Inside The NBA Schedule: What You Need to Know
Contents
- The NBA schedule what you need to know
- The NBA schedule: how it works
- The NBA schedule: benefits
- The NBA schedule: drawbacks
- The NBA schedule: players’ perspective
- The NBA schedule: coaches’ perspective
- The NBA schedule: front office perspective
- The NBA schedule: fans’ perspective
- The NBA schedule: media perspective
- The NBA schedule: league perspective
The NBA Schedule was released on August 13th and there are a lot of things that have changed. Here is what you need to know about the new schedule.
The NBA schedule what you need to know
The NBA schedule is always a hot topic of discussion, and with good reason. With so many games on so many nights, it can be tough to keep track of everything that’s going on. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know about the NBA schedule for the upcoming season
The regular season starts on Tuesday, October 16th and runs through Wednesday, April 11th. There are 1,230 games in total, which break down like this:
-Each team plays 82 games
-40 games are played at home, 40 are played on the road
-Each team has 18 back-to-backs (two games in two nights)
-All 30 teams play on Christmas Day
-There are no games on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day
The playoffs start on Saturday, April 14th and conclude with the NBA Finals in June. The Finals are a best-of-seven series, and the first team to win four games is crowned champion.
The NBA schedule: how it works
An NBA schedule is done by a computer program that tries to create the best possible matchups while also taking into account things like travel. The season starts in October and runs through April, with each team playing 82 games.
There are a few things that make the NBA schedule unique. First, there are four “time slots” that each game can fall into: national TV (usually ESPN or TNT), regional TV (games that are shown on your local channels), locally televised games (these might be shown on your regional sports network), and radio games (only heard on the radio).
Second, the NBA does something called “Load management ” This is when a team rests one or more of its best players for a game that is considered to be less important. For example, if the Golden State Warriors re Playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in February, they might rest Steph Curry and Kevin Durant because it’s not as important as, say, a Playoff Game
Lastly, there are always going to be some games that are rescheduled. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common one is because of television. If there’s a big game on ABC on Sunday afternoon, the NBA might move another game to Sunday night so more people can watch it.
The NBA schedule: benefits
The NBA schedule is designed to ensure that each team plays every other team an equal number of times.
This is beneficial for a number of reasons. First, it ensures that every team has an opportunity to compete against every other team, making the league more fair.
Second, it helps to create more evenly matched games, which are more exciting for fans to watch. Third, it allows the league to generate more revenue by having more games that people want to see.
The NBA schedule: drawbacks
The NBA schedule is released a few months before the season starts. In recent years the schedule release has been sooner and sooner, to the point where last year it was released just days after the Finals ended. The league does this so that teams can start selling tickets and so that TV networks can start promoting their games. There is one big drawback to releasing the schedule so far in advance, though: things can change.
The NBA schedule: players’ perspective
As the regular season comes to an end, the focus now turns to the NBA playoffs But before we get there, let’s take a Step Back and examine the NBA schedule from the players’ perspective.
We all know that the NBA is a demanding league, both physically and mentally. The players are required to give their all on a nightly basis, which takes a toll on their bodies. So, when you take a look at the schedule from their perspective, you can understand why they sometimes need a break.
The NBA schedule is grueling, with games almost every other day. And, while there are some days off built into the schedule, they are often few and far between. This leaves little time for the players to rest and recover from the rigors of the season.
All this being said, the players do understand that this is part of their job and they accept it. They know that they need to be at their best when they take the court, and they are prepared to put in the work to make sure that happens.
The NBA schedule: coaches’ perspective
As the saying goes, “No two days are the same in the NBA.”
For coaches, that’s pretty accurate.
There’s the grind of the 82-game Regular Season Then, if a team is lucky enough to make the playoffs, there’s another level of intensity and focus that comes with playing for a chance to win a championship.
All of that makes for a long season — one that can take a toll on even the most experienced coach.
“It’s a really long season,” said Steve Kerr who has coached the Golden State Warriors to three NBA titles in four seasons. “You have to be prepared mentally and physically.”
Here’s a look at what Kerr and other coaches have to say about the different challenges they face during an NBA season
The NBA schedule: front office perspective
The National Basketball Association (NBA) schedule is released in the summer, with the league outlining the regular season match-ups for the upcoming campaign. While fans focus on when their favorite team will take the court, there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes to make the schedule a reality. Here’s a look at how the NBA schedule is made from the perspective of those in the front office
First, a bit of orientation. The NBA regular season spans six months, from early October to mid-April. Each team plays 82 games – 41 at home, 41 on the road. Of those 82 games, 24 are against conference foes (teams in your own divisions play each other four times, while teams in other divisions play each other three or two times), and 58 are against non-conference opponents.
The league tries to create a balanced schedule, so that every team plays an equal number of home and away games, as well as an equal number of back-to-back games (two games in two nights). They also try to create schedules that limit travel as much as possible – especially when it comes to divisional games, which tend to be played more often than games against non-conference foes.
Once all of that is taken into account, the front office must also consider things like national television appearances and arena availability when putting together the schedule. For example, a team like the Los Angeles Lakers will have many national TV appearances scheduled throughout the season, which means their arena must be available on those dates.
All of these factors – and more – are taken into account when creating the NBA schedule. It’s a complex process that takes months to complete, but when it’s all said and done, fans have a full slate of Regular Season games to enjoy throughout the winter and spring months.
The NBA schedule: fans’ perspective
The National Basketball Association (NBA) schedule is a fascinating document. It tells the story of a demanding regular season one in which each of the league’s 30 teams plays 82 games over a span of six months. It also reveals how the NBA’s playoff system which ultimately determines the league champion, is structured.
The regular season begins in late October and runs through early April. Each team plays 82 games, 41 at home and 41 on the road. The schedule is heavily weighted toward divisional opponents; every team plays four games against each of its division rivals, both home and away. The remaining games are against non-divisional conference opponents; every team plays four games against five teams from its own conference, both home and away. Finally, each team also plays two games against teams from the other conference, one at home and one on the road.
The playoff system is designed so that the best teams in each conference compete for the championship. The playoffs begin in April and conclude in June with the NBA Finals In each conference, eight teams qualify for the playoffs: the three division winners and five Wild Card teams (the five best teams that did not win their divisions). The playoff field is then seeded 1-8 based on Regular season record, with the division winner receiving the top seed
The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series between the 1-8 seed and the 8-1 seed, the 2-7 seed and the 7-2 seed, etc. The four winners advance to the next round, where they are re-seeded 1-4 based on regular season record. This second round is also a best-of-seven series; again, the four winners advance to the next round.
The Conference Finals are also best-of-seven series, with seeds 1-4 once again re-seeded based on regular season record. The two winners advance to the NBA Finals which are also best-of seven series.
The NBA schedule: media perspective
It’s a long season. That’s why having a plan is essential to success. The following is a media perspective of the NBA schedule.
The NBA regular season is 82 games long, which means there are a lot of games to be played. That’s why it’s important to have a plan when it comes to the NBA schedule. Here are a few things you need to know:
1) There are four types of games:
--preseason games These don’t count towards the regular season record but they give players a chance to prepare for the upcoming season They also help teams gauge where they are at before the start of the regular season.
-Regular season games: These count towards a team’s record and seeding in the playoffs.
-Postseason games: These are played after the regular season and determine who wins the NBA Championship
--Summer League games: These are exhibition games that take place after the regular season and before the preseason. They typically feature rookies and young players trying to make an impression on coaches and front office personnel.
2) There are four game windows:
-Local TV window: Most games during this window will be shown on your local channels (ABC, NBC, ESPN, TNT). This is typically from 12pm-3pm ET on weekdays, and 5pm-8pm ET on weekends.
-National TV window: This window features marquee match-ups that will be shown on channels like ESPN, TNT, and ABC nationwide. Start times for these games will vary, but they are typically in primetime (8pm ET or later).
-Late night window: These are typically West Coast match-ups that will start at 10pm ET or later. They will be shown on either your local channels or ESPN.
3) Game Times can change: The NBA schedule is released months in advance, but game times can (and do) change frequently due to factors like weather, player injury/rest, etc. It’s always best to check the schedule closer to game day to get the most accurate start time.
The NBA schedule: league perspective
From a league perspective, the NBA schedule is designed to achieve a few key objectives. First, the league wants to ensure that each team plays every other team an equal number of times. Second, the league strives to create a schedule that is as balanced as possible, in terms of the number of home games and away games each team plays. Finally, the NBA tries to schedule games in a way that maximizes attendance and television viewership.