Adam Silver canceled out the fatigue factor in scheduling semi-final fixtures. The playoffs’ first round has come alive in the NBA world after the resistance from the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. At the same time, the upcoming winners of the first round will have a tough time catching their breath for their semi-final series.

ESPN’s Tim Bentemps took to his X handle and dropped a crucial semi-final schedule update. The tweet read, “The NBA has announced that, no matter what, the winners of Knicks-Sixers and Pacers-Bucks will begin their series Monday night, no matter what happens in their respective Game 6s.”

As per the league’s official site, Game 6 for the Bucks-Pacers and Knicks-Sixers has been scheduled for Thursday. And if either of the match-ups forces Game 7, they will again meet on Saturday for the showdown. Even though a one-day break between Game 7 and Game 6 seemed less, the winners of the series have to gear up for the semi-final series Game 1 again with a one-day gap on Monday.

Over the last decade, the league has made several changes in the scheduling format to promote fair play. In 2011, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern altered the series home-away format from 2-3-2 to 2-2-1-1-1, taking the Game 5 advantage into consideration. On top of it, Adam Silver further fine-tuned it by extending the number of days between Game 6 and Game 7, keeping the players’ fatigue into consideration.

After playing for 6 months, the players will have physical and mental fatigue by the time they reach the finals. Silver extended the usual 2-day rest between Game 6 and Game 7 to a considerable number of days, depending on the season. Even though it’s a first-round series, the teams will find it difficult to prepare for the next series within a day. Nevertheless, it’s a competitive sport, and the teams have to comply with the rules set by the league.

Who will advance to the semi-finals?

The Bucks looked extremely vulnerable after Damian Lillard‘s injury, and fans expected them to crash out in Game 5. However, the team surprised everyone with a blowout win. The short-handed Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo stunned the healthy Pacers with a 92-115 victory. Bobby Portis Jr., Khris Middleton, and Malik Beasley turned up their cylinders, dropped 76 points, and amped up the hopes for the Wisconsin crowd.

If they continue their momentum in Game 6, then they definitely have a chance at winning the series. However, they will move to Indianapolis for Game 6, where they lost both of their games. So, this series could be anyone’s, and the team that played well on the night will win the series.

On the other hand, Tyrese Maxey covered up for the heavily guarded Joel Embiid and dropped 46 points to give hope to the Philly fans. Jalen Brunson, the lone offense warrior, has the necessary support to carry the side to the next round. This evenly poised series can also go in anyone’s direction.

Let us know your predictions in the comments below.