How Does the NBA Schedule Work?

How Does the NBA Schedule Work? The answer may be more complicated than you think. Let’s take a look at how the NBA schedule is made.

Introduction

The NBA schedule is very complex, with many different factors influencing when and where games are played. The league’s 82-game regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 41 home games and 41 away games. The schedule is released in August, and usually features 1,280 total games (82 per team).

The NBA schedule is heavily influenced by television partners, which is why you often see certain teams playing more frequently on national broadcasts. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are two of the most popular teams in the league, so they will often play on ESPN or TNT. This also explains why some teams play more weekend games than others, as that is when nationally-televised games are typically scheduled.

In addition to television partners, the NBA schedule is also influenced by arena availability and team schedules. For example, the New York Knicks share Madison Square Garden with the NHL’s New York Rangers, so the Knicks’ schedule has to work around the Rangers’ schedule. Similarly, many NBA teams share arenas with WNBA teams, which can also impact scheduling.

How the NBA Schedule is Made

A lot of people don’t realize how much work goes into making the NBA schedule. It’s a complicated process that involves lots of moving pieces. The schedule is made months in advance and there are a lot of factors that go into it. Let’s take a look at how the NBA schedule is made.

The NBA Calendar

The NBA Calendar revolves around three key things – the regular season, the playoffs and the offseason.

The regular season starts in late October, with training camps opening a few weeks earlier. The NBA then releases the schedule for the upcoming season in August, with each team playing 82 games – 41 at home and 41 away.

The playoffs start in mid-April, with the NBA Finals taking place in June. The offseason then runs from late June until early September, when training camps open again.

There are a few key dates that every NBA fan should know about.

The NBA Draft is held in late June, after the conclusion of the Finals. Free agency also begins in July, with teams able to sign players to new contracts.

The start of preseason games is usually in early October, with the regular season starting about a month later. The All-Star break is held in mid-February, with the playoffs starting in mid-April and the Finals taking place in June.

The NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the 30 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) select new players for their rosters. The draft order is decided by a combination of the previous season’s standings and a lottery, in which teams that did not make the playoffs are given a chance to win the first overall pick.

The draft consists of two rounds. In the first round, each team can choose any player from the eligible pool of players. In the second round, teams can either choose any remaining player or trade their pick to another team. Once a team has chosen a player, that player is considered “drafted” and cannot be chosen by any other team.

The NBA Regular Season

The NBA regular season is an 82-game journey that starts in late October/early November and ends in April, with a month-long playoff tournament to decide the champion in June. Every team plays 82 games, 41 of them at home and 41 on the road. They play every other team in their conference four times (twice at home, twice on the road), and they play every team in the opposite conference three times (twice at home, once on the road). The remaining games are played against teams within their conference that they didn’t already have a full home-and-home series with.

The NBA Playoffs

The NBA schedule is made with the playoffs in mind. The regular season runs from October to April, with the playoffs beginning in late April and running into June. The Finals are typically held in early June.

During the regular season, each team plays 82 games. These games are not played all at once; instead, they are spread out over the course of the months, with each team playing two or three games per week. This allows for more rest and practice time between games, which is important for the players’ health and performance.

The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament where the best teams in each conference (Eastern and Western) compete against each other to see who will make it to the Finals. The first and second rounds of the playoffs are played within each conference, meaning that only teams from the East can play each other in the first round, and only teams from the West can play each other in the second round. The conference finals are played between the winners of the first and second rounds from each conference, with the winner of those series moving on to the Finals.

Conclusion

Now that you know how the NBA schedule is created, you can start planning your trips to see your favorite team in action. Keep in mind that the schedule is subject to change, so be sure to check back often. And, of course, remember to check the local listings to find out when and where the games will be aired in your area.