First Thoughts: Pacers’ 2013-14 schedule
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Here’s a breakdown of the Pacers’ 2013-14 schedule, released Tuesday night.
SEASON OPENER IN INDIANA: What better way to tip off a championship run than with the first game at home? The Pacers will face the Orlando Magic and Victor Oladipo, who starred an hour down the road at Indiana University, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Oct. 29. It’s only the fourth time the Pacers have started the season at home in the past 15 seasons.
Fans get their first look at offseason additions Luis Scola, C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland as well as the expected return of Danny Granger from knee surgery. It’s the first of four meetings with the bottom-feeder Magic.
MARQUEE MATCHUPS
• Pacers vs. Bulls, Nov. 6: Derrick Rose should have his feet wet by the time Chicago comes to town. If he does, the Bulls will have the look of a contender and bring fans down I-65. Should make for an interesting atmosphere. The Bulls make their other visit on March 21.
• Pacers vs. Raptors, Nov. 8: It’s not an even game in terms of talent, but ex-Pacers Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin come back to the fieldhouse. Both were allowed to walk as free agents this summer. The Pacers also will want a degree of revenge after Toronto won both visits last season.
• Pacers at Thunder, Dec. 8: It’s not an Eastern Conference duel, but facing Kevin Durant and Co. is always a good measuring stick. David West said Oklahoma City was the best club the Pacers faced in the regular season last year. Russell Westbrook is fun to watch.
• Pacers vs. Nets, Dec. 28: Brooklyn makes their first trip to Bankers Life Fieldhouse since a star-studded overhaul that saw them add Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry to a core of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. Last season, the Pacers were 0-3 against the Nets, who figure to compete with Indiana, Miami and Chicago at the top of the conference.
• Pacers vs. Heat, March 26: LeBron James says he doesn’t consider Indiana a rival, but eyeballs around the league will view these meetings with more scrutiny after the Pacers faced Miami in a seven-game conference finals. Greg Oden has joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as a part of James’ supporting cast. This matchup is Game No. 72 of the season, so it could have serious implications regarding playoff seeding and homecourt advantage. The Pacers travel to Miami on Dec. 18 and April 11, with the first home date with the Heat taking place on Dec. 10.
• BEST OF THE REST: The Pacers play the Knicks in New York on Nov. 20 and March 19 and host them on Jan. 16. These teams don’t like each other after a hotly contested second-round series in May. … Newest attraction Dwight Howard, James Harden and the Houston Rockets come to town on Dec. 20. The Pacers travel to Houston on March 7. … The Pacers host the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 18 and travel to Chris Paul’s house on Dec. 1. … Brian Shaw returns as coach of the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 10. … Indiana native and former Butler coach Brad Stevens brings his Celtics to the fieldhouse on Dec. 22 and March 11. … Washington, Ind. native and Charlotte first-round pick Cody Zeller makes his fieldhouse debut — as an NBA player — on Dec. 13.
TOUGHEST STRETCH: The Pacers play three times in four nights from Dec. 7-10. They open the back-to-back with a road game against Tim Duncan and the Spurs. They head to Oklahoma City the next night and then host the Heat two days later. In all, they play five games in eight nights out West during that stretch.
The Pacers also have three four-game-in-five-night stretches and travel to New York, Memphis, Chicago, Washington and Cleveland from March 19 to March 30, with emotional home dates against the Bulls and Heat sandwiched in between.
EASIEST STRETCH: The Pacers have a soft spot from Jan. 4 to Jan. 14. On Jan. 4 — following two days off — the Pacers host New Orleans. The next night, they play in not-far-away Cleveland. They come home to face Toronto two nights later. After that, they fly to Atlanta, followed by another day off. A home game against the Wizards, then three more days off, is capped with a home date versus Sacramento. By month, February is the easiest, with eight of 12 games at home, and the away dates are against the Hawks, Timberwolves, Magic and Bucks. The only intimidating opponent in February is Brooklyn on the 1st of the month.
THREE INSTEAD OF FOUR: Each NBA team faces members of its own conference four games apiece, with four exceptions each season. For the Pacers, they’ll play three-game series against Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington and New York, instead of facing each of those teams four times.
NATIONAL EXPOSURE: The Pacers will play on national television 17 times this season: eight times on ESPN, seven times on NBA TV and two times on TNT. Last season, the Pacers appeared just four times on either ESPN or TNT.
TWO IN A ROW: The Pacers will play 20 back-to-backs this season. That’s quite a few, although they actually were scheduled for more back-to-backs (22) last season. What’s imposing about this year’s schedule is that 15 of those 20 back-to-backs end with a road game. That’s a lot.
