This story appears in ESPN The Magazines October 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!ITS JAN. 28, 2011. Doc Rivers powerhouse Celtics, featuring a Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, are seven months removed from their second Finals in three years. Theyre 35 -- 10 on the season, winners of seven of their past eight, and visiting the 20 -- 24 Suns. Prediction: blowout.From the start, though, the Celtics stumble in startling fashion. Garnett throws a pass to no one, then gets tossed for striking Suns forward Channing Frye in the groin. Boston shoots a season-worst 34.2 percent against one of the NBAs worst defenses. The Suns roll 88-71.Rivers, incensed, rides out most of the game from the visiting locker room after being ejected for jawing at the officials. Watching it all unfold, he wonders, Jesus Christ, was the whole team drinking last night? But the Celtics longtime trainer, Ed Lacerte, has another theory: We should see the sleep doctor. This is the game he pointed to.The sleep doctor was Dr. Charles Czeisler, the director of the Sleep Health Institute at Brigham and Womens Hospital and of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, whom Rivers had consulted before the season, asking him to identify trouble spots on the schedule. Czeisler noted that the Celtics would be flying into Phoenix after facing the Trail Blazers in Portland the night before -- and Cleveland in Boston two nights before that. With so much travel across so many time zones in just three days, your instincts will be bad, he said. Itll be like playing drunken basketball. You will not win this game.After the loss, Rivers realizes that Czeisler was right and that its time to start adjusting routines. He calls his Big Three into the office: Were changing, immediately.The players push back. They like their routines. This is what we do! Garnett says.Replies Rivers: Well, were not doing it anymore.EVERY SEASON, NBA teams are forced to play games that, as Rivers learned in 2011, are all but unwinnable -- not because of the opponent but because of how the schedule unfolds leading up to them. In many organizations, these games are actually referred to as scheduled losses. Says Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau: Sometimes the schedule can get you. That happens.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich circles these problem games on the schedule and prescribes the one cure for them: rest. The guys appreciate it, he says, and it makes them even more committed to the program because they know youre taking care of them and theyre not just a piece of meat that youre going to use to win and move on.Current Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who has consulted numerous sleep experts, says he has received similar advice. Its very point-blank -- like, this schedule is not great for sleep. But the bottom line is the schedule hasnt changed, its not going to change, so how do you manage it the best you can? Thats why when the schedule comes out, for me, I go through the whole thing that day and plan the whole year and think about it.And now so can you. To identify the NBA games in which its not one team against another but one team against the schedule, ESPN enlisted multiple experts, including sleep doctors who consult with NBA teams. In partnership with ESPN Stats & Information, they ranked the seasons 488 back-to-back games on several factors, such as whether the game is home or away, the time elapsed between tip-offs (including hours lost from flying east), how rested the opponent is from play or travel and whether its part of a longer run of four games in five nights, or five games in seven. The result: There are 42 games in the 2016-17 season in which the schedule creates a distinct competitive disadvantage for one team. The seven most extreme cases are identified below. Were calling them schedule alert games.Does it work? Cheri Mah, sleep consultant to NBA teams and a research fellow at the UC San Francisco Human Performance Center, helped construct the formula. Last season, using a similar formula, her system correctly picked losers with up to 78 percent accuracy. Those predictions were blind to the quality of the teams -- showing how strong the impact of back-to-back games is. The reality is, if I could craft an NBA season, Mah says, it would not have back-to-backs.TODAY, RIVERS IS keenly aware of which games are unwinnable -- so much so that hes actually considered the once-unthinkable: forfeiting. Rivers, now the Clippers coach, recalls that LA was scheduled in 2014 for back-to-back games, the second on the road, immediately following a seven-game road trip. I contemplated keeping the team home, literally, Rivers says. We knew we were walking into getting our ass kicked, and thats what happened.What is it they say? If you have less than five hours of sleep for three days in a row, your reactions are that of a legally drunk driver? Weve seen that with our own eyes.Schedule alert!Do you like to prepare mentally for your favorite NBA teams losses, even months ahead of time? Then this is for you! With the aid of sleep scientists, weve devised a formula to identify the seasons schedule alert games-those that are the most unwinnable because of the schedules travel impact and resulting fatigue issues. Heres an exhaustive look at the season.Mah Score is based on eight fatigue factors, ranges from 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating greater disadvantage.1. 11/29: Hornets (Pistons): 8.5 Mah score Leaving Memphis, the Hornets lose an hour flying home-and less than 24 hours later cap a four games-in-five-days stretch vs. the rough-and-tumble Pistons.2. 12/3: Lakers (Grizzlies): 8.5 A back-to-back for LA starting in Toronto means a late trip through customs and no rest. Even tougher: This next game is the fourth in five nights-all on the road.3. 12/6: Bulls (vs. Pistons): 9.5 Chicago, in the closest thing to certain schedule defeat, loses an hour in the air heading to Detroit -- plus the haul toward Auburn Hills, Michigan -- after playing Portland at home, to cap a four-in-five run.4. 12/11: Warriors (Timberwolves): 8.5 This is a genuine test for Golden State, its fourth road game in five nights after playing in Memphis the night before. Plus: an early 6 p.m. start vs. a young team.5. 2/4: Denver (Spurs): 8.5 After facing Milwaukee at home, Denver loses an hour heading East, only to cap a four-in-five against the Spurs, who have a one-day recovery edge.6. 3/11: Wizards (Trail Blazers): 8.5 Capping not just a four-in-five but a five-in-seven stretch, this road game comes against a Blazers team that will have a one-day rest advantage.7. 3/15: Trail Blazers (Spurs): 8.5 For Portland, this marks the third road game of a five-game trip, the fourth game in five nights, the fifth in seven ... and its against the Spurs. Ouch.Additional reporting by ESPNs Jackie MacMullan, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Arnovitz Chad Thomas Jersey . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Denzel Ward Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.brownsjerseyscheap.com/ . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Cleveland Browns Jerseys . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Damion Ratley Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. CHICAGO -- Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers were rolling along with a big lead, looking as though they would take another step toward a playoff spot and the top of the NFC North.Once it disappeared, they still found a way to pull out the victory.Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson with a 60-yard pass to set up Mason Crosbys 32-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Green Bay Packers to a 30-27 victory over the Bears in one of the coldest games ever played in Chicago on Sunday.Wide receiver-turned-running back Ty Montgomery ran for a career-high 162 yards and two touchdowns. Micah Hyde broke up a potential go-ahead touchdown pass, and the Packers (8-6) earned their fourth straight victory despite blowing a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.They also moved ahead of Minnesota for sole possession of second place in the NFC North and pulled within a game of division leader Detroit, with the Vikings getting pounded by Indianapolis and the Lions losing to the New York Giants.I think we have a lot of grit as a team, Rodgers said. We stick together in adverse situations. There wasnt any finger pointing after 27-10 turned into 27-27 for either side. We just knew we had to go out and make something happen. Its fun to be standing here at 8-6. We all know what 4-6 felt like. It was tough.For the Bears (3-11), it was more of the same.They had tied it on a field goal by Connor Barth with 1:19 left. The Packers took over at their 27, and on third-and-11 at the 26, Rodgers unleashed a deep pass down the middle of the field to Nelson, who got behind CreVon LeBlanc.With no timeouts, the Packers downed the ball before Crosby booted his winner.The team has a lot of character, Chicago defensive end Akiem Hicks said. The team has a lot of players who are willing to fight to the end, put everything on the line. This is our life. This is what we do.FRIGID DAYAll that happened on a day when the game-time temperature was 11 degrees with a minus-4 wind chill.Chicago hosted the Packers in 3-degree temperature and a minus-15 wind chill -- the lowest ever for a Bears home game -- on Dec. 18, 1983. The Bears coldest home game, temperature-wise, was against Green Bay on Dec. 22, 2008, when it was 2 degrees with a minus-13 wind chill.ddddddddddddRodgers threw for 252 yards despite problems his left hamstring and right calf that kept him out of practice during the week.Montgomery had several big runs, including a 61-yarder, after coach Mike McCarthy announced he is now a full-time running back. He also scored from the 4 on the games opening possession and added a 3-yard TD in the third quarter that made it 20-10.Christine Michael ran for a 42-yard touchdown . Julius Peppers had a strip-sack that led to a field goal. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix added two interceptions, and the Packers tied the NFLs oldest rivalry for the first time since 1933 at 94-94-6.Chicagos Matt Barkley threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off three times.Alshon Jeffery came on strong near the end to finish with 89 yards on six catches in his return from a four-game suspension for violating the NFLs policy against performance-enhancing drugs.Deonte Thompson led Chicago with 110 yards receiving. Cameron Meredith added nine catches for 104 yards, but the Bears lost for the fifth time in six games.LATE RALLYGreen Bay was clinging to a three-point lead in the closing minutes when Hyde reached in front of Meredith at the goal line on third down at the Packers 4. Chicago chose to have Barth kick a field goal rather than try again for a touchdown.QUOTABLETo have it even out all those years is pretty crazy. -- Nelson on tying the rivalry.NOTABLEThe Packers and Bears combined for 900 yards in their 152nd regular-season meeting since 1940. Its their highest total in that span, according to the NFL.INJURY REPORTPackers: RB James Starks sat out because of a concussion. McCarthy said the veteran running back was in a car crash Monday.Bears: NT Eddie Goldman was inactive after leaving last weeks game at Detroit because of an ankle injury. ... LB Jerrell Freeman served the final game of a four-game suspension for a PED violation.UP NEXTPackers: Host Minnesota on Saturday.Bears: Host Washington on Saturday.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Jerseys Store Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2018 Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '