We have arrived at the final installment of our extended series on weekend back-to-backs in the NBA. This issue came to our attention when we noticed the disparities in day games (almost exclusively on weekends, of course) on the new schedule. We defined the parameters of a weekend back-to-back, establishing what represented a properly-handled or poorly-handled version. We then compiled the totals for each team in the league.
In this piece, our second overview — and final examination — of the topic looks at home-road splits: Did the poorly-handled weekend back-to-backs originate with a road game or a home game? If they originated with a home game, that seems like more of an unforced error on the organization for not scheduling in line with its own team’s travel needs. If it’s a road game, the organization obviously couldn’t do anything about the matter. That’s a distinction worth making as we bring our “weekend back-to-back research project” to a close.
Naturally, arenas and cities have all sorts of conflicts. There might be local festivals or civic events that we don’t know about, events that could rightly have affected how NBA teams scheduled certain weekend home dates. You can reference those events in the comments sections, and they’ll be treated as factors which will adjust the original assessments you see below.
Therefore, what you see below is a first draft of this story — one worth putting down on paper, but one subject to revisions if people in the NBA’s 28 communities (we’re putting New York and Brooklyn in the same basket, as with Los Angeles) can cite important local happenings which influence schedules.
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2015-2016 NBA SCHEDULE
POORLY-HANDLED WEEKEND BACK-TO-BACKS:
HOME-ROAD SPLITS WITH NOTES ATTACHED
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTA: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 2 road.
The home B2B starts on Saturday, March 12. It’s hard to find an event in Atlanta which would necessitate a night start at this point in the year, and the fact that the game is on a Saturday makes the scheduling move even more curious. The most puzzling part? The back end of the back-to-back is also at home — most B2Bs are split into a home game and a road game. Why would the Hawks not schedule the Saturday game early so that the Sunday evening game offers a longer turnaround time?
The schedule currently says that the Saturday game (Memphis) is a 7:30 local time tip, the Sunday game (Indiana) a 6 p.m. tip. Weird.
BOSTON: 4 poorly handled B2Bs, all on the road.
Conflicts with the Boston Bruins of the NHL can’t be cited here. The Celtics simply got the short end of the stick based on other teams’ scheduling decisions.
BROOKLYN: 2 poorly-handled B2Bs, both on the road.
Similar to the Celtics, only with a smaller number of such situations.
CHARLOTTE: No poorly-handled weekend back-to-backs, a blessed thing for a team which needs all the help it can get.
CHICAGO: 1 poorly handled B2B — at home.
On Saturday, April 2, the Bulls play a home game at 8 Eastern (Detroit) before playing a Sunday game at 7 Eastern in Milwaukee. The United Center does not host a Blackhawks (NHL) game on Saturday.
Let’s say the Bulls are tied with Cleveland for the Central Division lead. What if Derrick Rose has to sit one half of this back-to-back? What if the failure to schedule the home game at 1 Eastern on Saturday leaves Chicago tired enough to lose to the Bucks on Sunday evening?
CLEVELAND: no poorly-handled B2Bs — LeBron will appreciate that.
DETROIT: 5 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 4 road.
The Pistons do not share the same building with hockey’s Red Wings, but maybe the NFL Lions are playing a home game on Sunday, Dec. 6, when the Pistons start a weekend back-to-back with a 6 p.m. home game.
Nope. The Lions not only don’t play a home game that day — they don’t play any game. They have a Dec. 3 Thursday night game that week.
Why, Pistons, why?
INDIANA: 4 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 3 road.
When the Pacers play a Sunday evening home game at 6 on February 28, there’s no hockey or college basketball to compete with that date. Puzzling. The Pacers have to visit the Cavs on Monday, Feb. 29 — they sure could use the extra turnaround time afforded by a 1 p.m. Eastern start.
MIAMI: 2 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 1 road.
Are the NFL Dolphins playing an early-afternoon home game on Sunday, Dec. 13, when the Heat start a weekend back-to-back by playing a 6 p.m. game against Memphis?
No. The Dolphins play on Monday night, Dec. 14. What is the deal here?
MILWAUKEE: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs — 2 home, 1 road.
There’s no competing NHL hockey tenant at the Bucks’ current arena. Wisconsin basketball will be playing in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments when the Bucks start weekend back-to-backs with evening home games on Saturday, March 12, and Sunday, March 20. It’s hard to see the reasoning at work here.
NEW YORK: 2 poorly-handled B2Bs, both on the road.
ORLANDO: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs, 2 home, 1 road.
The Magic don’t immediately compete with either NFL teams or NHL teams. Starting back-to-backs at home on both Sunday, Dec. 20 (Atlanta) and Sunday, Jan. 31 (Boston) seems foolish, as it does for other NBA organizations who have done the same. Clearly, the Magic are not alone but their market size makes this move even worse.
PHILADELPHIA: 5 poorly-handled B2Bs — 2 home, 3 road.
Do the NHL Flyers play at home on Saturday, Jan. 9, or Sunday, March 20, when the Sixers play evening games on the front ends of weekend back-to-backs?
Yes on Jan. 9, no on March 20. At least the Sixers can’t be faulted for one of these two moves.
TORONTO: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs — 2 home, 1 road.
Do the NHL Maple Leafs play at home when the Raptors start weekend back-to-backs at home on Sunday, Dec. 13 (Philadelphia), or Sunday, Feb. 21 (Memphis)?
No and no.
0 for 2, Raptors.
WASHINGTON: 1 poorly-handled B2B, at home.
Do the NHL Capitals or the NFL Redskins play on Sunday, Dec. 6, when the Wizards host Dallas at 6?
No and no.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
DALLAS: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 2 road.
Do the NHL Stars play at home on Sunday, Jan. 31, when the Mavs host Phoenix at 6 p.m. local time?
No.
DENVER: 2 poorly-handled B2Bs, both on the road.
GOLDEN STATE: 1 poorly-handled B2B, on the road.
HOUSTON: 4 poorly-handled B2Bs, all on the road.
L.A. CLIPPERS: 1 poorly-handled B2B, on the road
L.A. LAKERS: 7 poorly-handled B2Bs — 2 home, 5 road.
Do the Clippers or the NHL Kings play at home when the Lakers host Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 local time, or when they host Washington on Sunday, March 27 at 6:30?
On Nov. 15? No.
The Clippers do play a home game on March 27.
The Lakers are off the hook for one of these decisions.
MEMPHIS: 2 poorly-handled B2Bs, both on the road.
MINNESOTA: 1 poorly-handled B2B, on the road.
NEW ORLEANS: NONE (the only team in the league with no weekend back-to-backs this season)
OKLAHOMA CITY: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs, all at home.
There’s no NHL tenant to worry about, and no NFL football to schedule against. You’d think with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant needing all the care and protection they can get, OKC would schedule front ends of weekend back-to-backs at 1 Eastern.
Not the Thunder. They’re 0 for 3 (Nov. 1, Nov. 15, and Nov. 22, all Sundays at 6 p.m. local time before Monday night road games).
If Russ or KD suffers an injury……………..
PHOENIX: 1 poorly-handled B2B, on the road.
PORTLAND: 5 poorly-handled B2Bs — 4 home, 1 road.
What is wrong with the Trail Blazers? They don’t have NHL, NFL or college sports conflicts at the Moda Center. Yet, they have scheduled three 10 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. local time) home games on Saturday nights when their basketball club has to play a Sunday road game. In one case, Portland’s game is multiple time zones away, in Indiana, on Sunday, Feb. 28.
That’s crazy.
The Blazers scheduled a fourth game on a Sunday at 6 p.m. local time before the team has a Monday game a time zone away (in Denver, on Nov. 9).
This is cringe-inducing stuff.
SACRAMENTO: 4 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 3 road.
We devoted some attention to the fact that the Kings start a number of their Sunday home games at 6 Eastern, which is 3 p.m. local time, a very fair time for the front end of a weekend back-to-back. It is curious, then, that on Sunday, Dec. 27, the Kings play the front end of a weekend back-to-back (Portland) at 6 p.m. local time, 9 Eastern.
SAN ANTONIO: No poorly-handled B2Bs. Lucky devils.
UTAH: 3 poorly-handled B2Bs — 1 home, 2 road.
In Salt Lake City, there should be no readily apparent conflict with EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday, Jan. 9, when the Jazz play a home game at 7 local time before traveling to the Lakers for a Sunday game.
