Last week, the Central Division of the NBA’s Eastern Conference decided to create a nightmare for the league. The Central’s three teams (Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago) all swept their first round playoff opponents, and have been sitting around waiting for their next round to be scheduled.
In fact, fans of the three teams involved have been showing frustration with the NBA’s foot-dragging. But the NBA has resisted, and have continued to take their time scheduling second-round games while the first round is still way up in the air. The NBA reasoning is that they can’t allow a Detroit-Chicago series to get underway too far ahead of another series.
More reasonable fans have chimed in, asking for the league to at least schedule the games, even if it is placing games a week from now. One can understand how the fans (and the teams involved) are frustrated.
I’m one of those frustrated fans. I have plans for a date to the Cavaliers’ second round (Game 5, to be exact). I’d love to be able to set up my night out, but I can’t do it. In my own personal case, I can understand that New Jersey and Toronto have not finished yet, and I can’t rightfully demand a solid day for Game 5 until we at least know when the Nets or Raptors will be ready to take the floor again. But I can completely sympathize with the plight of Bulls and Pistons fans.
Well, it appears as if the NBA has heard the complaints. They’ve supposedly leaked a potential schedule for the Cavs second round.
New Jersey and Toronto play Game 6 on Friday night, Game 7 on Sunday afternoon.
If Jersey wins the series on Friday night, they hop a plane quickly and play Game 1 in Cleveland on Sunday Afternoon. If a Game 7 is needed, the winner plays Game 1 on Tuesday night in Cleveland.
There. Was that so hard to do, NBA?
Update – Chicago-Detroit starts on Saturday. Game 2 is Monday.
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