On the Warriors and bad scheduling

This should have been the headline match-up last Sunday. But that wasn't the case.
(Photo Credit: ESPN)

March 12 (11, for those in the States) was much anticipated by many for the simple reason that the Spurs and the Warriors were set to do battle for only the second time this season.

Never mind that the Spurs utterly obliterated the Dubs during their first contest together. Never mind as well that Kevin Durant was set not to play since he's out with a knee injury. This was a battle between two teams that had some of the biggest names in the league.

Then all of a sudden, the much awaited match-up between the two teams wasn't awaited anymore.

In a rather surprising move, Coach Steve Kerr opted to rest four of the members of his vaunted Death Line-up in Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Igoudala. On the other side of the fence, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray were all ruled out because of various reasons.

Fans vented out their ire in social media because of the nationally televised match-up losing its luster. Most of the ire was directed to the Warriors, as fans accused Steve Kerr and crew of being cowards. 

At the same time, multiple questions were asked. Who's truly at fault in this issue? Why did the Warriors rest their players now? And of course, many more.

The point of this piece is to try and clear out the air regarding all of these questions regarding this issue. Why answer these questions? Because the reality of it is that this one game opened up multiple issues with regards to how fans view players, and how the league views its players.

In the first place, what's the issue?

The issue is that the Warriors rested their core members in a nationally televised game. What makes this hurt even more is how Steph, Draymond, Klay and Iggy don't even have any injuries unlike Kawhi, LaMarcus, Tony and Dejounte. 

It isn't so much that people don't want players to rest. It's just that the Dubs opted to rest their players in such an anticipated game.

Should we be mad at the Warriors for this whole debacle?

The answer is, yes. You should be mad. 

I totally understand why fans are pissed that the Warriors core didn't play during its heavyweight match-up against their rival Spurs. Fans deserve only the best when it comes to the games that they consume. After all, fans give the league and its players their hard-earned money (whether it be through games or League Pass) just so they can access quality basketball. So sure, be mad. Be pissed. But after releasing your anger, try to understand why the Warriors (and the Spurs for that matter) subscribe to this whole resting thing.

So, why do NBA teams rest their players?

Simple. So that players can avoid injuries for this season, and in effect, lengthen their careers because of the reduced amount of minutes that you put your body through. The reality of it is that, as talented as these NBA players may be, they are still people. Their bodies can only go through so much pain, and rest is required. Especially if you want to win a championship (more on this later).

But NBA players are paid to play basketball games!

Oh, yes they are. But it's more than just that. Beyond just playing basketball games, NBA players are paid to WIN basketball games.

If you don't win basketball games, fans will be left disappointed. Since fans are disappointed, they won't consume whatever content players create whether it be through whatever they do on the basketball court or whatever crazy thing management asks them to do. Management then opts to look for a solution. A solution can either be through firing the coach, looking for new players, etc. 

I'm sure you're looking to counter right now. I'll let you push through with your counter.

So play the freaking game and win! The Warriors clearly did not do that!

That is true. But at the same time, what is the whole point of the NBA season? Is it just for players to entertain fans without there being any particular prize?

Nope. That isn't the case at all. There's a prize on the line in the middle of this whole circus called the NBA regular season. And that's the Larry O'Brien trophy.

The dream of any NBA team is to be presented that championship by the
end of the season. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

To win that championship, teams try to position themselves in the best way possible. This is done through playing well in the regular season. But the thing is, some teams can afford to coast through the regular season, but still end up in prime position to do well enough to win the title. The Warriors are a good case of such a team. No matter what happens, I really don't think the Dubs will end up anywhere below the second seed. Not only do they get one of the two seeds, but they also get to rest their players enough in the process, enough for them to have enough gas for the playoffs.

These NBA players may be more athletically gifted compared to regular people like us, but they also have their limits. 82 games is NO JOKE AT ALL. That doesn't include the training which these players have to go through on a daily basis, and the grind that's involved in getting up early enough to get to your flight headed to your next road game. It's not a sprint to the finish. It's a marathon, and that's something more and more teams are starting to realize. The Warriors just happen to be a part of that group.

So, what can be done to fix this entire issue?

Simple (or not so simple). Schedule nationally televised games better.

This was a bad stretch for the Warriors. It's not just that they were losing games. That's bad by any means. But it's that the Warriors had to go through a hellish stretch for the past two or so weeks, having to go to different cities. 

That's not to say that the Warriors are the only team to go through such a stretch. Every time goes through it. But the problem is how schedulers placed the Warriors in this situation WITH A NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME COMING UP. 

Go ahead and schedule games like that if need be. But not just with nationally televised games coming up. 

So what can we do now?

Well, the schedule is already in place and we're nearing the end of the season, so we just have to sit back and relax. Just enjoy the season at hand right now.

But in the process, it's important to understand why certain things happen and why certain decisions are made. Go ahead and react, but afterwards, try to read up why certain things happen. Understand, and become more informed in the process.