Report: NBA nearly eliminates four-games-in-five-nights in draft of 2015-16 schedule

NBA commissioner Adam Silver made reducing the number of four-games-in-five-nights a priority.

Barring some late revisions, he has succeeded.

Zach Lowe of Grantland:

Draft of NBA schedule circulating among teams. Sources say 4-games-in-5-nights nearly eliminated in that draft version.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) August 3, 2015

Here’s a history of four-in-fives since the NBA began:

Year	Team games	4 in 5s	Percentage of team games that are 4 in 5s
2015	2460	70	2.8%
2014	2460	64	2.6%
2013	2458	76	3.1%
2012	1980	218	11.0%
2011	2460	68	2.8%
2010	2460	80	3.3%
2009	2460	72	2.9%
2008	2460	78	3.2%
2007	2460	90	3.7%
2006	2460	81	3.3%
2005	2460	90	3.7%
2004	2378	88	3.7%
2003	2378	102	4.3%
2002	2378	106	4.5%
2001	2378	101	4.2%
2000	2378	101	4.2%
1999	1450	218	15.0%
1998	2378	75	3.2%
1997	2378	91	3.8%
1996	2378	90	3.8%
1995	2214	99	4.5%
1994	2214	87	3.9%
1993	2214	103	4.7%
1992	2214	120	5.4%
1991	2214	120	5.4%
1990	2214	119	5.4%
1989	2050	122	6.0%
1988	1886	87	4.6%
1987	1886	100	5.3%
1986	1886	123	6.5%
1985	1886	131	6.9%
1984	1886	137	7.3%
1983	1886	149	7.9%
1982	1886	137	7.3%
1981	1886	182	9.7%
1980	1804	175	9.7%
1979	1804	168	9.3%
1978	1804	183	10.1%
1977	1804	218	12.1%
1976	1476	172	11.7%
1975	1476	173	11.7%
1974	1394	213	15.3%
1973	1394	215	15.4%
1972	1394	251	18.0%
1971	1394	292	20.9%
1970	1148	258	22.5%
1969	1148	273	23.8%
1968	984	251	25.5%
1967	810	208	25.7%
1966	720	177	24.6%
1965	720	184	25.6%
1964	720	212	29.4%
1963	720	197	27.4%
1962	720	246	34.2%
1961	632	209	33.1%
1960	600	194	32.3%
1959	576	161	28.0%
1958	576	151	26.2%
1957	576	154	26.7%
1956	576	207	35.9%
1955	576	212	36.8%
1954	648	183	28.2%
1953	702	164	23.4%
1952	660	104	15.8%
1951	708	103	14.5%
1950	1122	211	18.8%
1949	720	62	8.6%
1948	384	16	4.2%
1947	662	26	3.9%

Those two spikes were due to lockouts in 1999 and 2011, the NBA trying to cram as many games into a shorter window as possible. Otherwise, the league has done a good job reducing the number of four-in-fives.

But 70 four-in-fives in a season is still too many if it can be avoided. Those rough stretches tire players, put them at greater risk of injury and therefore worsen the product. Fans don’t want to watch their favorite players rest, sit out injured or play sluggishly.

If this schedule draft gets approved, that would prove this issue was solvable. It probably should have been fixed sooner.

Kudos to Silver, though, for – nearly – getting it done. Now, it’s time to finalize the solution.

Next: Reducing the number of back-to-backs – or at least giving all teams a similar number.