The NBA is down to four second-round playoff series, but two stick out for reasons other than the intriguing on-court matchups.
There have been few complaints about the scheduling of the Indiana Pacers-Cleveland Cavaliers or New York Knicks-Boston Celtics series, but the same can’t be said for the Golden State Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves or Denver Nuggets-Oklahoma City Thunder series.
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As pointed out by Tony Jones of The Athletic during Sunday’s matchup between the Thunder and Nuggets—a game Oklahoma City led 42-36 at halftime—the NBA did neither team any justice by having one day of rest in between the first six games.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts towards referee Sean Wright (4) after a play in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena.Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The only time either team gets more than a day’s rest is between Games 6 and 7 (two days).
“Gotta say, this is absolutely ridiculous of the NBA to have this series go every other day and then put Game 4 as the early game on Sunday after having Game 3 as the late game on Friday,” Jones wrote. “It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s actually kind of dangerous.”
Plenty of fans agreed with Jones’ assessment, stating that the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver did neither team any favors and pointing out both teams looked fatigued during the first half of Game 4.
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“More great work by Silver , these teams are totally gassed,” one fan wrote.
“100% agree, pathetic scheduling from the @NBA,” another agreed.
“It’s basically a back to back. Crazy stuff from the NBA,” a third fan chimed in.
“And at altitude. it’s malpractice man, couldn’t agree more,” one user noted.
“No pro sports league has worse schedule makers than the NBA,” another user stated.
“The Nuggets barely play 7 guys. Denver has 7 points in the first quarter. Legs look cooked. This is nasty work,” one fan exclaimed.
The Warriors-Timberwolves series is scheduled nearly the same with just one day of rest in between games through the first five games and again in between Game 6 and 7. The only extended rest the two teams get is the three days in between Games 5 and 6.
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