http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20286965/nba-issues-memo-detailing-how-add-rest-scheduleThe hope is to have less players feeling the need to sit out games for rest purposes.
the new schedule protects key national television matchups to make sure teams aren't playing on back-to-back nights.
Much of this is made possible by extending the season by one week, staring earlier in October. Also, for the first time, the players' union is a part of the scheduling process to review possible problem areas.
Some of the new improvements include:
• Eliminating stretches of four games in five days and 18 games in 30 days.
• Reduction of five games in seven nights to just 40 instances across (1.3 per team), down from last year when it was on the schedule 90 times (three per team).
• Reduction in number of back-to-backs to 14.9 per team, down from 16.3 per team. In all, 40 back-to-backs have been eliminated from last season.
• Reduction of single-game road trips by 17 percent.
• Reduction in single-game road trips over 2,000 miles by 67 percent; there are only 11 of them on schedule.
• Increase in weekend games from 549 to 568, much of the boost coming on Saturdays. Previously the NBA avoided Saturdays and Sunday afternoons during football season to dodge conflicts.