecessary travel and the associated increased risk of infection.
Since there are still some catch-up games in the main round due to several quarantine orders for different teams, the start of the play-offs will be postponed. The decisive phase of the season should now begin on Thursday, May 20th at the latest. The weekend before (15/16 May) the top four for the basketball cup is also planned in Munich.
Quarantine does not automatically mean the end
The league and clubs also agreed on regulations in the event that a team or several teams have to be quarantined during the play-offs due to positive corona cases. Such a scenario does not automatically mean the end for the team concerned.
Every game that a team cannot play due to quarantine is scored against the respective team. If a series has not yet been decided after the end of the quarantine, the respective club may compete again for the next match. “In this case, the ‘quarantine team’ will join the series with 0: 1 or 0: 2,” said a BBL announcement on Tuesday.
It has “the highest priority to play out all relevant sporting decisions as far as possible in a sporty way and not to regulate them ‘at the green table'”, the message goes on to say. The season must end by June 13th at the latest because of the following national team window.
