Drawn-Out Playoffs Draw Criticism

In the first morning of the postseason, the NBA gave everybody quite a wake-up call with the playoff schedule.

In a change designed to improve the league’s cable TV ratings, the first-round matchups, released early Thursday morning, are spread over two weeks with an abundance of downtime between games.

For example, the Seattle-Utah series has a four-day break between Game 2 Monday and Game 3 on April 29, then a three-day break before Game 4.

“I don’t think it’s ideal, but that’s the way it is,” Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “It’s for the benefit of TV. Whatever the schedule is, that’s how we have to play.”

The playoffs begin Saturday at 9:30 PDT with the Detroit-Miami series.

The Phoenix-San Antonio, Seattle-Utah and Philadelphia-Charlotte series begin later that day, and the other four series--Toronto-New York, Minnesota-Portland, Sacramento-Lakers and Milwaukee-Indiana--start Sunday.

There will be Game 2 doubleheaders Monday through Thursday, and there’s only one Game 3 next Friday night--Hornets-76ers.

The elongated schedule is part of Turner Sports’ new television contract. Rather than having four games a night, as in previous years, the games will be more spread out so TNT and TBS--the two Turner networks--will not compete head-to-head for viewers on weeknights.

Miami Coach Pat Riley, whose team’s best-of-five series against Detroit would last 13 days if it went the distance, sounded off against the schedule.

“We are subject to the gods of television, but to stretch this out over two weeks is absolutely insane,” Riley said. “It’s losing its competitive edge. It’s allowing guys to have more preparation. It’s allowing people to almost get bored. You’ve made them wait all year long, 82 games, and now you’re going to make them wait two weeks to get through five games?”

The former Laker coach also is displeased that his team is opening the NBA playoff schedule early Saturday. The Heat played its final regular-season game Wednesday night at Charlotte.

“We don’t have a day to really let the players rest mentally,” he said. “But it’s decided, so we’ll be ready.”

Another concern for Riley is his point guard situation.

It is uncertain if Tim Hardaway will be able to play against the Pistons. In Hardaway’s absence, Riley will start rookie Anthony Carter. The drawn-out schedule should actually help the Heat since the extra days off between games gives Hardaway more recovery time.

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New York’s Marcus Camby called Toronto Coach Butch Carter a liar for telling Camby he would be a cornerstone of the Raptors, then trading him, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

Camby, who played for Carter in Toronto before being traded to the Knicks, said he doesn’t trust Carter and believes his current players don’t, either.

“He is a liar,” Camby said before Wednesday night’s 112-85 loss to the Boston Celtics in the regular-season finale. “I remember just before I got traded, me and John Wallace were working out with the team in Boca Raton [Fla.,] and we had a meeting and he said, ‘Yeah, you two guys are going to be the foundation, we are going to keep you guys here.’

“From that point on I don’t really trust him,” Camby said. “I think the guys who played for him don’t really trust him and the guys that play for him now--there was a lot of bickering going on since they had that losing streak.

“No one likes him and no one likes to play for him. That is the kind of guy that he is.”

Camby’s Knicks, seeded third in the Eastern Conference, open the playoffs at home against Carter and the sixth-seeded Raptors on Sunday.

Carter tried not to respond to the comments.

“I think I’ll maintain my new Canadian manners and turn the other cheek,” Carter said.

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Tim Duncan, the San Antonio Spur center who missed the last four regular-season games because of a knee injury, has shown improvement but is questionable for the playoff opener against Phoenix.

San Antonio opens the best-of-five Western Conference series against the Suns on Saturday at the Alamodome.

Duncan has missed four games because of torn cartilage in his left knee, an injury that occurred April 11 against Sacramento.

His teammates had the day off Thursday, but Duncan worked out by himself. He had no swelling or soreness in the knee, so his activity level was increased from Wednesday.

The Spurs practice again today, when Duncan’s workout is expected to intensify.

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The Phoenix Suns included Jason Kidd on their playoff roster but don’t expect to see the all-tar guard back in the lineup any time soon.

Kidd has been out since March 22 because of a broken left ankle. His earliest possible return would be April 29 for Game 3 of the first-round series against San Antonio, and it’s far from certain that he’ll be able to play in the playoffs at all.

The Suns left Don MacLean and Rex Chapman off their 12-man playoff roster.

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Another injured player put back on his team’s roster for the playoffs was Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson. Unlike Kidd, Iverson is expected to play in Saturday’s playoff opener against the Charlotte Hornets.

Iverson, the team’s leading scorer, was placed on the injured list for Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls because of an inflamed right elbow and a broken left toe. Center Nazr Mohammed took his place on the 12-player list. The revised roster announced Thursday has Iverson back on it and Mohammed off.