There’s danger in looking too far ahead at the playoff schedule. I’ll get questions early in the season asking if Player A should be prioritized over Player B because of his more advantageous playoff schedule, and it just strikes me as pointless. Worry about the playoffs when you get there.
Well, we’re almost there. With the All-Star break upon us, the NBA season is rapidly nearing its end, and the Fantasy season will be closing even sooner. In CBSSports.com leagues, the default option begins the playoffs in Week 21 (March 13-20). Given that Week 18 begins when we return from the break, well, you can do the math.
It’s time to start worrying about your playoff schedule. There’s nothing worse than riding a star player all season only to find out he has three games in the first round of the playoffs, effectively dooming you. If you’re in a good enough spot, it might make sense to pursue some trades to shore your team up for the biggest weeks.
Let’s look ahead at the final few weeks of the season and how they shake out for every team in the league, for every playoff schedule. You’ve worked hard all season, don’t let the schedule trip you up. Let’s start with a look at the second-half schedule overall:
| Second-Half Schedule | |||||||||
| Team | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 | Week 25 | Total |
| CLE | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 27 |
| MIL | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 27 |
| WAS | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 27 |
| ATL | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| BKN | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| CHA | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| DAL | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 26 |
| DEN | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 26 |
| GSW | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| LAC | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| PHI | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| POR | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| SAS | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 26 |
| BOS | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| CHI | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| DET | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| IND | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| MIA | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| MIN | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 25 |
| NOR | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| NYK | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| OKC | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 25 |
| PHO | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25 |
| SAC | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| TOR | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| UTA | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 |
| HOU | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 24 |
| LAL | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 24 |
| MEM | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 24 |
| ORL | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 24 |
It’s pretty balanced, naturally. The Cavaliers, Bucks, and Wizards lead the way with 27 games left, and all three should be willing to play their starters through the end of the season with nothing decided in the Eastern Conference playoff picture to date. The Cavs are an obvious risk to sit LeBron James and Kyrie Irving intermittently, but the schedule actually helps in that regard because the extra games put them ahead of the field.
All in all, 23 of the 30 teams have either 25 or 26 games left, with the exceptions being those three and the Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies and Magic. The Rockets and Grizzlies won’t have much incentive to rest their stars, but the Lakers and Magic are both sort of in limbo these days. The Lakers will likely rely on their young guys down the stretch, and they have already changed their rotations to reflect that. However, Lou Williams, Timofey Mozgov, and Luol Deng could all be trade candidates, so their outlooks could shift dramatically in the next week.
The Magic have already pulled the trigger on one trade, moving Serge Ibaka and receiving Terrence Ross from the Raptors in return. The schedule limits the breakout potential of someone like Aaron Gordon just a bit, though we could see further trades in Orlando that free up even more opportunities for him. Right now, we don’t know what Orlando’s rotations will look like down the stretch, and once you add that uncertainty on top of a schedule that features four games only twice in the final eight scoring periods, this could be one to avoid.
| Week 20-22 | ||||
| Team | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Total |
| LAC | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| POR | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| MIL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| WAS | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| BKN | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| CHI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| CLE | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| ATL | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| CHA | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| DEN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| GSW | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| PHI | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| SAS | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| BOS | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| DET | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| IND | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| MIN | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| PHO | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| SAC | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| DAL | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| MIA | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| NOR | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| NYK | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| TOR | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| UTA | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| HOU | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| LAL | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| MEM | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| ORL | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| OKC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
If your playoffs begin in Week 20 (March 6-12), you need to get some Trail Blazers on your team. Not only do they join the Clippers as the only teams with 13 games during this stretch, but they play five times in the first week, a huge bonus. The Clippers also have a five-game week during this playoff schedule, but with it coming at the end, it’s a lot harder to take advantage of -- if you lose in Week 20 or 21, it won’t much matter how much the Clippers play.
The other big thing to keep an eye on here is Oklahoma City’s schedule. Russell Westbrook can still be a huge difference maker during these playoffs, but with just three games on the schedule in each week, they are starting well behind the curve. It isn’t crazy to think about trading Westbrook if your playoffs run during this period, especially if you’re already locked in to your spot. Targeting either Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum as the main piece -- with a secondary piece like Khris Middleton or Marcin Gortat, who both play 12 times -- could be a championship-winning move.
The riskier move, but one that could pay off in a big way is to offer Westbrook to the Chris Paul owner for Paul and another star. If you’re locked into the playoffs, you might be able to get Paul and someone like Bradley Beal, a move that could turn into two difference makers at the most valuable part of the season. It’s not as crazy as it seems.
| Week 21-23 | ||||
| Team | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Total |
| BKN | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| LAC | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| MIL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| WAS | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| ATL | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| CHA | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| CHI | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| CLE | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| DAL | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| DET | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| GSW | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| IND | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| LAL | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| MEM | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| NOR | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| PHI | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| PHO | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| POR | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| SAC | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| SAS | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| TOR | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| UTA | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| BOS | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| DEN | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| HOU | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| MIA | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| MIN | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| NYK | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| OKC | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| ORL | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
The schedule doesn’t provide as much intrigue in the CBSSports.com default playoff period, with only two games separating the haves and have-nots in this version. You want to make sure you avoid Knicks where possible, because they have just two games in the first period. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis could sink you.
The teams to target are obviously the Nets, Wizards, and Bucks, all of whom have four games in each week. I still like Caris LeVert as a second-half breakout candidate, if you want to stash someone who could make an impact. The same goes for Jeremy Lin, whose season has been ruined by hamstring injuries, but who nonetheless could make an impact at the most important point in the season if he manages to get healthy.
| Week 22-24 | ||||
| Team | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 | Total |
| NYK | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| BKN | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| MIL | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| WAS | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| ATL | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| CHA | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| CLE | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| DAL | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| GSW | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| IND | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| MEM | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| PHI | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| PHO | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| SAS | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| TOR | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| DEN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| OKC | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| LAC | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| CHI | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| DET | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| LAL | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| NOR | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| POR | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| SAC | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| UTA | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| BOS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| HOU | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| MIA | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| MIN | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| ORL | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
Once again, the schedule doesn’t provide many answers here. The Clippers get their five games in the first round, which is nice, but following that up with three and two games in the following two weeks could actually sink you. It’s a tough balance to strike there.
The Knicks bounce back in this format, as the only team with 12 games, and the only one with four in each to boot. That type of stability should prove helpful, especially with eight different teams playing just three games in the opening and closing weeks of the period. The differences aren’t great overall in this version of the playoff schedule, but the fluctations could be enough to flip your league.
Small margins can make a huge difference in the playoffs, and now you have no excuse for being caught off guard.
