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The 2018-19 NBA schedule is up! Let’s get to the 1/30th that counts:
The full #Knicks schedule pic.twitter.com/vfegzRjb4l
— Chris Iseman (@ChrisIseman) August 10, 2018
Highlights:
- The Knicks open the season at home against the already-tanking Atlanta Hawks. Two nights later their first road game is in Brooklyn. Can you smell that winning streak yet?
Knicks 1-0 already HIT THE DAMN MUSIC pic.twitter.com/FxZXpQRhv1
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) August 10, 2018
- The longest road-trip of the season is a six-gamer bridging 2018 and 2019 and covers Milwaukee, Utah, Denver, the Lakers, Portland and Golden State.
- The longest homestand runs from late March to April Fool’s Day, against Utah, Denver, the Clippers, Toronto, Miami and Chicago.
- The Celtics come to the Garden October 20th and February 1st. The Knicks are in Boston November 21 and December 6th. Pretty compressed between them two.
- The Warriors lone trip to New York will be October 26th.
- Michael Beasley and any other new guys the Lakers signed visit MSG for a noon tip on St. Patrick’s Day. Got a feeling that’ll be one hell of a game, especially if Kristaps Porzingis is back by then.
- The Nets, who still suck, only more orthodoxly, play the Knicks twice in October and the season series is over shortly after the All-Star break. That’s probably for the best.
- Evidence of
a kinder NBAa gentler NBAan NBA aware that the same poor labor conditions they could get away with pre-social media would invite negative PR in 2018:
Notable tidbits on 2018-19 NBA schedule: No four-games-in-five nights again; back-to-backs are at historic lows (average of 13.3 per team this season, it was 19.3 in '14-15 and 14.4 last season) -- and elimination of eight games in 12 nights for first time.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 10, 2018
And yet, still, the Knicks get shafted, tied with Charlotte and Portland for the most back-to-back sets this year while tied with Chicago for the fewest days with a “rest advantage,” i.e. when the opponent is on the second night of a back-to-back and you’re not:
& here's the # of back-to-backs (& games vs. opp. playing 2nd game of a b2b) & rest advantage games for every team this season. pic.twitter.com/TGDSOuVEIt
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) August 10, 2018
- If you’re still on the fence as to whether the Knicks are looking to tank this year...the NBA seems to have made up its mind.
National TV games for each team by network. (Fixed to include the Pistons this time. Thanks @detnewsRodBeard.) pic.twitter.com/RIYKS3W0vi
— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) August 10, 2018
- Kyle O’Quinn returns as a Pacer on Halloween. Besides “Pacer,” everything about that sentence is perfect.
- Last summer’s #1 draft pick, Deandre Dayton, will face the Knicks in New York on December 17th. COME GET SOME MITCH, ROOK!
- Carmelo Anthony’s lone Broadway showing will be January 23rd.
- The Miami Heat are in town January 27th and March 30th. Boo them vociferously.
- Your first chance to ogle Luka Doncic is November 2nd when the Knicks are in Dallas. He visits the city he always should have ended up in January 30th.
- David Fizdale returns to Memphis November 25th. I don’t think they’ll boo him. Why would they?
- Human anomaly Mo Bamba and my favorite non-Knick, Jonathan Isaac, come to New York November 11th. Alongside Aaron Gordon, it’s one of your only chances to see this exceptionally large, long and athletic frontcourt.
- If strength of schedule is relevant, the Knicks’ is tougher than most.
Implied strength of schedule for each NBA team based on Las Vegas O/U for their opponents. pic.twitter.com/CjrcXW3bbH
— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) August 10, 2018
- Kawhi Leonard’s first game against New York as a Raptor is Saturday, November 10th, if you’re into that sort of thing...
- November 10th is my birthday. I’ll be turning 40 and channeling Kawhi-level chill as I grow ever more middle-aged.
- The Knicks don’t play on a Thursday until their 26th game of the season, at Boston. They will have played on every other day of the week at least twice before they finally play on a Thursday. I just think that’s neat.
What games are you pumped to see? Is the Knicks’ relatively difficult schedule (as far as rest) a nouveau frozen envelope, designed to help them land a top-three pick in next summer’s draft? Or just a clever ruse to get our hopes up early so they’re dashed into even tinier pieces come the lottery? Speak and be heard, brethren and sisteren!