One of the keys to NBA handicapping involves the 82-game regular season schedule for each of the 30 teams in the league. Because of the structure of the NBA’s schedule, there are many situations that will be favorable to a certain team on almost any given night. A savvy NBA bettor will be aware of how the schedule could impact a club heading into a particular game. Bet Olimp are currently running great promotions that can be used for your next NBA bet. Make sure to take advantage of those bonuses as they will help your bankroll to last longer.
Introductory to NBA Scheduling
The NBA regular season begins in late October before concluding in the middle of April. Each team’s schedule consists of 41 home games and 41 away contests. An NBA team will play 30 of its games against interconference foes. Against the 15 squads from an opposing conference, a team will play one home game and one away matchup against the interconference clubs. The majority of a team’s schedule will be within its own conference.
In each conference, there are three divisions consisting of five teams. An NBA squad will play each of its division rivals four times (2 home, 2 away) over the course of a season to account for 16 of its contests. Against the other two divisions within its conference, a team will play 18 games (9 home, 9 away) vs. each division. This is how the 82 games are set.
Comparing Conferences
The 15 teams from a specific conference will play a schedule of foes that are pretty similar. In terms of opponents, the main difference comes when comparing one conference to the other. Because 52 of the 82 games are within the same conference for a team, there can be a big disparity in the quality of opponents a certain team might face. If one conference is clearly superior to another conference, the teams within the tougher conference are going to face a higher level of foes over the course of the season.
Because the 82 games are played in a period of less than six months, a team will play an average of one game about every two days. In an earlier era, teams didn’t have the benefit of chartered airplanes to get from one destination to the next. While the road is a little more comfortable for today’s NBA players, the trips from one city to the next can take a toll on a team. In many ways, the constant air travel in the NBA is even more challenging than the circumstances that are faced in Major League Baseball. While the MLB schedule is twice as long as the NBA slate, baseball teams are able to stay in the same spot for three or four days to play a series. Also, each homestand or road swing is usually at least a week long.
Back to Back Games
In the NBA, it isn’t too uncommon for a team to play a home game one night before hitting the road for an away matchup the next evening. The back-to-back games are a challenge for NBA teams. It is rare for any back-to-back to involve consecutive home games.
There are two typical back-to-back scenarios in the league. First, there are the back-to-back games that involve one home matchup and an away contest. While the road game in this scenario usually involves a trip that isn’t too long, it is still a difficult aspect for a team to deal with. Second, there are the consecutive games that occur on a road trip. On some occasions, these will involve teams from one coast playing a series of games on another coast. In these situations, clubs must adjust to a three-hour time difference.
The difficulty of a back-to-back can be enhanced by an opponent’s scheduling situation. In many cases, the team in a back-to-back will be facing a club that didn’t play in the prior evening. There was a time when NBA teams could play on three consecutive days. Now, NBA squads do not play on three straight days. However, clubs will sometimes have to play four games in five nights. This usually happens on a road trip.
Extended Road Trips
For the 15 away games against an interconference foe, teams will have two or three significant road swings that consistent of 3-5 games. For the coastal teams in the league, these road trips can be especially daunting. On the other hand, clubs that are located in the middle of the country don’t have as much of an adjustment. In the end, the NBA bettor should factor the schedule into his handicapping strategy. Over the course of a long season, there are going to be plenty of good opportunities to take advantage of a team that is going to be in a tough spot due to its schedule.