NBA:In-Season: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:55, 8 October 2026

Reference	Contracts · Rosters · Salary Cap · League Spreadsheet
Transactions	Waivers · Trades · Options · Re-Signing · Draft · Free Agency · G League · Injured Reserve
Timeline	Off-Season · In-Season
Governance	League Structure · GM Responsibilities · Rule Changes
Tools	Re-Sign Calculator · Free Agency Bid Calculator

This page covers what is required of you once the season starts, and the dates that change how the league runs.

The schedule

A season is 22 matchups, numbered as weeks 1 to 22 in Fantrax.

Weeks 1–18	Regular season
Weeks 19–22	Playoffs

Most matchups run one calendar week. Three run two: NBA All-Star, the NBA In-Season Tournament, and the final matchup of the playoffs.

Two matchups each season are doubles — you play two separate opponents in the same matchup.

Lineups

Lineups are set daily, and every team must field a legitimate one. You cannot rest your better players, the same as in the real NBA.

What counts as a violation

The rule has leeway, and the benefit of the doubt goes to the GM. It exists to stop teams throwing games, not to police every daily lineup.

Not a violation	Violation
Letting it ride — not maximizing your lineup every day	Purposely not playing your best players
Benching players when you are safely ahead in categories going into the weekend	Leaving lineup spots open
Setting a legitimate lineup of your best players and never subbing	Starting a player who is not on an NBA roster when you have alternatives
Missing a day or two

Tanking itself is not banned. If you want to tank, sign bad players — the rule is about fielding the team you have, not about trying to win every week.

Enforcement

Step	Penalty
1	Warning
2	Warning
3	Loss of a 2nd-round pick
4	Loss of a 1st-round pick

Key dates

End of week 4	Waiver priority switches from last season's final standings to the current season's
End of week 17	Trade deadline — no trades after week 17 concludes
End of week 18	Regular season ends; the playoffs begin

Playoffs

Eight teams per conference, over four matchups — weeks 19 to 22. Your seed is your place in your conference's standings. First-round pairings follow the real NBA: 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5.

There are no brackets. After each round the highest remaining seed faces the lowest remaining seed.

A playoff matchup is won by the team that wins more categories, and the winner advances. A tied matchup is broken with regular-season results, in this order:

Head-to-head — your record against the team you are tied with
Win %
Total categories won
Division record

What binds now

Roster size applies. From opening day you must carry 12–15 active players. Above 15 your most recently acquired player is waived by default; below 12 you are disqualified from the playoffs.

The salary cap applies, as it does year-round.

Bidding at capacity requires a declaration. At 15 active players you must state how you will create the spot for a bid to count — this requirement is in-season only.

A G League player who crosses 164 career games mid-season may finish the season down, but must be active by the start of the next one.

Still running

Free agency, waivers, and G League moves all run through the season, and free agency continues through the playoffs.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{1TC NBA rules}}
+This page covers what is required of you once the season starts, and the dates that change how the league runs.
 == The schedule ==
-'''A season is 22 matchups''', numbered as Weeks 1 to 22 in Fantrax.
+'''A season is 22 matchups''', numbered as weeks 1 to 22 in Fantrax.
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-| '''Weeks 1–18'''
+! Weeks 1–18
-| Regular season. Week 18 is the last one
+| Regular season
 |-
-| '''Weeks 19–22'''
+! Weeks 19–22
 | [[#Playoffs|Playoffs]]
 |}
@@ Line 20: / Line 22: @@
 == Lineups ==
-'''Every team must field a legitimate lineup every week.''' You cannot rest your better players, the same as in the real NBA.
+'''[[NBA:Rosters#Starting lineup|Lineups]] are set daily''', and every team must field a legitimate one. You cannot rest your better players, the same as in the real NBA.
-Your seven starting slots and the positions that fill them are on [[NBA:Rosters#Starting lineup|Rosters]].
 === What counts as a violation ===
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 |-
 | 1
-| Warning by PM
+| Warning
 |-
 | 2
-| Warning by PM
+| Warning
 |-
 | 3
@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 | Loss of a '''1st-round pick'''
 |}
-New GMs are asked to post an acknowledgement of this rule. Failing to post does not exempt you from it.
 == Key dates ==
@@ Line 72: / Line 70: @@
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-| '''End of week 4'''
+! End of week 4
 | [[NBA:Waivers#Waiver priority|Waiver priority]] switches from last season's final standings to the current season's
 |-
-| '''End of week 17'''
+! End of week 17
 | [[NBA:Trades#The deadline|Trade deadline]] — no trades after week 17 concludes
 |-
-| '''End of week 18'''
+! End of week 18
 | Regular season ends; the [[#Playoffs|playoffs]] begin
 |}
@@ Line 84: / Line 82: @@
 == Playoffs ==
-'''Eight teams per conference, over four matchups — weeks 19 to 22.''' Run like the real NBA: 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5.
+'''Eight teams per conference, over four matchups — weeks 19 to 22.''' Your seed is your place in your conference's [[NBA:League Structure#Standings|standings]]. First-round pairings follow the real NBA: 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5.
 '''There are no brackets.''' After each round the highest remaining seed faces the lowest remaining seed.
-The final runs '''two calendar weeks'''.
+'''A playoff matchup is won by the team that wins more categories''', and the winner advances. A tied matchup is broken with regular-season results, in this order:
-Two different tie-breaker sets apply:
+# Head-to-head — your record against the team you are tied with
+# Win %
-{| class="wikitable"
+# Total categories won
-!
+# Division record
-! To make the playoffs
-! Within the playoffs
-|-
-| 1
-| Head-to-head
-| Head-to-head
-|-
-| 2
-| Total categories won in the regular season
-| Win %
-|-
-| 3
-| Division record
-| Total categories won in the regular season
-|-
-| 4
-| Least categories lost
-| Division record
-|}
-Note that seeding uses total categories won before division record, while the in-playoff set matches the [[NBA:League Structure#Standings|regular-season order]].
-'''Carrying fewer than 12 active players disqualifies you from the post-season.''' See [[NBA:Rosters#When the limits bind|Rosters]].
 == What binds now ==
-'''Roster size applies.''' From opening day you must carry [[NBA:Rosters#When the limits bind|12 to 15 active players]]. Above 15 your most recently acquired player is waived by default; below 12 you are [[#Playoffs|disqualified from the post-season]].
+'''Roster size applies.''' From opening day you must carry [[NBA:Rosters#When the limits bind|12–15 active players]]. Above 15 your most recently acquired player is [[NBA:Waivers#Automatic waivers|waived by default]]; below 12 you are disqualified from the playoffs.
-'''The [[NBA:Salary Cap|salary cap]] applies''', as it does year-round.
+'''The [[NBA:Salary Cap#The cap|salary cap]] applies''', as it does year-round.
 '''Bidding at capacity requires a declaration.''' At 15 active players you must state how you will create the spot for a [[NBA:Free Agency#Before you bid|bid]] to count — this requirement is in-season only.
@@ Line 130: / Line 105: @@
 == Still running ==
-[[NBA:Free Agency|Free agency]], [[NBA:Waivers|waivers]] and [[NBA:G League|G League moves]] all run through the season, and free agency continues through the playoffs.
+[[NBA:Free Agency|Free agency]], [[NBA:Waivers|waivers]], and [[NBA:G League|G League moves]] all run through the season, and free agency continues through the playoffs.
 == See also ==
@@ Line 142: / Line 117: @@
 [[Category:1TC NBA rules]]