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2020–21 NBA G League season

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2020–21 NBA G League season
LeagueNBA G League
SportBasketball
DurationFebruary 9 – March 11, 2021
Number of teams18
Draft
Top draft pickAdmiral Schofield[1]
Picked byGreensboro Swarm
Regular season
Top seedRaptors 905
Season MVPPaul Reed (Delaware)
Finals championsLakeland Magic
  Runners-upDelaware Blue Coats
Finals MVPDevin Cannady (Lakeland)
NBA G League seasons

The 2020–21 NBA G League season was the 20th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season was indefinitely postponed following the previous season's cessation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The league used the same type of isolation season as the 2020 NBA Bubble with all games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida. Only 17 of the 28 teams from the previous season, plus the new NBA G League Ignite development team, chose to participate.

League changes

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In December 2019, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional would be joining the G League in the 2020–21 season on a five-year agreement.[2] The 2019–20 season was then curtailed by the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic and all remaining games after March 12, 2020, and the playoffs were cancelled.

On July 9, 2020, the Phoenix Suns announced they were relocating their G League franchise, the Northern Arizona Suns, from the Prescott Valley to the Phoenix area for the 2020–21 season[3] and subsequently sold the franchise to the Detroit Pistons.[4] The Pistons plan to move the team to Detroit in the 2021–22 season under the name Motor City Cruise.[5] The New Orleans Pelicans launched a name-the-team contest for their upcoming team in Birmingham.[6]

During the constantly changing restrictions amid the pandemic, no announcements for the 2020–21 season were made by the league or the NBA. The NBA season began in December 2020. It was rumored that all games for the G League season would take place in a bubble similar to the 2020 NBA Bubble in either Atlanta, Georgia, or outside Orlando, Florida, with several teams likely to opt out,[7] but that the NBA G League Ignite prospects team would be joining.[8][9] The bubble season was confirmed by the league on January 8, 2021, to start in February at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. Eleven teams opted out of the season: the Capital City Go-Go, College Park Skyhawks, Grand Rapids Drive, Maine Red Claws, Northern Arizona Suns, Sioux Falls SkyForce, South Bay Lakers, Stockton Kings, Texas Legends, Windy City Bulls, and Wisconsin Herd.[10] The Capitanes de Ciudad de México also announced they would postpone their first season in the league until 2021–22.[11]

The schedule was announced on January 27 with the 18 teams each playing 15 regular season games between February 9 and March 6. There is no conference or divisional alignment in the bubble and the top eight teams play a single-elimination playoff from March 8 through the championship game on March 11.[12]

Regular season

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Pos Team W L PCT GB
1 y – Raptors 905 (TOR) 12 3 .800 —
2 x – Santa Cruz Warriors (GSW) 11 4 .733 1
3 x – Erie BayHawks (NO) 11 4 .733 1
4 x – Delaware Blue Coats (PHI) 10 5 .667 2
5 x – Austin Spurs (SAS) 10 5 .667 2
6 x – Lakeland Magic (ORL) 9 6 .600 3
7 x – Rio Grande Valley Vipers (HOU) 9 6 .600 3
8 x – NBA G League Ignite 8 7 .533 4
9 Oklahoma City Blue (OKC) 8 7 .533 4
10 Long Island Nets (BKN) 7 8 .467 5
11 Westchester Knicks (NYK) 7 8 .467 5
12 Memphis Hustle (MEM) 6 9 .400 6
13 Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IND) 6 9 .400 6
14 Canton Charge (CLE) 5 10 .333 7
15 Greensboro Swarm (CHA) 5 10 .333 7
16 Agua Caliente Clippers (LAC) 5 10 .333 7
17 Salt Lake City Stars (UTA) 4 11 .267 8
18 Iowa Wolves (MIN) 2 13 .133 10
Source: GLeague.NBA.com
x – Qualified for playoffs; y – Clinched top seed

Playoffs

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For the first time since the 2006–07 NBA Development League season, the playoffs were held entirely as a single-elimination bracket (the league held this type of format from 2003 to 2007, albeit with four teams for the first three seasons and six for the last season). The Lakeland Magic became the lowest seeded team to win a G League championship.

Quarterfinals
March 8 		Semifinals
March 9 		Championship
March 11
         
1 Raptors 905 127
8 Ignite 102
1 Raptors 905 100
4 Delaware Blue Coats 127
4 Delaware Blue Coats 124
5 Austin Spurs 103
4 Delaware Blue Coats 78
6 Lakeland Magic 97
2 Santa Cruz Warriors 110
7 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 81
2 Santa Cruz Warriors 96
6 Lakeland Magic 108
3 Erie BayHawks 110
6 Lakeland Magic 139

Championship boxscore

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March 11, 2021
4:30 p.m. ET
Lakeland Magic 97, Delaware Blue Coats 78
Scoring by quarter: 21–11, 25–23, 31–20, 20–24
Pts: Devin Cannady 22
Rebs: Karim Mane 8
Asts: Jeff Dowtin Jr. 7		 Pts: Rayjon Tucker 20
Rebs: Paul Reed 11
Asts: Justin Robinson 5
AdventHealth Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: Game was behind closed doors
Referees:
  • #18 Isaac Barnett
  • #55 Cheryl Flores
  • #80 Jamahl Ralls
  • #36 Tyler Ricks

Awards

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Player of the Week

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Date Player Ref
February 16, 2021 Paul Reed [13]
February 22, 2021 Moses Brown [14]
March 1, 2021 Kevin Porter Jr. [15]
March 8, 2021 Henry Ellenson [16]

Notable occurrences

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  • On July 9, 2020, Tori Miller became the first female general manager (GM) in the NBA G League when she was promoted to the position by the College Park Skyhawks.[17]
  • On January 15, 2021, Amber Nichols became the second female general manager in the NBA G League when she was promoted to the position by the Capital City Go-Go.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Greensboro Swarm Select Admiral Schofield with First Pick of 2021 NBA G League Draft". OurSports Central. January 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "NBA G League Expands to Mexico City in Landmark Partnership with Capitanes". NBA G League. December 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "NAZ Suns announce they are leaving Prescott Valley". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "Pistons purchase Suns' NBA G League team". GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Detroit Pistons NBA G League Affiliate To Be Named 'Motor City Cruise'". GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans seeking fan input for G-League team name". December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. ^ McMenamin, Dave (December 17, 2020). "Sources: G League pushing forward; eyeing reduced bubble, shortened season". ESPN. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "Ignite Team Featuring Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga Among 18 Teams Expected To Participate In G League Bubble". Forbes. December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "NBA G League to begin 2020-21 season in February at Disney World bubble, per report". CBS Sports. December 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "NBA G League To Begin Play at Disney In February". NBA G League. January 8, 2021.
  11. ^ "NBA G-LEAGUE ANUNCIA EL INICIO DE SU TEMPORADA 2021 CAPITANES DEBUTARÁ EN LA SIGUIENTE TEMPORADA(2021-2022)". Capitanes. January 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "NBA G League Tips off February 10 at Disney". OurSports Central. January 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Delaware Blue Coats' Paul Reed Named 2020-21 NBA G League Most Valuable Player And Rookie Of The Year". NBA G League. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "OKC Blue's Moses Brown named G League Player of the Week". USA Today. February 23, 2021. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Kevin Porter Jr Named G League Player of the Week". NBA G League. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "Player of the Week: Henry Ellenson". OurSportsCentral. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Hawks make Tori Miller first woman general manager in G League". NBA. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  18. ^ "CAPITAL CITY NAMES AMBER NICHOLS GENERAL MANAGER". NBA G League. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
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