You know how much time I spend on the schedule, so you know there's a way longer post on this subject coming later on tonight. I've gotten a chance to write it down on paper, in a spread sheet, and look over it once or twice beyond that. I think I understand our schedule. And the initial understand is that . . . at the end of the day, this is a super fair schedule. Way better than we've had in previous seasons. And in the final month of the season we control our own destiny. The Utah Jazz play 8 games in the last month, with 5 of them being at home. And none of them are the 3rd game in four nights, or even a back to back set. We are blessed this year in April. Hopefully that bodes well.
Before we get to our final game of the regular season, a roadie on ESPN at the Memphis Grizzlies -- we have to start with game 1, at home, hosting the Dallas Mavericks.
All of that, and the 80 games in between after the jump
Month by Month:
- October starts with a real training camp (WOO!) and hopefully a full Pre-Season too. Right now we just know of two games (home and home with the Los Angeles Clippers on the 17th and 20th).
- The real games start on Oct 30th, and the Jazz first game of the season is Dallas, on the 31st. This game is also out home opener.
- There's only one game this month, and it's at home. Hopefully the preseason games will be fleshed out later, and if they are, I will update as necessary.
- November gets kinda crazy. There are 16 games, and only 5 of them are at home. Two of the first three are on the road, 4 of the first 7 are on the road, and 8 of the first 15 are on the road. It's a crazy month that has the Jazz starting off in New Orleans, and then flying all over the nation in a clockwise manner twice. The Jazz are never going to be able to go out on a friday night or a saturday night this entire month as each Friday is the first game of a back to back, with a team the next night in some far-away-place.
- There are three TV games this month (@ Denver on the 9th, @ Toronto on the 12th, and @ Sacramento on the 24th). I'll go into all of this in another section
- The Jazz have a lot of 3rd game in 4 nights and back to backs this month. Yes, we don't have any 4 games in 5 nights this entire season -- but we make up for it in these 3rd game in 4 nights deals.In November alone there are 4 back to back sets, and 6 individual games that are the 3rd game in four nights. That's in November alone.
- There is a Toronto - Boston - Philly - Washington road trip (6 days) then a home game, and then 3 days off to do laundry before the next game.
- There is a home and home series with the Kings this month, the second game being the TV game
- December is the opposite, everything is so spaced out with only 15 games in 31 nights. There is a 3 game home stand, and later on a 4 game Eastern conf road trip.
- The Jazz have a good chance to right the record from the crazy November start here, not unlike how the Jazz did well in January last season with all the home games
- January 2013 has the Jazz only playing in 14 games. These last two months look easy on paper
- There are a number of games the Jazz should pick up this month as well - quite a few east teams
- There is a four day stretch of no games between the Miami game on the 14th, and the Cleveland game on the 19th - both home games. I really hope the Jazz practice hard during this time. After the Cleveland game there's another 3 nights off until a home game against Washington. In total, that's 3 games in 10 nights. What are they softening us up for?
- February looks a little more challenging, 12 games though, and 8 at home. Additionally we have the All-Star weekend and events to look forward to. Do Alec Burks and Enes Kanter make the Soph team? Does Jeremy Evans go back to the Dunk Contest to defend his title? Do we have an All-Star playing on sunday? February can be a month of side shows.
- Dear God, even March isn't THAT intimidating. It's still bad. It always is. There's a 4 game east trip. We face a lot of playoff teams on the road (east and west) thsi month. And the Month ends with 5 games in 7 nights. Still, far from the worst March we've ever seen
- April is amazing. It's 8 games, with 5 at home. There are no back to backs, and no major problems. Usually we finished with a murderer's row. This year? This year we finish the season on our own terms - facing teams we need to beat who are at our level: Portland, Denver, New Orleans, Golden State, Minnesota twice, and Memphis make up 7 of the 8 teams. Really Jazz fans, we got this. Right?
National TV Games:
- Nov 9 - @ Denver (ESPN)
- Nov 12 - @ Toronto (NBA TV)
- Nov 24 - @ Sacramento (NBA TV)
- Dec 12 - vs. San Antonio (ESPN)
- Dec 15 - vs. Memphis (NBA TV)
- Jan 26 - vs. Indiana (NBA TV)
- Feb 9 - @ Sacramento (NBA TV)
- Feb 25 - vs. Boston (NBA TV) <-- really? This is a game people care about?
- Mar 9 - @ New York (NBA TV)
- Mar 13 - @ Oklahoma City (ESPN)
- Mar 16 - vs. Memphis (NBA TV)
- Mar 18 - vs. New York (ESPN) <-- if the Jazz are playing well the four TV games in a short while could boost up opinion of us
- Apr 3 - vs. Denver (NBA TV)
- Apr 17 - @ Memphis (ESPN)
Home Stands / Road Trips:
- Home Stand: vs LAC, vs ORL, vs TOR
- Home Stand: vs. MIA, vs CLE, vs. WAS
- Home Stand: vs. IND, vs HOU, vs NOR
- Home Stand: vs. SAC, vs MIL, vs CHI
- Home Stand: vs BOS, vs ATL, vs CHA
- Home Stand: vs BRK, vs POR, vs DEN, vs NOR
- Road Trip: @ TOR, @ BOS, @ PHI, @ WAS
- Road Trip: @ NOR, @ OKC, @ HOU
- Road Trip: @ BRK, @ IND, @ MIA, @ ORL
- Road Trip: @ CHA, @ ATL, @ DET
- Road Trip: @ MIL, @ CLE, @ CHI, @ NYK
- Road Trip: @ HOU, @ SAS, @ DAL
The Jazz have a net -2 in terms of home and road trip games. We did not get one of our customary 5 or 6 game home stands. But we have a lot of 3 game home stands. Will it be better? We'll see.
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Games to Circle:
- Mo and Randy will like to see the Jazz play well and win on Dec 3rd, 28th, and 30th. The Jazz play the Clippers three times in a month, twice at home.
- Marvin cares about that Jan 11th game back in Atlanta, while Devin Harris (who?) will try that revenge game on Feb 27th in Utah
- Big Al's fight against the T-Wolves just got serious this year with them getting Andrei Kirilenko. The teams face off four times, and I don't know what it says about our team, the NBA, or the world that these four games against the Timberwolves are now important. I guess the Mayans were right all along. The World is ending. The first game is Jan 2nd, so if the world ends it'll never happen.
- We still get to see him try to be the Celtics, on national TV again, on Feb 25th
- Our last game vs. the East of the regular season is a home game, hosting the Brooklyn Nets. That's an important game still, you know, the whole Favors / D-Will thing. The Jazz play in Portland the night before, and fly in for the second game in a back to back set, the 3rd game in four nights, and the 5th game in seven. Fun.
- Apparently people don't like Jimmer, or the people who do not like him are the most vocal about it. But we see him four times, and each time we see him in bundles of two games.
Back to backs and all that Jazz:
- There are 17 back to back sets
- There are 21 games that will be the 3rd game in four nights
- There are 0 games that are the 4th game in five nights
- There is 1 game that is the 5th game in seven nights
These are remarkably low numbers. I hope this doesn't mean the '13-14 schedule is a widowmaker.
Over all thoughts:
- I like this schedule, it's rough at first, but if the Jazz can tread water until that 3 games in 10 nights break (which is before the All-Star break) then we can fix things if there are things that need fixing
- The Jazz get to play some West teams only 3 times each season, as opposed to the regular 4. This season it's the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks, and Warriors. It's really a toss up, last season we only played the Thunder three times. Lakers and Spurs are going to be good. Warriors are better than their record was last year, and the Mavs seem to always give us trouble. I'm not complaining.
- March is not going to be any fun, but April is totally manageable
- The Jazz' destiny will be the Jazz' to control.
- Let's start the season now!
Of course, longer post to come tonight, or tomorrow with all the good charts and stuff. The visual schedule is done now already. I just need to add the finishing touches before I create them and upload them in different sizes. I want each Jazz fan with a smart phone to download it so they have a copy of the schedule with them at all time!