Every year since 2013, I've included a post on this blog about my thoughts on the Wizards schedule for the upcoming NBA season. I'm late this year. Like way late. That's what happens when I pledge to take the summer off and then do just that. In the interest of making up time, let's get right to my annual seven thoughts on what's in store for Wizards fans this year.
1. Start At Home
After a string of just twice in 13 seasons from 2004-2005 to 2015-2016, the Wizards are opening their season on their home court for the second year in a row. Not only that, it's the second time in a row that the Wizards are playing their first TWO games at home.
What does all that mean other than we get to watch our favorite team at home in their first game of the season? Well, apparently not too much. The Wiz won their two home openers last year and barely scraped into the playoffs in the eight spot. The only other two times the Wizards opened at home since '04 they lost both times to the New Jersey Nets and missed the playoffs badly both years. Maybe they should stick to starting on the road.
2. No Banner Angst
I'm taking a glass half full approach on this one. Two seasons ago, the Wizards won their first Division Title since 1979 and looked poised for a years long run in first place of the Southeast Division. I wanted a banner as a reward for my 18 years of sitting game in and game out and finally having the team win something. I didn't get it. I got 2017 tacked on to the bottom of a brand new Bullets Division Champs banner. I whined and complained. I still didn't get it.
All that optimism was really short lived based on last year's performance. The Wiz ended up second in 2017-2018, a full game (plus the tiebreaker) behind first placed Miami. They had no business being second but they for sure didn't deserve a banner. This year, they won't get one. And I won't complain or lose any sleep over it. There's still probably space for two more Division Champions lines on the current amalgamated banner so it's going to take three more probably to force management's hand on this one.
3. Home Stands
Over the last couple or three seasons, the NBA has made a conscious effort to make the rigors of an 82 game schedule easier for teams. They have done this in a variety of ways, including extending the season by two weeks to stretch out the space between games; eliminating back to back games as much as possible; extending the All-Star break; and making four games in five nights stretches a thing of the past.
In the past couple of seasons, the NBA's effort hasn't manifested itself in any really obvious ways for us fans that I could see other than the longer schedule. This year, things seem a little more obvious in that the Wizards have noticeable long home stands. Like two five game home stands and one of six games (although admittedly one of those six is not actually in Washington). That means concentrated every other day trips down to F Street for a nine days or so followed by longer periods of road trips. 16 of the Wizards 41 home games are tied up in just three homesteads. Pretty obvious that these are designed to cut down travel back and forth to roadies and then back home again. I'd prefer shorter home stands but I guess I don't get to make that decision.
4. London!
Yep, that's right, the Wizards are playing in London. Three thoughts on this one, I think.
First, as a English-born person and on a purely selfish level, I'm annoyed that the NBA chose this year to send the Wizards to England to play since I just got back from a trip there earlier this month. No way can I justify another trip there so soon.
Second, I'm concerned about the travel for the team although they do have just that one game in a whole week. I suppose that means the rest of the season for them is a little compressed. It's just an unusual ask that other teams (well other than their opponents, the Knicks) don't have to go through.
Finally, for someone who complains about the cost of season tickets on a regular basis, I'm actually thankful the team is refunding me the cost of a home game (the Wiz are the home team in the U.K.) in exchange for one fewer game against the Knicks. No way could I have sold this game and recovered what I paid as an average game cost. Got to look on the bright side of things, right? Maybe next year, they can schedule all the preseason games overseas.
5. Balanced Schedule
Two years ago the Wizards played an incredibly front loaded home schedule. At one point in the season they had played an astonishing ten more games at home than they did on the road. That all came home to roost at the end of the year when the team found themselves on the road way more than they cared to be in March and April.
This year, the Wizards have a pretty friendly schedule from that standpoint. After playing their first two at home, they make an early season west coast swing that puts them in a slightly road heavy mode for the majority of the season until they catch up on the home games in March. The largest home-away difference is just five games and that's towards the road side of things. Best of all, three of the last four are at home which could make for a strong finish, especially if home court can be wrapped up. Might get a little sleeping in your own bed type of rest before the postseason.
6. Slim Traveling Pickings
One of the things I love the most about the schedule release is to see where I might be able to see the Wizards on the road in the coming season. This year? Not so much. The Wizards are playing a paltry four road games on Saturdays this year, which is the best day of the week to make a trip out of town for a game. This year my Saturday options are Miami (already been), Cleveland (was there in April, although not for a game), Chicago (already been) and Minnesota (already been).
Last year I made it to Memphis and Detroit. This year I'm settling for Brooklyn on a Friday in mid-December as my only roadie of the year. I've seen a couple of All-Star events at Barclays before but never a Wizards road game. While I was maybe hoping for a trip to Houston or Dallas or even Charlotte, I'm comfortable with a trip to Brooklyn. Plus there's nothing like New York before Christmas. Nothing. No city does Christmas (or most other things for that matter) like NYC.
7. Lucky Threes
Each year every team in the NBA plays each team in their division four times; every time in the opposite conference twice; and the rest of the teams in their own conference either four time or three times. There aren't enough remaining games to play every remaining team home and away twice so each year there are just three games against four other teams. If those teams are the worst four in the conference, your favorite team might be looking at a tougher schedule; if those teams are the best in the conference, you might see a couple or three or four more wins.
Last year winning a couple of more games would have gotten the Wiz the six seed and a second consecutive division title, although let's face it, they blew a lot of easy ones last year and could have gotten those two wins any number of ways. But it can't hurt to have an easier schedule, right?
This year, the Wiz luck out a quite a lot by getting just three games against Philadelphia, Boston and Milwaukee, three teams that look like some of the tougher outs in the conference. Maybe avoiding each of those teams for one game in the regular season gets them an edge in the standings enough to secure a home court advantage in a playoff series. The other three time opponent is the Pistons, a team that the Wizards handled pretty easily last season. Three out of four ain't bad here.
Somehow I feel this has been one of the least dissectible schedules since I've started writing this blog but that's my take on how things shake out for Wizards fans this coming year. It all starts in less than a month. Can't wait!
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