The NBA released the schedules for 2007-08 today. I have posted all the
relevant info on
the site, check it out.
Taking a glance at it, here are my first impressions:
*
Ummm, thanks NBA for helping us out at the beginning of the season. The
opening stretch is
brutal. Here is the first six: home to Dallas, at
Detroit and New Jersey, home to Phoenix, at newly-reconstituted Boston, home to
Washington.
Ouch. That's five returning playoff teams and one most presume will easily
snag one in this year's Eastern Conference, and if you look at the rosters,
there are roughly three All-Stars per squad. But, as one of my co-workers said
today - you gotta play 'em some time. I tell you what though - we start out 4-1
this year, it will be much more impressive than last season. December could be a make-or-break month for the team. With eight home
games and only five on the road, the team will need to take advantage before the
turn of the new year when they go on the road for 9 of 15.
* The team takes both West Coast trips during the middle of the
season, heading out for two different five-game swings January 23-30 and another
right after the All-Star break from February 19-25. I like this, as hopefully by
midseason the team will have fully incorporated the new players and Al and Acie
will be better adjusted to the level of play.
* This is perhaps a bit redundant, but worth noting - the Hawks play host
to the three best teams in the NBA from 2006-07 in the season's first 18 days:
the season-opener against Dallas on Nov. 2, Phoenix on the 7th, and the
defending champion Spurs on Nov. 20.
* If I am skeptical about the beginning of the season, I will say that
if we survive it and are in the hunt come the homestretch, I do think we have a
favorable slate in April: home to Toronto, Philly, Boston and Orlando, and road
games at Philly, Indiana, New York and Miami. Certainly no gimmes, but no games
against Cleveland, Chicago, or Detroit.
* For those that await the arrival of the new batch of NBA superstars: Kevin
Durant and the Sonics come to Philips on Friday Nov. 16, and fans will get their
first glimpse of Greg Oden when the Hawks host Portland on Monday, January 21
for the traditional MLK matinee.
We'll get more in depth in the coming weeks, but for now, let's just start
working on how to beat Dallas three months from tonight. Deal?
