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wont matter too much as lakers were great on back to backs last season. starting 17 out of the first 21 at home will get L.A off to a great start.
In their quest to repeat, Lakers have a tough road - literally
By Chris Bernucca
Pro Basketball News
We've already had a little fun with the NBA schedule. Now it's time to get serious.
Much was made over the last couple of days about marquee matchups and national TV appearances. Instead of following the herd, we decided to take a closer look at some of the facts and figures of the 1,230-game slate and what they really mean.
We did most of our own research, although we must thank TrueHoop for saving us an incredible amount of time and postponing a visit to the eye doctor by publishing a nice, tidy list of each team's total sets of back-to-back games.
This is where the schedule takes on significance. It's not about the teams playing on a certain day on a certain network as much as it is about where those teams were the previous night or the previous week.
For example, the San Antonio Spurs have their usual "Rodeo Road Trip," a monstrous eight-game swing in February. But it carries across the All-Star break, which means most of the team gets a four-day break in their own beds. And the Spurs only have 17 sets of back-to-back games, the second-fewest in the league. That's significant for a team with players who are getting a little long in the tooth and constantly nursing injuries.
Do multiple national TV appearances impact a team? A little bit. When a team plays on ABC, it always has the previous day off so the network can get the camera time it wants from players and coaches. But that is not the case when playing on ESPN or TNT, which is why a potentially hot matchup turns into a blowout: because one of the teams is tired.
Before examining the handy tables below, here's a few notable items from the 2009-10 schedule:
* ESPN is televising the most games, even though it is not airing a single NBA game from December 26-January 6 due to its commitment to bowl games. It also skipping three Fridays and two Sundays in March due to its commitment to Selection Sunday, the NIT and the overwhelming presence of the NCAA Tournament (such as it is).
* TNT is taking the opposite tact, airing a doubleheader on March 25, the first night of the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. In past years, TNT has moved its doubleheader for that Thursday to Tuesday or not aired one altogether.
* However, ESPN is making up some ground with Sunday night doubleheaders once the NFL season ends. It did this once last season but has four this season on February 21 and 28 and March 7 and 21.
* ABC is televising just 15 regular season games and just two between February 28 and April 4, a five-week stretch after the All-Star break when overall interest in the NBA usually increases as the season winds down. Furthermore, ABC's games involve just eight teams - Boston, Cleveland, Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland and San Antonio.
* It's been well-do ented that five teams will not appear on national TV - Charlotte, Houston, Milwaukee, New Jersey and Sacramento. In addition, Milwaukee and Sacramento are making just one appearance each on NBA TV, so if Brandon Jennings or Tyreke Evans plan on winning Rookie of the Year, they will have to put up phenomenal numbers that force voters to read the boxscores and game stories every day. Winning more than expected also would help.
* Picking teams for national TV appearances is never an exact science; look what happened to the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons last season. But eight games for the Clippers? That's one more than the Hawks, who won a playoff series last season, and twice as many as the Pistons, who still look like a playoff team. When did Blake Griffin become Wilt Chamberlain?
* In other reaches by the networks, the Suns make 18 appearances, even though their best player is coming off a serious eye injury, wants an extension and has a history of grumbling; the Warriors make eight, despite the fact that they could implode in the front office or on the court at any time; and the Wizards also make eight, with their success again hinging on the troublesome knee of Gilbert Arenas.
* Teams that may have gotten the short shrift include the Mavericks, who are good and intriguing and should have more than 13 TV games, and the Thunder, who have the league's hottest young star, a great atmosphere in their arena and should have gotten more than one lousy home game.
* Besides the All-Star break, the only days with no games are December 24 (Christmas Eve) and April 5 (NCAA championship). There are no 15-game days like on January 2 of last season, and the only 14-game day is April 14, the last day of the season. There are nine days with 13 games, all Wednesdays and Fridays.
* To limit the length of your road trips, it helps to be in the middle of the country. While every team's longest road trip is at least four games, the Thunder have just one trip that long, while the Rockets, Pistons, Raptors, Timberwolves and Wizards have two.
* On the long end, the Spurs, Lakers and Clippers all have eight-game trips. The Clippers also go out for six games in December and five games in March. The Lakers have five-game trips in December and March.
* The Eastern Conference team with the longest trip is the Bulls - not their six-game "Circus Trip" in November but a seven-game jaunt in January. Only four other East teams have one trip of six games.
* Don't be fooled by a team's longest trip. Portland's longest trip is five games - one in November and one in February, with three four-game trips for good measure. Golden State has a five-game trip and three four-game treks.
* The Hornets have a league-low 16 sets of back-to-back games, while the Bobcats, Bulls and Pistons all have a league-high 23. Among elite teams, the Nuggets have the most with 22 and the Spurs have the least with 17.
* In our opinion, the team with the softest schedule is the Thunder, who have just one four-game road trip and play 18 sets of back-to-backs. Of course, given their comparative talent, it may not seem that way. The Hornets also have it a bit easier with 16 back-to-backs and long trips of five and four games.
* The teams with the hardest schedules are the Clippers (22 back-to-backs, three long trips) and the Bulls (23 back-to-backs, two long trips).
* Among the elite teams, the defending champion Lakers look to have been hit hardest with 20 back-to-backs and three long trips. The Spurs seem to have it the easiest.
Below are tables, breaking down each team's schedule by division:
wont matter too much as lakers were great on back to backs last season. starting 17 out of the first 21 at home will get L.A off to a great start.
let the excuses start
Unlike the spurs, lakers can repeat.
Dynasty, here we come!
not this year homey.. the only dynasty you will see are the re-runs!
Why don't the Rockets have a TV game?
And as 2009 NBA World Champions we deserve that cushy start. That'll get everybody back on their heels, in their place, subserviant per usual.
damn espn is doing the most games. i cant stand hearing burke
No Yao, No Tracy, No Artest
ABC only doing 15 games?God they suck. I miss the NBC days. I remember right when football season ended, the double and triple headers would be happening every Sunday. Then the first 2 rounds had the triple headers and in the middle of the WCF all the way to the finals, NBC would get all the prime time games. ABC and ESPN for their ty coverage.
Lakers and Cavs have the most TV games=25
Still it sucks... That team played great against the Lakers without T-Mac and Yao. I still don't think they are worse than Sacramento,who also's got 0 TV games.
Why the Phoenix haves 18 TV games. That's just bull !
And
When will the Spurs are old BS die? Duncan isn't that old, Ginobili isn't that old, Parker is downright young, a set of young players are here to replace the older role players, what the man?
we are about the same age as Boston... And our big 3 is much younger than theirs.
Wouldn't a literally tough road be an actual road with potholes or something?
Does this count the 2 extra home games they get?
difference between 20 and 17 back to backs is not a big one...this is WAY overblown. Plus, spurs have the same length time on the road trip as lakers...this is much ado about nothing.
if you had 20 and LA had 17, id bet the house thats you spurs fans would be ing.
It doesn't matter bro. We got this anyway.
yeah it would. it has become the most wrongly used word in the english language...just think it wouldn't happen if the person is writing for a ing living
dont worry spurs will take care of LA easily this year
Seems the NBA doesn't want to see LA win 70 games. Funny thing though, it won't be enough. The Lakers were screwed like this last season and they still won 65 games with Bynum missing half the season. Now with Artest and healthy Bynum the league won't know what hit them.
What makes you think they wont?
Artest is better than Ariza. Pretty much an established fact to anyone who knows anything about basketball. Ron will also get more minutes per game compared to Ariza, that much is guaranteed.
Lamar was not more productive before Bynum's knee injury.
26, 14, 3 the 5 games before Kobe took out Bynum's knee. Against elite centers. Don't be jealous just because Blair will never, ever sniff numbers like that in his lifetime.
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