It’s been over three months since fans saw the NBA schedule for some significant reason, but everything changed on Friday when the league announced the schedule for the resumption of the 2019-20 season at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, starting July 30. The game list for the 22 teams was revealed, with some teams luckier than others.
The NBA did its best to meet the remaining schedule before closing, but obviously with eight teams staying at home adjustments had to be made. With playoff points and positioning still to be determined, the schedule will have a lot to do with how things shake up. Here is a look at some winners and losers based on their opponents in the eight qualifying games in Orlando.
Winner: New Orleans Pelicans
It’s fair because the Pelicans had the most favorable schedule left before the hiatus, but New Orleans now has every opportunity to make its move to No. 8 in Orlando. Only three of his eight games are against current playoff teams, one of them against the Grizzlies, whom they are pursuing for the final playoff spot in the West. Another such team is the Jazz, which will play its first game since losing its second-leading scorer, Bojan Bogdanovic, to wrist surgery. New Orleans is the only team that has a combined opponent win percentage below .500, and each of its last six opponents currently has lost records.
In addition, the second half of the Pelicans’ schedule pits them against four teams: the Wizards, Spurs, Kings and Magic, who potentially could have nothing to play at the time in seed games. Many have chosen Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and the Pelicans to chase Memphis and make the playoffs, and this schedule makes it a real possibility.
Loser: Portland Trail Blazers
Portland was which seems like a solid pick to get that final place in the Western Conference playoffs with the return of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins from injury, but they were hit hard when Trevor Ariza chose not to participate in the Orlando restart. That already made them extremely shallow on the wing in a heavy-winged league, and this schedule certainly doesn’t help their cause. The Blazers’ eight games are against teams currently in the playoffs, with their toughest opponents (Celtics, Rockets, Nuggets, Clippers, 76ers) arriving relatively early, when those teams still compete for the postseason position and have good reason. to play your stars. Portland had the toughest 16th calendar remaining when the season was suspended, and now it has the fifth-toughest in Orlando, meaning Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and the Blazers have an extremely difficult road to the postseason.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
- August 1 vs. Pacers
- August 3 vs. spurs
- August 5 against magicians
- August 7 against magic
- August 9 vs. Trail Blazers
- August 11 against suns
- August 12 vs. Raptors
- August 14 against rockets
After a season of ups and downs, the 76ers have a chance to build up a big push for the playoffs on this schedule. They start with the Pacers who may or may not have Victor Oladipo, then get a streak of five consecutive teams below .500. This means that Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the Sixers could start their Orlando season with a 6-0 record and potentially move up one or two places in the Eastern Conference standings.
Loser: Toronto Raptors
- August 1 vs. Lakers
- August 3 vs. hot
- August 5 against magic
- August 7 vs. Celtics
- August 9 vs. Grizzlies
- August 10 vs. Bucks
- August 12 vs. 76ers
- August 14 against nuggets
It will be difficult for Toronto to give up its sizable three-game lead over the Celtics for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference, but this is a schedule challenge. Six of the eight games are against teams with 39 or more wins, including the NBA’s leading Bucks and Lakers. Potentially falling to No. 3 in the East has particular significance, as the defending champions would have to face the 76ers, Pacers or Heat in the first round instead of the Nets, Magic or Wizards.
Winner: Boston Celtics
- July 31 vs. Bucks
- August 2 vs. Blazers
- August 4 against heat
- August 5 against networks
- August 7 vs. Raptors
- August 9 against magic
- August 11 vs. Grizzlies
- August 13 against magicians
As previously mentioned, the Celtics have a decent opportunity to jump from No. 3 to No. 2 in the East given their favorable schedule compared to the Raptors’ work. Boston has the fifth-easiest roster of Orlando’s 22 teams, and they will be completely healthy, at least initially, a luxury they have had practically all season.
Loser: Miami Heat
- August 1 against nuggets
- August 3 vs. Raptors
- August 4 vs. Celtics
- August 6 vs. Bucks
- August 8 against suns
- August 10 vs. Pacers
- August 12 vs. Thunder
- August 14 vs. Pacers
The league tried to stick as closely as possible to the rest of the NBA schedule before halftime, but the Heat ended up on the wrong side of the “showdown balance” stick. Miami had the easiest remaining schedule in the league before the shutdown, according to AP’s Tim Reynolds, but now they face the fourth most difficult schedule in Orlando based on records compared to just those 22 teams. The Celtics, Heat, Pacers and 76ers are in a battle to rank third to sixth in the Eastern Conference, so Miami cannot be content with its strong draw in the bubble.
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers’ schedule is tough, but that doesn’t really matter: There’s practically no way they’ll give up a 5.5-game lead for the Western Conference top seed in just eight games. But the Lakers win the launch of the calendar where they always win: appearances on national television. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co. will be featured seven times on ESPN, TNT, and ABC, with the majority of the 22 teams headed to Orlando. This is not a surprise, but in an environment where gamers may have to craft new avenues of motivation and energy without fans, knowing that their games are on national television certainly can’t hurt.
Losers: Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns
Not only do the Wizards and Suns have little chance of making it to the postseason, but their only nationally televised games are on NBATV, which many fans don’t even have. They have zero games on ESPN, TNT, or ABC, which may not be too appealing to Wizards and Suns players who still decide whether or not to compete at Walt Disney World.
Winner: NBA fans
With all the recent doubts about the NBA restart among players who chose not to participate, team staff tested positive for COVID-19 and the increasing number of coronaviruses in Florida, the launch of the program was a breath of fresh air for fans, who can finally begin to think about playoff battles and paths to their favorite teams. Something about seeing the teams’ logos, dates, and networks on the schedule makes it all seem more definitive, even if the reality is that the NBA season’s resumption is still teetering dangerously on several factors. But for now, at least, we can begin to think more realistically about something we haven’t seen in over three months: real NBA basketball.
