When Giannis Antetokounmpo goes up against Nikola Jokic, Denver coach Michael Malone thinks it should be a big event. The NBA schedule makers seem to disagree.
At his press conference Wednesday night following the Nuggets’ 107-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Malone complained about the game happening on a road back-to-back. Jokic, recovering from a hamstring injury, sat for the Milwaukee game after playing the night before in New Orleans.
Jokic has won the last two MVP awards, and Antetokounmpo won the two before that. One would think that a matchup of the game’s best two big men (apologies to Joel Embiid) would be nationally-televised, and give both stars a day off beforehand.
It’s also simply a weird back-to-back geographically. New Orleans and Milwaukee are over 900 miles away from each other by air, roughly a two-hour flight. Even if it weren’t a highly-anticipated matchup, it’s a brutal trip for Denver to make a few hours before facing the powerhouse Bucks.
The subtext to Malone’s comments is that the league cares less about Jokic because he doesn’t play in one of the league’s premium markets. Denver has 16 nationally-televised games this year, far below the Warriors’ 30 games on ABC, ESPN, or TNT, and the Lakers’ 27. However, the small-market Bucks have 23 national TV games, fourth in the league.
The two MVPs meet for the final time on March 25, which won’t be a national TV game either. The Nuggets get two days off before this one, but it’ll be Milwaukee on a back-to-back this time. At least the Bucks will have a short flight from Salt Lake City.
Maybe Michael Malone will get his wish for a “marquee matchup” this year, but it’s going to take both teams making the NBA Finals. We guarantee those games will be on national television.
