I understand what you are saying, but that does not hold water when tonight there is a game in LA that did start at 3:09pm. So since it's in LA its logical for the networks?
Didn’t it start at 4:09?
You have to find the time that works best for all time zones to maximize eyeballs on the game, so the game starting at 4:09 in LA is logical for the networks.
If they started the first game at 5 in LA, the last game wouldn’t start until after midnight. If you start the game at 2 in LA, you lose a ton of eyeballs, even if it’s for half a game.
The whole country needs to be accounted for in the game times, not just the Eastern or central time zone.