So exactly how does one analyze an NBA schedule? It’s not like the National Football League where you have a real “strength of schedule” based on a limited number of out-of-division opponents, because in the NBA everyone plays everyone else at least twice.
But the August 14 schedule release was soon followed by several analyses – since nothing else is going on – that measure each team’s strength of schedule, largely based on opponent’s win-loss records from last season and something called the Pythagorean Expectation (which there will be no attempt to explain here).
So it’s not terribly surprising that based on these formulas, the Phoenix Suns – projected as one of the weaker teams in the tougher Western Conference – are considered to have the “toughest” schedule while the Cleveland Cavaliers – the best team in the weaker Eastern Conference – have the “easiest” schedule.
Fortunately, we don’t need complex formulas to tell us that bad teams have tougher schedules than strong teams and Western Conference teams have more difficult schedules than Eastern Conference teams. And that was the case before top players like Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap moved from East to West during the off-season.
So There’s No More Resting of Players Who Aren’t Injured? Riiiiiight.
Meanwhile, the league has taken steps to reduce the number of games missed due to the need to “rest” during the season by scaling back the number of games on consecutive nights and the “four games in five days” scenarios. However, do not be surprised to see playoff-bound teams continue to sit their key players in March and April, replacing (rest) as the justification with injuries beginning with the word “sore”, which everyone is late in the season.
And despite efforts to make the schedule more player-friendly, there remain some quirks – likely dictated by arena availability – that nonetheless prove the schedule makers still have a sense of humor.
These Are The Poor Souls Tasked With Playing “At Golden State” On The Second Leg Of Back-To-Back Games:
Atlanta Hawks: March 22 at Sacramento and March 23 at Golden State.
Denver Nuggets: December 22 at Portland and December 23 at Golden State.
Detroit Pistons: October 28 at LA Clippers and October 29 at Golden State.
LA Clippers: March 13 at LA Lakers and March 14 at Golden State.
Miami Heat: November 5 at LA Clippers and November 6 at Golden State.
New Orleans Pelicans (twice): November 24 and April 6 at Phoenix, November 25 and April 7 at Golden State.
Utah Jazz: December 26 at Denver, December 27 at Golden State.
These Are The Teams With Scheduled Matinee Games In New York City:
Portland Trailblazers: On November 24, the Blazers are scheduled to play a 12 Noon game in Brooklyn. For the Portland players, that would be 9:00 AM, Body Clock Time…on the day after Thanksgiving.
Atlanta Hawks: February 2 against the Knicks in a 12:00 PM start. Last November, the Hawks played a 12:00 PM Sunday matinee game in New York where Hawks guard Dennis Schroeder scored one point on 0-for 8 shooting and had some Knicks fans thinking the team had turned a corner defensively in a 104-94 win. The party jokes were flying on both counts.
MIlwaukee Bucks: February 2 for a 12 Noon game in Brooklyn.
Cleveland Cavaliers: March 25, a 1:00 PM game in Brooklyn. With Cleveland already having sewn up a playoff spot, will Lebron even suit up for this one?
And Some Of The Brutal Back-To-Back Games Involving Travel:
On November 28 and 29, the Washington Wizards have consecutive road games in Minneapolis and Philadelphia.
The Boston Celtics play at home on December 15 against Utah, then board a three-hour flight to Memphis, Tennessee for a game against the Grizzlies the very next evening.
On December 27 and 28, the New York Knicks play on consecutive nights in Chicago, Illnois and San Antonio, Texas.
The Houston Rockets play in Orlando on January 3, then take a long flight home for a game the next evening. The opponent? The Golden State Warriors. They will also play the night before, but in Dallas.
The Los Angeles Lakers play in New Orleans on February 14, and in Minneapolis on February 15.
The Minnesota Timberwolves – who have several challenging back-to back contests involving travel – get to chase Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense in Houston on February 23, then head back to Minneapolis for an emotional tilt against the Chicago Bulls the next evening.
On March 17, the same Timberwolves play in San Antonio, then play at home the next evening against the Houston Rockets.
And Then There Are The Portland Trailblazers.
Neatly tucked away all by their lonesome in the upper left corner of the map and having been deserted by their Pacific Northwest neighbors in Seattle and Vancouver, the Blazers annually lead the NBA in frequent-flyer miles amassed.
The 2017-18 season will be no different, with five different trips to the Eastern Time Zone and their nearest road game approximately 600 miles away in Sacramento.
The Demise Of The 82-Game Athlete.
The 2016-17 NBA season saw only 17 players take the court for all 82 games; there were 18 the year prior. With the scheduling changes, the league hopes to increase that number, but with teams looking to play faster and smaller, we may not see a measurable reduction in the number of “games missed while healthy” until the league devises a way to make games late in the season more meaningful.
This is the challenge.
