Overview
- In a detailed statement via NBA Communications, spokesperson Mike Bass called John Hollinger’s premise "inaccurate and misleading."
- The league said it played 308 games through 42 days this season versus 307 last season, figures it noted are in line with pre-Cup years.
- According to the NBA, injuries that forced star players to miss games are at their lowest level in six seasons through the first six weeks, down more than 25% year over year.
- Critics say the rebuttal ignores repeated one-game home stands and travel load, as independent tracking shows calf injuries up nearly 40% and games lost to those injuries tripled early this season.
- The debate comes as the NBA Cup heads to its Las Vegas final four, with Spurs–Thunder and Magic–Knicks scheduled for this weekend.