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Goodbye to the short series Source: NBA goes to best-of-seven in 1st roundPosted: Saturday February 08, 2003 2:23 PMATLANTA (AP) -- The first round of the NBA playoffs will switch from best-of-5 to best-of-7 this season under a tentative deal between the players' union and the league. The union and a handful of owners reached the agreement in talks during All-Star weekend. The sides also agreed to meet this summer to begin discussing an extension of the collective bargaining agreement that will expire after the 2003-04 or 2004-05 season. The switch to a best-of-7 format was expected to be announced Saturday night at commissioner David Stern's annual All-Star news conference. A source within the league with knowledge of the agreement, speaking on condition of anonymity, outlined the terms of the deal to the AP:
Previous talks between the league and the union failed to produce an agreement on expanding the first round of the playoffs, which have been best-of-5 since 1984. The change means that all four rounds of the NBA playoffs now will be best-of-7. The agreement still must be approved by the 29 NBA owners, but that is considered a formality. Owners also must decide by Dec. 15 whether to exercise an option in the collective bargaining agreement that would extend it through the 2004-05 season.
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