(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The NBA released the schedule for the 2019-2020 season yesterday. Now this is an opportunity for every team’s social media to shine and the Pacers had to be one of the best. They chose a Netflix theme which was extremely clever. You can watch it here.
The Pacers have six scheduled games to be nationally televised this year:
- February 7 at home against Toronto
- February 12 at home against Milwaukee
- February 27 at home against Portland
- March 4 at Milwaukee
- March 18 at home against Golden State
- April 8 at home against the Boston Celtics
The Pacers start their season at home against the Pistons, but are then on the road for the next three against Cleveland, Detroit and the new-look Brooklyn Nets. They’re back at home for four of the next six to wrap up their first ten games of the season. Looking at last season’s records for these teams, they had a combined record of 338-482, with a win percentage of just .412. Right away, this seems like a winnable stretch where the Pacers could jump start their season and get a few games up on the rest of the Eastern Conference. The Pacers have a rough four games following their first ten with OKC, Houston, Milwaukee and Brooklyn again.
It’s important for the Pacers to shine in those first ten games, as they could be crucial wins when fighting for playoff position at the end of the season, especially with the toughest part of the schedule being toward the end of the season. The Pacers start the month of March with four games on the road against San Antonio, Milwaukee, Chicago and Dallas. They return home for one game with Boston before hitting the road again to play Philadelphia. If the month of March doesn’t already seem daunting, the Pacers still have to play Golden State, Miami, Houston, and the LA Clippers to finish the month. The Pacers then start off April with the Lakers and Nets. The season concludes by playing three of the final five games away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. They head to Miami and Boston, then come back home for their final home games of the season against Orlando and San Antonio, and finish their regular season at Washington.
The Pacers will have to play well in the early part of the season to give themselves some cushion against a rough second half. There’s a lot of new blood on the roster and in the starting lineup. With Victor Oladipo’s status still in question for the start of the season, the team will have to mesh quickly to be successful; let’s hope they cam take advantage of the season’s first half to do just that.
Here’s when superstars from around the NBA play the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo – November 16, February 17
- LeBron James and Anthony Davis – December 17
- Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant – February 10, April 3
- Stephen Curry – March 18
- James Harden and Russell Westbrook – March 27
- Zion Williamson – February 8
- Kawhi Leonard and Paul George – December 9
- Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid – December 31, January 13
- Damian Lillard – February 27
