Tough road for Jazz
The NBA schedule-maker giveth.
The NBA schedule-maker taketh away.
While it's true that every team in the league ends up playing 41 games at home and 41 games on the road, quirks in the schedule often have a great deal to do with winning streaks and losing streaks ... with fast starts and slow starts ... with spectacular finishes and fire-the-coach finishes.
After watching Utah sleepwalk past Seattle on Saturday and lose to Atlanta on Monday night — and realizing the Jazz were missing Memo Okur and Matt Harpring for both games — it seemed obvious to me that they were fatigued.
The Jazz players were trying. But when NBA players are worn out, they don't move their feet, they don't get their legs into jump shots, they don't run the floor on every change of possession and they are a step slow when pursuing rebounds and loose balls.
So, is fatigue just an excuse for the Jazz's miserable 1-7 record since Dec. 4, or has the schedule had something to do with slowing them down after their 13-5 start?
Here is a look at the number of games teams will have played in the first 50 nights of the season:
26 GAMES
Orlando (10 home, 16 road); Utah (11 home, 15 road); Dallas (13 home, 13 road); Toronto (14 home, 12 road)
25 GAMES
Phoenix (10 home, 15 road); Seattle (11 home, 14 road); Cleveland (11 home, 14 road); Golden State (12 home, 13 road); New Orleans (12 home, 13 road); Indiana (12 home, 13 road); Portland (13 home, 12 road); New Jersey (15 home, 10 road).
24 GAMES
Milwaukee (10 home, 14 road); Houston (10 home, 14 road); Miami (11 home, 13 road); Detroit (11 home, 13 road); L.A. Clippers (12 home, 12 road); Sacramento (12 home, 12 road); Memphis (12 home, 12 road); L.A. Lakers (13 home, 11 road); Denver (14 home, 10 road); Philadelphia (14 home, 10 road); New York (14 home, 14 road); Atlanta (14 home, 10 road); San Antonio (14 home, 10 road).
23 GAMES
Minnesota (11 home, 12 road); Washington (12 home, 11 road).
22 GAMES
Chicago (11 home, 11 road); Boston (12 home, 10 road); Charlotte (13 home, 9 road).
So, what does this tell us?
No. 1, the Jazz have had the second-most difficult schedule in the NBA so far this season. After their current trip concludes Saturday at Miami, they will have played 18 of their 41 road games in the first eight weeks of the season. They will play the other 23 over the final 16 weeks of the season.
No. 2, Orlando's record (17-9) is remarkable, considering the Magic's schedule. You could also look at Orlando and suggest the Jazz (14-12) cannot use the schedule as an excuse. On the other hand, the Magic are only 6-4 in their last 10 games, which might be a sign that the schedule is catching up with them.
No. 3, Boston has the league's best record, but it should. The Celtics have had the most leisurely schedule of any team in the league, outside of injury-plagued Charlotte, We should know more about Boston by the end of February. Between Dec. 26 and Feb. 25, the Celtics play 18 of 30 games on the road. In that stretch, they play eight sets of back-to-back games.
No. 4, Dallas and Toronto, like the Jazz, are off to disappointing starts. But the schedule has probably had something to do with it.
— Steve Luhm
The NBA schedule-maker taketh away.
While it's true that every team in the league ends up playing 41 games at home and 41 games on the road, quirks in the schedule often have a great deal to do with winning streaks and losing streaks ... with fast starts and slow starts ... with spectacular finishes and fire-the-coach finishes.
After watching Utah sleepwalk past Seattle on Saturday and lose to Atlanta on Monday night — and realizing the Jazz were missing Memo Okur and Matt Harpring for both games — it seemed obvious to me that they were fatigued.
The Jazz players were trying. But when NBA players are worn out, they don't move their feet, they don't get their legs into jump shots, they don't run the floor on every change of possession and they are a step slow when pursuing rebounds and loose balls.
So, is fatigue just an excuse for the Jazz's miserable 1-7 record since Dec. 4, or has the schedule had something to do with slowing them down after their 13-5 start?
Here is a look at the number of games teams will have played in the first 50 nights of the season:
26 GAMES
Orlando (10 home, 16 road); Utah (11 home, 15 road); Dallas (13 home, 13 road); Toronto (14 home, 12 road)
25 GAMES
Phoenix (10 home, 15 road); Seattle (11 home, 14 road); Cleveland (11 home, 14 road); Golden State (12 home, 13 road); New Orleans (12 home, 13 road); Indiana (12 home, 13 road); Portland (13 home, 12 road); New Jersey (15 home, 10 road).
24 GAMES
Milwaukee (10 home, 14 road); Houston (10 home, 14 road); Miami (11 home, 13 road); Detroit (11 home, 13 road); L.A. Clippers (12 home, 12 road); Sacramento (12 home, 12 road); Memphis (12 home, 12 road); L.A. Lakers (13 home, 11 road); Denver (14 home, 10 road); Philadelphia (14 home, 10 road); New York (14 home, 14 road); Atlanta (14 home, 10 road); San Antonio (14 home, 10 road).
23 GAMES
Minnesota (11 home, 12 road); Washington (12 home, 11 road).
22 GAMES
Chicago (11 home, 11 road); Boston (12 home, 10 road); Charlotte (13 home, 9 road).
So, what does this tell us?
No. 1, the Jazz have had the second-most difficult schedule in the NBA so far this season. After their current trip concludes Saturday at Miami, they will have played 18 of their 41 road games in the first eight weeks of the season. They will play the other 23 over the final 16 weeks of the season.
No. 2, Orlando's record (17-9) is remarkable, considering the Magic's schedule. You could also look at Orlando and suggest the Jazz (14-12) cannot use the schedule as an excuse. On the other hand, the Magic are only 6-4 in their last 10 games, which might be a sign that the schedule is catching up with them.
No. 3, Boston has the league's best record, but it should. The Celtics have had the most leisurely schedule of any team in the league, outside of injury-plagued Charlotte, We should know more about Boston by the end of February. Between Dec. 26 and Feb. 25, the Celtics play 18 of 30 games on the road. In that stretch, they play eight sets of back-to-back games.
No. 4, Dallas and Toronto, like the Jazz, are off to disappointing starts. But the schedule has probably had something to do with it.
— Steve Luhm
9:41 AM
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