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I don't have a link handy, but I recall reading that a high-level NBA executive (maybe not Russ Granik, but someone nearly at that level) is responsible for making the schedule. I can cut him some slack for most scheduling choices due to the complications of arena availability, etc. But at some point, it's ridiculous that the Spurs have never played a Christmas game in San Antonio, for example.

When it comes to strength of schedule, the disparity in quality between the Eastern and Western Conferences is a big factor. For the last few years, all the Western Conference teams have typically ended up with the 14-15 toughest schedules (as ranked by Sagarin and RPI) as teams play about 63% of games within their own conference. The worst team in the Western Conference will probably end up with the #1 toughest schedule, since they don't have the luxury of playing themselves.