Many NBA fans are calling a foul on Adam Silver over the league’s new postseason schedule.
On Tuesday, the Association revealed the game dates for the first round of the 2026 playoffs, and there were more than a few basketball watchers who accused Silver of favoring the injury-plagued Lakers.
LeBron James and the Lakers will open their playoff series with the Rockets on April 18. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Los Angeles will start its series with the Rockets on Saturday, but then will get a full two days off before Game 2 on April 21. It’ll then get an additional two days off before Game 3 on April 24.
The Lakers will play again on April 26, but Game 5 then isn’t slated to tip off until April 29.
It’s a significant amount of rest days, especially for the Lakers, who are dealing with some injury issues.
Luka Doncic injured his hamstring on April 2 and was given a 4-6 week timeline to return. Getty Images Both Austin Reaves (oblique) and Luka Doncic (hamstring) have been sidelined since April 2, and while LA head coach JJ Redick said the pair was out “indefinitely” this week, both were reportedly looking at return timetables of around a month after they initially sustained their ailments.
For those doing the math, Game 5 would almost exactly mark the four-week milestone for both — and some have accused Silver of doing that on purpose.
“Lmao Adam Silver sneaky mf,” one Lakers fan wrote on Reddit. “we see what you did here and we thank you.”
“Three 2 days off for the Lakers, they really want Luka to play in the 1st round,” another said on X, adding nose and fish emojis.
“totally not RIGGED,” a separate poster wrote.
If Games 6 and 7 are necessary in the series, they would take place on May 1 and May 3 — giving Doncic and Reaves over a month to come back should a winner-take-all game go down in the teams’ opening round.
