With the NBA presumably heading to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., to finish the remainder of the 2019-20 season, details must be finalized as to how everything is going to work logistically.
The only things that are set in stone are that the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on the Disney World grounds will serve as a host site, and 22 teams will be invited to the bubble. What’s also known is the entire playoffs will be made of up best-of-seven series.
Beyond that, there is the question of home-court advantage. Top teams have reportedly discussed how that can be made up for, with possibilities including extra possessions, more fouls for a designated player and possibly having first pick for which hotel will house players.
However, teams will reportedly all be staying in one hotel, rather than occupying multiple different resorts, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports:
Walt Disney World sources: "We are still working out the final details with the NBA, but NBA personnel are likely to be accommodated at one resort. NBA personnel will not be accommodated all over property at many different resorts despite some reporting to the contrary."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 4, 2020
It’s unclear exactly how this would work, but Disney World absolutely has the ability to accommodate the entire NBA in one hotel. The largest resort on the property, although one of the simplest ones, is the Pop Century Resort.
It’s located directly next to the ESPN Wide World of Sports, where games would take place, and has 2,880 individual rooms. While the number of rooms would be much more than needed and the location is perfect, it isn’t nearly as nice as the hotels players are used to staying at while on the road.
The NBA will need to figure out exactly how many rooms are needed, especially once families will be allowed to join the bubble, before figuring out if staying in one hotel is even possible. Once they do that, they can discuss which hotel that will be and how transportation would work between the hotel and the arenas.
This is one of many details that need to be figured out before players head to Orlando at the beginning of July. However, it seems unlikely that teams with higher seeding would be allowed to pick their hotel, meaning the replacement for home-court advantage would have to come some other way.