The NBA has adopted unique schedule changes for the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic-shortened year, and one coach would like the league to keep one of them permanently.
As part of its schedule, the NBA has teams occasionally playing a “series” format, where teams play back-to-back games against each other, one at home and one on the road. The format is partly intended to reduce travel.
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, however, is a legitimate fan of the idea. He believes others in the league feel the same way, and hopes it becomes a permanent feature of the NBA schedule.
Tom Thibodeau says he hopes that the two-game series are “here to stay.” Says he thinks most of the people in the league like it, also.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 1, 2021
The sense of familiarity that comes from back-to-back games can be fun for players and fans. It may also contribute to some rivalries developing between teams that normally wouldn’t see each other frequently enough for anything to flare up.
Some pandemic scheduling quirks have worked out quite well, to the point that the NBA is trying to keep them. This may be the latest example of that.
