Looking at the 2021 NBA regular season schedule, it's impossible not to notice the changes brought on by the unique circumstances of the year. Normally, the NBA season tips off in mid-October, but this time, action started on December 22, 2020. The league crammed 72 games into a whirlwind 146-day schedule. That's ten games fewer than the typical 82-game season, but you wouldn’t guess it from the intensity of the play.
This year’s season structure also saw the integration of a play-in tournament for the seventh through tenth seeds in both conferences. This was a major change since traditionally, the top eight teams automatically advanced to the playoffs. The idea was borrowed from the success of the play-in games in the bubble the previous year, with league executives seeing an opportunity to ramp up excitement and viewership. Imagine a situation where your team fights tooth and nail, only to fall short by a single game. Such a scenario now has an antidote, offering even more hope and tension in the last days of the regular season.
I can’t help but think about how compressed the schedule became due to these new elements. Teams often found themselves playing three to four games a week, a highly demanding pace. The Los Angeles Lakers, for example, played back-to-back games 14 times throughout their schedule. This grueling pace takes a toll on the athletes' bodies, increasing both the risk for injuries and the need for smart minutes management by coaching staff.
Load management became a buzzword again this season, with stars like Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James occasionally sitting out games to manage their workloads. Considering that Leonard sat out 20% of his team’s games during the regular season, it’s clear that the compressed schedule made careful player management crucial.
The shortened season also altered the rhythm of team preparation. Unlike the regular cycle where teams start training camp in September, this season’s camp opened on December 1, giving teams just three weeks to prepare. Think about the newcomers, like the rookies; they had their draft on November 18 and joined their new teams almost immediately. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards as the number one pick, and he had less than a month to acclimate himself to the professional game.
TV ratings also became a point of interest. Although the NBA managed to generate excitement with the new elements in the schedule, the real test lay in capturing TV audiences. Surprisingly, the Christmas Day games recorded a 10% increase in viewership compared to the previous year, showing that fans were eagerly awaiting the return of regular-season basketball. However, overall viewership saw dips at various points, attributed largely to the simultaneous broadcast of multiple major sports, like the NFL and MLB, something rather unprecedented in any other year.
What’s interesting is how the NBA also kept safety at the forefront. Frequent testing and stringent protocols became the norm. The league conducted more than 200,000 COVID-19 tests during the season, with an average of around ten tests per player each week. One of the standout incidents was when the Charlotte Hornets had a game postponed due to several personnel entering health and safety protocols. The postponement of games became a fluid and challenging part of maintaining the season’s integrity.
Looking at the schedule changes also brings into focus how teams The Toronto Raptors, usually based in Canada, relocated to Tampa, Florida, for the season. This temporary move was due to travel restrictions and attempting to minimize extensive travel risks. It sparked discussions on the mental and physical toll on the players who had to adapt to a new “home” environment under trying circumstances.
All in all, the 2021 season became a litmus test for the NBA, pushing the boundaries of what was possible. From play-in tournaments to compressed schedules, and from viewership rates to safety protocols, every aspect was questioned, redesigned, and rigorously tested. It felt like a grand experiment where the average game saw over 112.1 points scored per team, showing that even under unprecedented pressure, the quality of play remained exceptionally high.
For a more detailed look at the game schedules and other intricacies, you can click nba regular season schedule 2021.