3 things to watch for when Cavs 2022-23 schedule is released

3 things to watch for when Cavs schedule is released: Rest advantage

The NBA has worked hard in recent years to alleviate the very worst parts of the NBA schedule. Four-games-in-five-nights are a thing of the past, and back-to-backs have been significantly curtailed. Even so, it’s impossible in the time allotted to have a completely even and relaxed schedule.

What that creates are rest advantages built into the schedule. For example, let’s say the Cavs play the Detroit Pistons in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on a Tuesday night, and then host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The Nets, however, play in Brooklyn on Thursday and then fly to Cleveland for their Friday game. The Cavs have a two-day rest advantage built into that matchup.

This is again something the league is aware of, but it’s not something they are prioritizing over everything else they need to prioritize. That means every year some teams come out with more rest advantage games than the rest of the league, and vice versa. It’s a subtle but very real inequity in the system. Teams with a significant rest advantage see their chances to win boosted well over the expectations given the quality of the two teams.

Those are the three primary things I am watching for when the full NBA 2022-23 season schedule drops for the Cleveland Cavaliers. How are the league and its national television partners valuing the Cavs for spotlight games, and do the schedule imbalances come out to Cleveland’s advantage or disadvantage? See you at 3pm!