2023 NBA Playoffs: How Crypto.com Arena will pull off Lakers, Clippers double-header just 90 minutes apart

It’s a fun time of the year to be a sports fan with the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs underway. It also means it’s an extremely busy time for Crypto.com Arena and, specifically, the conversion crew. They have their work cut out for them — in mostly 4-by-8 foot pieces. 

Saturday will mark the 251st doubleheader at the multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles formerly referred to as Staples Center. The Clippers are hosting the Phoenix Suns in the early afternoon, just hours before the Lakers‘ evening game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

But Friday evening won’t be a quiet one either, as the Kings are hosting the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. in their opening round playoff series.

Crypto.com Arena’s Senior VP of Operations and Engineering Ignacio Guerra said the arena works with the leagues on scheduling events, and the leagues work with the broadcasting rights holders. It’s a typically complex job, and sometimes, like right around now, it gets trickier.

This year, both of Los Angeles’ NBA teams and the NHL team started their respective playoff series on the road and are now having their home games around the same time.

“The playoffs are… we are on pins and needles,” Guerra, whose conversion team crew consists of about 90 people, told CBS Sports. “This is the most nervous time of the year because you really don’t know if we’re playing next week. We have to wait and see how the series goes and if they are coming back at the same time… 

“We believe this is the third time in the history of the building that we’ve had all three teams make the playoffs, when these types of doubleheaders are needed.”

The Kings’ ice gets done once a year and stays there covered with insulation and the hardwood floor during basketball games. Transforming the arena from ice to basketball or basketball to ice is a process that takes about two hours. 

Each piece of the overlay that covers the ice weighs around 90 pounds, and most of the pieces measure 4-by-8 feet, except for the curved pieces at the ends. Everything fits like a puzzle. That overlay helps keep the condensation down and makes sure the moisture doesn’t go up, 

Not having to uncover the ice during basketball to basketball conversions saves the crew about 30 minutes, but it is still a time-consuming process, because the Lakers and Clippers have different floors, baskets, scorers tables and seating configurations around the court.

The pieces for the basketball floor are also mostly 4-by-8 feet and weigh more than the ice covers, but still under 200 pounds. Ideally, four people hold on to each corner of the pieces, but the job can be done by two when necessary.

The crew got in a warmup on Thursday night after the Clippers’ home game. A group of 25 people did the overnight shift and spent six to seven hours setting up the arena for Friday’s hockey game. The work shift after hockey will be similar to Thursday, but Saturday will require a crew of 60 people to get ready for the Lakers’ game after the Clippers get done.

The deadline to get the arena fully flipped is at least 90 minutes before a match starts.

“It’s an amazing crew. It’s hard work. It is physical, everything is heavy. It isn’t like we press a button and it automatically just flips over,” Guerra, who sometimes takes part in the lifting, said. “The set up is a lot of manual labor. The guys and gals who do this, they take pride in this. It’s the pride that shows because we’ve never missed a deadline.”

Guerra said organization on the floor, and even in the storage room, is key to making this all happen smoothly. Doubleheaders can be a particularly stressful workday, but the team has a punny little tradition to celebrate once they complete their mission.

“We like to feed our guys and as a reward we like to buy double-double burgers since it’s a doubleheader,” Guerra said. “It’s a double cheeseburger that they can take home or eat right there after they get done with the conversion. It’s just to give the guys a little bit of a ‘well done.'”

Crypto.com Arena upcoming playoffs schedule:

(All times eastern)

Friday

• Oilers at Kings, Game 3 — 10 p.m.

Saturday 

• Suns at Clippers, Game 4 — 3:30 p.m.
• Grizzlies at Lakers, Game 3 — 10 p.m.

Sunday

• Oilers at Kings, Game 4 — 9 p.m.

Monday

• Grizzlies at Lakers, Game 4 — 10 p.m.