How the 2022-23 NBA Schedule was Made
The NBA has already unveiled its 2022/2023 schedule, an annual exercise that may appear normal to many but is more complex. Of course, Christmas and the opening night are the highlights of the schedule reveal, but it’s always interesting to dig deeper.
To help you understand how the 2022/2023 NBA schedule was made to feature all the 82 games and 30 teams, here are several keynotes that we’ve noted. You can also stay updated on the NBA schedule with VN sports news for the latest developments in the league.
Back-to-Back games and resting advantages
The league is still prioritizing cutting down the number of back-to-back games every team plays. In the 2022/2023 NBA season, teams will play an average of 13.3 back-to-back sets. That is a drop from an average of 13.5 last season and about 19.3 in the 2014/2015 season. No team will have less than twelve or more than 15 back-to-backs.
For the second time, there won’t be any four-stretch games played within five nights on the schedule, although postponed games created such instances last season. There are also fewer instances where teams play five matches within seven nights. Only two teams played five games of such five-within-seven stretches, and there won’t be any this season.
While the back-to-back sets are down this season, the games in which teams will be playing without resting went up by 41 to 54. That makes the game fairer, as it limits cases where teams get lots of rest advantages. The schedule only has a 23.6% rest advantage for 290 games, down from 324 games (26.3%) last season.
Extended stays and two-game series on LA and New York
The continued increase in the NBA's two-game series is arguably the biggest revolution in scheduling over the last few years. This strategy was introduced in the 2020/2021 NBA season to minimize travelling in the condensed schedule, where two opposing teams get to play two straight games in the same arena. This season features 55 two-game series, which feature three teams, including:
- The Heat (one away match and six at home)
- Kings (four away games and three at home)
- Raptors (five games on the road and two at home)
The organizers have also increased the times when teams will play consecutive away matches in LA (against the Lakers and Clippers) or New York (against the Nets and Knicks). Thirty-three of these instances include all Eastern Conference teams playing two Los Angeles games in the same arena. The Kings and Suns are the only squads without a two-game spell in either Los Angeles or New York.
Teams with short road trips and long homestands
The Warriors have the longest homestand this season, which includes eight games running from 25th December to 10th January. On the other hand, the Raptors, Pacers and Kings have the longest road trips, including seven games each.
The Spurs will get their annual nine games road trip in February, but the All-Star break will split it. Six games, all against the East Conference, will be held before the break, while the remaining three against Utah and Dallas will be held after.
Read more
