Cost Reduction, Competitive Balance, and the Scheduling of Back-to-Back Games in the NBA

Abstract

The NBA league office states that the playing schedule is devised to ensure competitive balance while keeping an eye towards minimizing costs. This paper examines those claims. Three years of travel data were analyzed and the results imply that the use of back-to-back road games in the NBA schedule may assist with competitive balance and that back-to-back games indeed reduce team travel costs.basketball, team sports, costs, competitive balance