As Diana just broke, the 2017-2018 NBA schedule has been announced. In accordance with tradition, we must now analyze it in way too much detail for the rest of the offseason to determine whether the Utah Jazz were put at an advantage or a disadvantage.

In this initial post, we’ll break down how many back-to-back games are in our schedule, and determine where our longest road and home stretches are.

Back to Backs

I broke down back to back games by month, and counted how many of them are home-to-home, home-to-away, away-to-home, and away-to-away.

My first reaction is that this is a very favorable schedule. Of course, we have yet to analyze strength of opponent. However, the schedule itself looks fair. It allows us to get into shape at the beginning of the season, then grind for one month in December, and rest more often in the second half of the season, where the playoff race truly begins, and fatigue normally plays a large part. Another thing of note is that in February, our third back to back is immediately after the All-star Weekend, so our players should be fairly rested for that one in particular.

Here is how our back to backs look when broken down.

Again, this doesn’t seem all too lopsided against us. It seems actually quite manageable. Overall, our schedule looks fairly balanced. What do you think?

Longest Home Stands and Road trips

Once again, the schedule seems very balanced. We have three road trips lasting four Away games in a row, and three home stands lasting four games in a row. We have one set of six games on the road, and one set of six games at home. Here is what that looks like on the schedule:

October 28-November 3: 4-game Home stand

November 7-13: 4-game Home stand

November 15-20: 4-game road trip

December 9-20: 6-game road trip

January 5-12: 4-game road trip

February 2-7: 4-game road trip

February 12-March 2: 6-game home stand (two games before All-star Weekend, and four after)

March 13-20: 4-game home stand

It definitely looks like a schedule curated for a strong start and a solid finish. As we look further into the schedule, especially considering our opponents, we’ll get a better feel for how this schedule may affect the season. My first reaction is a positive one, as the Jazz will be rested in the stretches that matter most. Let’s hope they can capitalize on these opportunities.