The Playoffs schedule: Too Compressed?

[Roy H.]

Aaron Gordon:

He said, "Health is a lot, you know. I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games in the playoffs instead of every other day. Regardless if you go seven games. I understand if you do your work early, then you're first seed and you can have some time off. I think the days between games, not just the off-day and the travel day, but a travel day and a recovery day, just two days I think. The product of the game would be a lot better. Just give these professional athletes one more day of rest, you'll see a higher level of basketball. Probably less blowouts."

He further cited Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, and Damian Lillard as examples of how the product of basketball has suffered due to NBA's stacked schedule. He said, "You saw it around the league like Steph with the hamstring, JT, big respect to Jayson Tatum man I hope he gets better quick. There's guys like Dame. There's guys all around the league that are just like suffering fatigue-based injuries because the games are so closely stacked together."

I've seen a lot of people say this.  Is there any validity?

[Celtics2021]

Aaron Gordon:

He said, "Health is a lot, you know. I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games in the playoffs instead of every other day. Regardless if you go seven games. I understand if you do your work early, then you're first seed and you can have some time off. I think the days between games, not just the off-day and the travel day, but a travel day and a recovery day, just two days I think. The product of the game would be a lot better. Just give these professional athletes one more day of rest, you'll see a higher level of basketball. Probably less blowouts."

He further cited Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, and Damian Lillard as examples of how the product of basketball has suffered due to NBA's stacked schedule. He said, "You saw it around the league like Steph with the hamstring, JT, big respect to Jayson Tatum man I hope he gets better quick. There's guys like Dame. There's guys all around the league that are just like suffering fatigue-based injuries because the games are so closely stacked together."

I've seen a lot of people say this.  Is there any validity?

I don?t think there is, frankly.  The schedule has been pretty similar since they extended the first round to a best of 7 25ish years ago.  Sometimes isolated events, while suggesting a pattern, are simply coincidental.

[wdleehi]

I am mostly fine with the playoff schedule.   At most, I would do a day off between games in the same arena and two days off between travel.   


I can't imagine stretching the playoffs any longer then it currently is.   


I still think it is the regular season schedule that still need tweaking.   Reduce back to backs. 

[Donoghus]

League stretches the playoffs over 2 months.  It's ridiculous.   

Playoff schedule is fine.  The regular season is what needs adjusting.

[GreenEnvy]

I personally don?t get it. Less blowouts? Other than Game 1?s, both teams have the same time off.

It?s not like the regular season where some marquee games have one team off a b2b and the other coming in on three days rest.

As long as no b2b?s in the playoffs, the one day off is fine.
If you want to throw a second in there between the travel for game 4/5, so be it.

Can?t have 82 games (already stretched out 2 weeks longer with a mid-October start), then play-in games, and then four full 7-game rounds with extra rest days. They?ll be playing Finals games on the Fourth of July.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

League stretches the playoffs over 2 months.  It's ridiculous.   

Playoff schedule is fine.  The regular season is what needs adjusting.

This is what I think.

[Phantom255x]

League stretches the playoffs over 2 months.  It's ridiculous.   

Playoff schedule is fine.  The regular season is what needs adjusting.

This is what I think.

Me three.

The regular season needs adjusting. Load managing isn't gonna stop, and I also think having a handful of B2Bs hurts too. And sorry, me personally I think that in-season tournament is pretty stupid too. I guess their logic is, it's good for a few weeks in November but what even comes out of it? I think we're soon gonna see teams not care about it either and load manage regardless.

I think they'd be better off just shortening the season a bit and spreading it out more. Some of the "3 games in 4 nights" or "5 in 7 days" nowadays are just being used by teams as more excuses to rest.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

League stretches the playoffs over 2 months.  It's ridiculous.   

Playoff schedule is fine.  The regular season is what needs adjusting.

This is what I think.

Me three.

The regular season needs adjusting. Load managing isn't gonna stop, and I also think having a handful of B2Bs hurts too. And sorry, me personally I think that in-season tournament is pretty stupid too. I guess their logic is, it's good for a few weeks in November but what even comes out of it? I think we're soon gonna see teams not care about it either and load manage regardless.

I think they'd be better off just shortening the season a bit and spreading it out more. Some of the "3 games in 4 nights" or "5 in 7 days" nowadays are just being used by teams as more excuses to rest.

Yeah, just have 3 games per week, no back-to-backs, with something like a 65-game schedule.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

And I'll add that it baffles me how today's athletes?who have nutritionists, personal chefs, personal trainers, the greatest strength and conditioning personnel and programs that have ever existed, etc.?seem to be more fragile than athletes of decades past. Yeah, probably true that a lot of them are stronger than past players, the game is faster, etc., but it seems like these guys are made of glass. Or are they turning themselves into glass by overtraining, overweightlifting, etc.?