According to the NBA program, each team plays 82 games per season. In addition to these system constraints, the schedule must be fair to all teams. Various other factors, such as venue availability, tv broadcast preference, and holiday conflicts, come into play when creating the schedule. In essence, planning can significantly impact revenue.
Here, we explore how the NBA schedule is made:
Overview
The National Basketball Association (NBA) will release its schedule for the current season on Wednesday. Despite the much-awaited announcement, much information flows as fans await the unveiling of the 30 teams.
Some of the top games touted to feature in this year’s season include;
- On opening night, October 18, the Lakers face off the Warriors, and the 76ers face off the Celtics.
- The Pelicans play the Nets on October 19, with All-Stars Zion Williamson and Ben Simmons making regular-season debuts.
- On October 20, the Bucks will play the 76ers in Philadelphia.
- The Celtics will face the Heat in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals on October 21.
- On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Heat travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks, while the Suns travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.
Ever wonder how the 2022-23 NBA schedule was made?@MikeVorkunov got answers directly from the NBA's Executive VP of basketball strategy and analytics – the person in charge of the process.
The process is complex.https://t.co/IoUUAXZ8Sl pic.twitter.com/elUUwSyLIj
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 19, 2022
Important Facts About The Forthcoming Schedule Announcement
Must Read: 2021-22 NBA Season Summary
As noted, the NBA will release schedules for the 2022-23 season at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
The following games are slotted for this Christmas;
- Celtics vs. Bucks
- Knicks vs. 76ers
- Nuggets at Suns
- Mavericks vs. Lakers
- Warriors vs. Grizzlies
When Does The National Basketball Association (NBA) Start?
The regular season of the NBA will start on October 18, and there will be two games that night. These are the Lakers vs. the Warriors and the 76ers vs. the Celtics.
How NBA scheduling Is Made:
The NBA creates the league schedule to achieve two critical objectives: competitiveness and optimal cost reduction. Hence, the last regular season schedule must be competitively efficient while considering a reduction in travel expenses.
The team involved in the setup explored the following issues;
- Methodology For Scheduling
Here is the formula applied in the creation of the NBA Schedule; First off, every team must play the following fixtures;
- Four contests against the remaining four division groups.
- Four contests against six out-of-division conference rivals.
- Three contests against the remaining four conference teams.
- Two contests against teams in the opposing conference
Usually, the planners use a five-year rotation to determine the out-of-division conference teams that will play only three times each year.
- Availability of Courts or Venues
Another thing that the planners look at is the availability of the court. Teams must submit the following before the end of the previous regular season;
- Four Mondays
- Not less than 50 daters for home court availability
- Four Thursdays to help TNT plan its broadcasts.
- Breaks or Offs
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1561482616884314113
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The planners normally consider days when games won’t be played. These include;
- The all-star game
- Christmas eve
- NCAA championship game
Worth noting; that all NBA teams will play on November 7 for an evening that seeks to promote civic engagement prior to actually taking the day off on November 8 for Election Day.
In the coming months, NBA teams will also disseminate crucial details about their state’s election process as well as voter registration deadlines.
- Broadcasters Rights
The NBA must move in line with requirements from the main broadcasts or NBA’s TV partners namely; TNT, ABC, and ESPN. This enables the time frames to be tweaked.
- Any Conflicts
The planners seek to eliminate any conflicts that may occur as a result of scheduling. For example, NHL contests on the same court must be resolved at the planning stage.
2022 NBA Games Format
Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the original 82-game schedule was reduced by 10 games to 72. Consequently, the team has to play the following games;
- Play-in Tournament
Notwithstanding condemnation from top players, the NBA will permit teams to play for the last two spots in play-in games. Notably, this layout is not new but was used previously in the Bubble.
- 42 Intra-Conference Games
- Three matchups against 14 other teams in the same conference.
- Two titles at home and one away or one at home and two away.
- Two home matches against all teams from another division, and two road games against all teams from the remaining division.
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- 30 Inter-Conference Games
- Two tournaments against the clashing conference’s 15 opponents
- Inter-conference play will consist of one home game and one away game.
Conclusion
If you are into NBA online betting, knowing how the NBA schedule is made has significant importance. It helps you know which team will play, the time, and the venue. Hopefully, the discussion offers some valuable insights for your planning too.
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