Legitimate question regarding playoff start times ...

Has anyone else noticed nba playoff games have been started either late or early with no warning than stated time push back 20 mins there and there... or randomly they decide to start the game early ? Wtf is up w that... I don’t mean the sec game ( tnt tv rights, and there don’t start till the first one finishes) but the first ones either starring early or randomly tipping off ... is there any exact explanation for this ? Covid screening what ? Trying to get more gambling money on a side in... never have I seen this so persistent than these nba playoffs.. must be a plausible explanation of some sort 

No one else is questioning this ? Sorta really weird no the ATL/Philly 7:35 start time pushed back and back tonight ... Brooklyn Milwaukee yesterday same thing ..just start the game whenever we feel like in between 7:30-8 pm slot . knicks Atl three times once randomly starting the game early ?by like 15-20 mins too... like whattttt !!! That’s just atop of my head ...

I noticed it. Have no idea why. 

I can understand knicks game because they have 3 games on the schedule. But yes seen this for many times i think aleast couple years now. 

They're spending that time briefing the refs on which side got more $$$ Lol so they know how to officiate.

(i.e. tonight with no Conley and the short line everyone was probably on LAC and the officiating was awful all night, in favour of the Jazz)

@SharpeBettor

 How can that even happen when you have fans who purchased tickets showing up for a 7 pm game Atl/NYK so show up for 7 pm... yet that first game it’s like there 6 mins into the first quarter at stated tip off time lol 

@HungerforMoney

 In regards to tnt are you saying three games on the schedule Atl/Knicks ? Because that wasn’t the case they were doing back to backs and other game was on nba tv ... no correlation ...and it surely wasn’t covid protocols 

Given what I know about event logistics it probably takes extra time to get that many fans screened (temp checked, vax cards checked) and in their seats. I have not noticed any games starting earlier. Only later.

it's rare, but when the refs forget to place their bets, they need to do it on burner phones and in a sports arena, there are very few private places where these calls to the bookie can be made in absolute privacy 

@StumpTownStu

 Vax cards ? Thought that was made illegal by most governors in the states aka akin to vaccine passport 

Last night Jazz/Clippers started late because the 76ers/Hawks game ended late. That is common though due TNT having rights on showing both games

@rod_steel

 As previously mentioned in op I’m not referring to the second game ( tv rights angle) well aware of that... talking about the first games of the night having tip off times all over the place... the ATL NY game in NY first round even started early out of nowhere they just decided to start hooping it up a random 20 mins early prior to official tip off time... that was a first !!! seen delays but this consistently night in and night out in the playoffs of tip off listed at 7:35 and pushed backed 10 mins then pushed back another 10 mins etc 

Maybe but I was gonna go to the Blazers vs Nuggets game 6 and the tickets I was eyeing said you needed to be vaccinated. There were non-vax and vax sections. In the vax sections you could sit closer, take your mask off, etc. And there are a ton of concerts and music festivals like lallapalooza popping up that say you need to be vaccinated or test negative the day before. 

@StumpTownStu

 What a totalitarian world do we live in these days Jesus 

Yeah. Saved me 800 bucks to see a team that's not even my team get knocked out in the first round again so i'll take it as a win. There's a bar I go to where nobody wears masks and things feel almost normal.

@criticalwager

 I noticed that bizarre early tip off too...made no sense then, makes no sense now.

@criticalwager

 Ok I missed the start of the first game. I didn't realise that tipped off late

Games start late for a variety of reasons.  if you think they started early, it is likely the listed start time you saw was wrong.  Games usually start 11 minutes after they are supposed to.  So a 7:30 game will tip at 7:41

Again started at like 9:25 lol surprise to all meanwhile official tip off was supposed to be 9:40 ..: ridiculous 

@rod_steel

 Just happened again tonight early tip 

@criticalwager

 9:32pm EST official time at tip off...approx 5-10min early for a 9:30pm scheduled game

Tip was scheduled at 6:30pst....

@jaybucko

 And well yes if that was the case that’s 9:30 eastern which it didn’t start at..started at like 9:24 eastern 6:24 pacific time