Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 10:00 am  |  26 responses

Compressed Schedule Wreaking Havoc on NBA Stats


Due to the NBA lockout, NBA teams are forced to each cram 66 games into a brutally compressed schedule. The lack of rest, practice time, and overall preparation has had a devastating effect on the quality of play and team stats across the board. Reports the Miami Herald: “Wednesday marks the one-month mark of the lockout-shortened season, and several consequences of the compressed campaign have already come to light. Field-goal shooting, free-throw shooting and three-point shooting in the NBA are all down at least 15 percent. Turnovers have increased by an average of .8 per game, the largest jump in 29 years.”

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  • Fat Lever

    As a fan of bball I do love the fact that there is a game on every night without the need for league pass, but would it have killed Stern to have a 60 game season? I know there are probably significant financial impacts, but every team pretty much has a MASH infirmary ward at this point, and we’re only a month into the season.

  • Honduran

    I honestly though the same thing about 60 games instead of 66.
    But I also thought, why didn’t the nba just do the regular schedule it already had? From the 25th of December to mid April? What’s that, less then 60? We wouldn’t have these teams suffering from back to back to back games.

  • lexluther703

    It’s not a good look for the League. With the compressed schedule, whoever makes the playoffs and makes a run is gonna be devastated physically because of the everyday grind. Not to mention the League’s best players are playing in the Olympics this summer, then jumping right back into an 82-game season, which doesn’t afford them a whole lot of rest. I love hoops every night as a fan, I just hope it doesnt result in major injuries to our favorite players.

  • LaKid

    So many 50, 60, 70 point games. Some if it is defense, most of it is terrible basketball. Tough to watch on some nights.

  • tony

    Fantasy basketball fail

  • http://www.iowsports.com/ Blue

    They probably saw the NFL’s success despite limited OTA’s and offseason prep time between players and coaches and felt like they could do the same. I personally would have canceled the All-Star game and gave the players 5 days of rest if they’re still gonna play the majority of the games in a compressed season. But Stern never considers the players, only the money…

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    Do y’all think an asterix will be placed next to this season’s champions? I can see a lot of contenders who get knocked out of the playoffs blaming the schedule, injuries, and lack of practice time . . .

  • Lloyd

    I think it’s shaking things up though. It seems like any team can win any game. Balances things out for the teams who don’t have superstar talent.

  • http://www.twitter.com/_dfrance DFrance21

    Hey these guys are professionals. Yes it sucks to have to play back to back to backs, but you’re being paid a lot of money to play, make the adjustments you can and play your best! Every team is going through the same thing so they’re on a level playing field. I for one am just happy that there is a season, it may be a sloppy season, but its better than nothing. I do agree that they could have done without All Star weekend tho.

  • http://www.fullc0urtpress.com K.Holiday

    Please pay me 17mil a year! I’ll play twice a day if David Stern wanted. I know the grind is demanding, but it’s not devastating. These guys are ridiculous athletes. I think a lot of the stat decline has to do with guys not being prepared (both mentally and physically) for the season moreso than the season being a short compressed one. It’ll all level out once guys are in basketball shape.

  • anynomous

    The players need to suck it up. They along with the owners chose to have a long, drawn-out lockout which did not lead to any major league improvements knowing all along that they would have to play a compressed season. Get over it. They put themselves in this position.

  • http://www.fullc0urtpress.com K.Holiday

    ^^^ more so*

  • Heals

    Stern wanted X-mas so Stern got X-mas. Stats, player health, game quality, fans willingness to go to 4-5 games a week be damned Stern wanted X-mas…

  • shutup

    I dont understand the asterik bs each team has to play the same amount of games one team doesnt have an advantage over another, and by playoff time the contenders should have their sh!t together, do people get an asterik because KG was hurt? or if Bynum was hurt? or Duncan was hurt? nah gtfoh with that

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    @ shutup, I completely agree! The people who place them are the people who’s teams lost. Question though: why are you so angry?

  • shutup

    Because I’m a Spurs fan and I hate that *people try to put on that championship lol

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    LOL it all makes sense now . . .

  • Brahsef

    You know if the heat win the chip, LeBron haters will instantly pull the * season

  • http://shinefluid@aol.com yada

    there are ALOT of bad teams in the league this year!! but when u think about it there were ALOT of bad teams in the NFL this year!

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Brahsef, i’m going to pull the “he had D-Wade” card first. Then the condensed season second. LOL… Just playing, the Heat ain’t winning the chip.

  • charliewinning

    I hate when people talk about NBA athlete’s physical grind. Compared to tri-athlete’s, olympic swimmers and gymnasts, NBA players are relatively lazy. They don’t have a fraction of those athlete’s discipline when it comes to diet and year-round fitness. Few athlete’s in rigorous sports can be out of shape in the offseason **cough Carmelo** and still be serious competitors like NBA guys can. They get paid millions and wait until training camp to get in shape. Wth were these guys doing during the lockout? They had ample time to work on conditioning. Rigorous schedule my arse.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    @ charliewinning, when’s the last time an olympic swimmer tore his ACL+MCL+meniscus on the same play? You can’t site 3 non-contact sports as your argument for what truly rigorous sports are. What’s the most devasting injury olympic swimmers have to worry about? “Prune-hands”? “Shrinkage”?!

  • charliewinning

    ^ All the more reason for NBA players to be more dedicated to physical fitness. Your comment doesn’t address the issue of their lack of conditioning and poor diet, which was the point of my comparison. Work ethic and dedication are lacking in the NBA. Also, the injuries suffered by gymnasts and tri-athletes are often far worse than basketball. I never heard of an NBA player breaking his back during a game or practice. Singling out swimmers doesn’t really help your argument, whatever point you’re trying to make.

  • charliewinning

    Also, if you doubt the rigors of either of the three sports I listed or the preparation for them, you don’t know enough about them to speak on them.

  • Da-Meat_Hook

    charliewinning, just poking fun. Gymnasts are pound-for-pound the most powerful/explosive athletes in the world imo. But at the same time, you singling out melo isn’t really fair either. For every E. Curry/O. Miller you can name, I can name 3 Ray Allens and Karl Malones, players who’s bodies are their temples, ageless wonders with work ethics that are second to none. Basketball isn’t a sport that is based solely on practice, repetition, mechanics and work ethic. Certain intangibles like one’s ability to anticipate and react in direct relation to your opponent’s move is involved. That’s what allows less conditioned but more talented athletes to excel.

  • Justin G.

    The comparison doesn’t hold any merit either because it’s not like those triathletes are competing one day, flying to another city and competing in another one two days later and keeping up that kind of schedule over an 8-10 month period. Throw in practices as well and it’s not hard to see why their bodies are breaking down

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