Thoughts On The 2009-10 Thunder Schedule
The NBA released its league-wide schedule today, and the Thunder will open the season at home against Sacramento on Oct. 28. Oklahoma City will travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Oct. 30 before returning to the Ford Center to face Portland on Nov. 1 and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 3.
Other highlights of the schedule include: Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic at the Ford Center on Sunday, Nov. 8, No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Ford Center on Sunday, Nov. 15, the Boston Celtics coming to town Friday, Dec. 4, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting OKC on Sunday, Dec. 13, Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets coming Jan. 6 and March 10 and the Lakers returning Friday, March 26.
Also, the Thunder will have 10 Sunday home games, nine Friday night home games and three Saturday night home games. Oklahoma City will host Utah on New Year’s Eve and Milwaukee the day after Thanksgiving.
But the most interesting bit of news in Oklahoma City’s schedule is that the Thunder will again have just one nationally televised game, a Dec. 16 home game against Dallas. For all the buzz the Thunder has built around the league for how it’s the best up-and-coming team, the television networks sure don’t seem to be impressed. The Dec. 16 game will be televised by ESPN. It’s understandable how ABC wouldn’t pick up a 23-win team for its Sunday slate but for TNT to not pick up a single game is pretty amazing. Even more incredible is the Thunder is scheduled to have only two games aired on NBATV. I guess respect really is earned, not given.
Anyway, let’s break down this here schedule shall we?
Toughest month: Based solely off of opponents that made the playoffs last season, the Thunder’s toughest month will be November. Ten of the 15 games in the month are against teams that were in the postseason last year. But two of those games are against Houston, which lost its three best players (Yao Ming, Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady) to injuries and free agency. Nevertheless, the Thunder must face both conference champions, the Lakers and Magic, twice apiece in the month as well as road games at San Antonio, at Miami and at Utah. Add to that, the Thunder plays the Clippers, who they went 1-3 against last season, twice in the month and must also face the Washington Wizards, who are healthy and revamped. Let’s just say things have the potential to go south quickly if the Thunder isn’t careful.
Time to gain ground: With so many teams improving this off-season it’s hard to find a month in which the schedule turns in the Thunder’s favor. But February looks to be the month of least resistance for Oklahoma City. The Thunder will play six games against five teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season — Golden State, New York, Minnesota (twice), Phoenix and Toronto. The remaining teams in the month — Atlanta, New Orleans, Portland, Dallas and San Antonio — are all teams the Thunder played relatively well last season which should bode well this year.
Most grueling stretch: And the winner is, by default, a four-game road trip in mid-January. For the second straight season the Thunder received a favorable travel schedule. Oklahoma City is away from the Ford Center for more than three straight games only once this season, a string of games from Jan. 18-23. Even then, the opponents aren’t overwhelming: Atlanta on Jan. 18, Minnesota on Jan. 20, Memphis on Jan. 22 and Cleveland on Jan. 23. The toughest test looks to be early, from Nov. 14 to Nov. 24 when the Thunder plays five of seven games on the road. The opponents: at San Antonio on Nov. 14, at home against the Clippers on Nov. 15, at Miami on Nov. 17, at Orlando on Nov. 18, at home against Washington on Nov. 20, at the Lakers on Nov. 22 and at Utah on Nov. 24.
National attention: If that’s what you want to call it. The Thunder is scheduled for only one nationally televised game, an ESPN broadcast on Dec. 16 against Dallas. NBATV is currently scheduled to air two additional Thunder games, a Nov. 15 home game against Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers and a Dec. 2 home game against Philadelphia. The national television schedule is subject to change, especially later in the season. But for the Thunder to initiate that change it must first win some ball games.
Back-to-backs: The Thunder has 18 back-to-back sets this season, most of them spread out over the course of the year and just about evenly distributed among the three possibilities: Eight road-road, five home-road and five road-home. Not bad.
Five Games To Look Forward To
Dec. 4: Boston: The 2007-08 champs look to have one more run in them. Kevin Garnett’s knee should be healed and ready to rejoin Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. And Rasheed Wallace has entered the mix in Boston, perhaps making the Celtics the favorite to come out of the East. Better enjoy them live if you can.
Dec. 13: Cleveland: Everything about LeBron James already is captivating, from his physique, to that pre-game powder thingy, to how he pummels his competition. But the reigning MVP still has a sour taste in his mouth after last season’s unexpected ousting in the East Finals at the hands of Orlando. So it’s no telling what lengths he’ll go to this season to avoid yet another untimely exit. Expect him to be on a mission to win it all this season. He came to Oklahoma City and dropped 31 on the Thunder last season. This year’s visit could be just as entertaining. And oh yeah, James now has Shaquille O’Neal by his side.
Nov. 3 (or March 26): Los Angeles Lakers: It’s always exciting when the defending champions in any sport can get even better. The Lakers did just that by swapping Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest in free agency while hanging on to Lamar Odom. If Andrew Bynum remains healthy and plays up to his potential all season the Lakers could win 70 games. Thunder fans get two shots at this star-studded squad. Take your pick.
Jan. 16: Miami Heat: Somehow (perhaps because of the Kobe-LeBron craze), Dwyane Wade never did get his due recognition for how truly great he was last season. In case you didn’t know, D-Wade is back and the 2006 Finals MVP is better than ever. He’ll single-handedly make Miami worth watching this season, and judging by his performances last year against the Thunder you won’t want to miss him when he comes to the Ford Center. Wade averaged 35 points, 8.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in two games against the Thunder last season. And this year’s game is one of only three the Thunder has on Saturday night. What more could you ask for?
Jan. 6 (or March 10): New Orleans Hornets: Don’t write off the Hornets just yet. By trading Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor New Orleans is looking to stay in contention in the West. Last year’s lofty expectations might have been too high, but this year they’ll fly under the radar and could sneak up on the league like they did two seasons ago. But the draw of course is Chris Paul, who has fully established himself as the game’s best point guard. Paul still holds the key to many NBA fans’ hearts in OKC and, really, why wouldn’t he? He dazzles you on the court and charms you off of it. The only drawback is both his visits are on a Wednesday night.
Beware Of The Brand
Houston Rockets: They lost Ron Artest in free agency and both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady likely are out for the season because of injuries. Last year’s playoff darlings don’t quite have the same sizzle with Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola leading the way. Unfortunately these guys are on the home schedule twice in the regular season (Sunday, Nov. 29 and Wed. March 24) and once on the road in the preseason (Oct. 19).
Detroit Pistons: Chauncey Billups? Gone. Rasheed Wallace? Gone. Allen Iverson? Gone. Antonio McDyess? Gone. Coach Michael Curry? Gone. Their replacements? Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Chris Wilcox and John Kuester. Good luck with that, Detroit. Then again, how much worse could it get after last season? The Thunder ran through last year’s middling Pistons inside the Ford Center, and their only appearance this season (Friday, Dec. 18) looks like it could be setting up to end in similar fashion.
New York Knicks: Their biggest off-season move thus far has been trading for……wait for it……Darko Milicic. It’s a good thing this team only blows through town once (Monday, Jan. 11). Not even the most hardcore NBA fan can get excited about Wilson Chandler, Jared Jeffries and Larry Hughes. Mike D’Antoni has his work cut out for him this season as the Knicks continue saving money for a player (we all know who he is) who isn’t leaving a good thing to start from the ground up just to be on the grandest stage.
Five Match-ups To Circle On Your Calendar
Russell Westbrook vs. Derrick Rose.
The dates: Jan. 4, Jan. 27.
The skinny: They’re two of the fastest rising young point guards in the league and are worth the price of admission every time they face one another. In their first meeting last season, a 109-98 Thunder win, the two played to a virtual draw. Rose, the eventual Rookie of the Year, evened the series with a 103-96 Bulls win on March 18 and took the upper hand in the head-to-head duel by scoring 20 of his 25 points in the second half, going 10-for-10 from the field in the final 24 minutes.
James Harden vs. Brandon Roy
The dates: Nov. 1, Feb. 9, March 28, April 12.
The skinny: The Thunder’s No. 3 overall pick drew comparisons to Portland’s Roy all throughout the draft process so it’ll be teacher versus pupil each time the two teams meet. Harden isn’t likely to start opposite Roy, especially not early in the season. But it could be an entertaining battle in stretches considering neither is a great man defender and both are highly skilled and extremely savvy offensively. In the name of long-term impact, Harden’s learning curve could be greatly accelerated by playing against Roy and watching him in the film room and from the bench.
Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James
The dates: Dec. 13, Jan. 23.
The skinny: One writer wrote this summer that execs throughout the league are whispering that Durant could one day be better than James. A quasi-debate has erupted ever since on talk shows and blogs. On two nights we get to judge for ourselves. But aside from imagining the long-term possibilities, you should use these two meetings to gauge where Durant is in his development right now. Durant didn’t defend James last season, leaving that daunting responsibility up to Jeff Green. James, on the other hand, guarded Durant throughout much of both games and Durant largely struggled to find his rhythm against the bigger, stronger James. Durant’s 19.5-point average against Cleveland was the fourth lowest scoring average Durant had against an opponent he faced at least twice. (His season-low 14-point average in two games against Dallas was a result of injuring his ankle eight minutes into a Feb. 8 game). If Durant takes the challenge of guarding James it would signal the next step in his maturation. No longer would he be protected in the lineup by Thabo Sefolosha and Green checking the other team’s best player. It would signify that Durant is not only serious about improving his defense but also ready to commit to it full time.
Thabo Sefolosha vs. Kobe Bryant
The dates: Nov. 3, Nov. 22, Dec. 22, March 26.
The skinny: Sefolosha is quietly evolving into one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, and these meetings with the game’s most prolific scorer should serve as a good indicator of how Sefolosha is growing on the defensive end. Sefolosha is a big fan of Bryant but hasn’t backed down from the challenge when the two have squared off. Sefolosha held Bryant to 19 points on 6-for-18 shooting on March 24. And in the larger context, Sefolosha’s growth on the defensive end is a key factor in Oklahoma City’s ceiling this season. But also take note of the other end of the floor. Kobe Bryant is still one of the league’s best defenders and nothing will be easy for Sefolosha offensively. While Sefolosha likely will be content in deferring his offense on these nights to focus on slowing down Bryant’s production, a few solid scoring nights against Bryant could do wonders for Sefolosha’s confidence and indicate he’s coming into his own offensively.
Jeff Green vs. Blake Griffin
The dates: Nov. 11, Nov. 15, March 5.
The skinny: It’s the out-of-position power forward for the Thunder versus the prototypical power forward Thunder fans wanted. Green will have his hands full trying to keep Griffin off the glass. But in a head-to-head match-up against the home grown kid everyone wanted, Thunder fans might begin to realize just how valuable Green’s versatility is for Oklahoma City. But simply gawking at Griffin’s physical gifts isn’t a bad idea either.
Sorry We Missed You
Gilbert Arenas: Agent Zero made his season debut three weeks after his Washington Wizards came to town on March 4. He’ll be back (we hope) on Nov. 20.
Elton Brand: He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery a month before the Sixers came to town on March 8. A healthy Brand can be seen on Dec. 2.
Manu Ginobili: He missed both of San Antonio’s trips to OKC on March 16 and April 7 because of a bum ankle. But, if healthy, the revamped Spurs will bring one of the most dynamic players in the league to town on Jan. 13 and March 22.
Josh Smith: A high ankle sprain kept him out of the last year’s Nov. 9 contest. But the high-flying Hawk is scheduled to soar into OKC on Feb. 2. If you haven’t seen his athleticism up close and personal make it a priority this season.
Michael Beasley: OK, he actually did play in Miami’s lone trip to the Ford Center on Jan. 18. But if you went to the restroom or got stuck at the concession stand you might have missed his ho-hum 10 minutes. Jan. 16 should provide a longer look at the player who dominated all of college basketball during the 2007-08 season and went on to become last year’s No. 2 overall pick.
-DM-
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Comments
Ernie, I do think the players, coaches, front office folks and support staff will definitely be more comfortable. But I don’t think that comfort necessarily will lead to more wins. I could be wrong, but I just think that when the ball is thrown up on Oct. 28 none of that will be a factor. -DM-
[...] Darnell Mayberry has an excellent breakdown of the schedule: “Time to gain ground: With so many teams improving this off-season it’s hard to find a month in which the schedule turns in the Thunder’s favor. But February looks to be the month of least resistance for Oklahoma City. The Thunder will play six games against five teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season — Golden State, New York, Minnesota (twice), Phoenix and Toronto. The remaining teams in the month — Atlanta, New Orleans, Portland, Dallas and San Antonio — are all teams the Thunder played relatively well last season which should bode well this year.” [...]
Hey Darnell, doo you think when the season starts that Serge Ibaka and Byron Mullens will both be on IR and playing in Tulsa?
Carey, I wouldn’t be shocked to see both start the year in OKC but sit the pine early and often. You want to get those guys acclimated to NBA life early but also want to get them some playing time, which likely will come in Tulsa. So by early December it’s likely they’ll be sent to Tulsa if they haven’t already been assigned to the 66ers. -DM-
Enjoy the at least 5 wins in the month of November but it can be as low as 2 wins because now the Clippers have your boy Blake Griffin won’t be gimme wins now
DM, do you think that the team having a “normal offseason/preseason” this year will make what some call a tough start to the season more competive and give the Thunder a better chance at wins than last season having all the unknowns out of the way that the move from Seattle brought?