Analyzing the Trail Blazers’ 2019-20 schedule

The NBA released its 2019-20 regular season schedule yesterday. Let’s check out some key revelations for theTrail Blazers:

National TV!

The Blazers will be on national television 20 (twenty!) times next season — nine appearances on ESPN, 10 on TNT, and one on ABC. The lone ABC game against theRocketson Mar. 13 is also the only early start of the season; 12:30 pm in Portland.

Portland had 13 national TV games scheduled last season and 11 the year before. I haven’t done a definitive search through team history yet, but it’s likely this is the most regular season national TV appearances ever for the Blazers (comment below if you can find a season with more national TV!).

The NBA changed how they schedule national TV games this year. Several doubleheaders on ESPN and TNT will begin at 4:00 or 4:30 pacific time so that the second games will end earlier on the east coast. Multiple Blazers games are affected by this change (e.g. a 7:00 tip-off against theNuggetson Feb. 4 on TNT).

The Blazers also have 11 games on NBA TV this year, likely annoying out of town fans who rely on league pass to watch games but may not have access to the league’s channel.

Less travel (relatively speaking)!

Because of their geographic isolation relative to the rest of the NBA, the Blazers perennially travel more miles than almost any other team in the league. They got a slight break this year,traveling “only” the fourth most miles.

Unfortunately, the Blazers do frequently suffer a rest disadvantage. Only the LAClipperswill play more games against opponents with more rest:

Tough and easy stretches

The NBA eliminated four games in five nights stretches entirely this season and the Blazers have only 12 back to backs so the traditionally obvious schedule pitfalls are mostly gone this season.

Portland’s hardest schedule stretch may be the start of the season this year. They open with 13 of the first 18 games on the road, including a season long 6-game road trip from Nov. 16-25. With Jusuf Nurkic not likely to return until at least January, it will be tough for the Blazers to replicate their 10-3 start to last season. The Blazers have another 6-game stretch from Mar. 22-30.

If the Blazers do struggle out of the gate, the schedule affords them opportunities to make up for it after the all-star break. Portland plays 13 games from Feb. 29 — Mar. 25; those 13 contests include a season-long six game home streak and only one of the 13 opponents won more than 42 games last season.

Additionally, the Blazers do not leave the pacific time zone for the entire month of April. Five of six games will be at home and the lone road game well be at Golden State.

Schedule quirks

• The Blazers play a dreaded home back-to-back on Dec. 20 and 21 against theMagicandTimberwolves, respectively. Anyone who decides to leave for Christmas/holiday vacation a weekend early will be forgiven.
• Portland plays 8 of 12 on national TV from Jan. 15 — Feb. 7. Apparently that conference finals run raised some eyebrows.
• There’s a sneakily difficult stretch Jan. 29 — Feb. 12. Eight straight games will alternate home/away, capped with a ninth game on the road. The first six games are against predicted Western Conference playoff qualifiers.
• Meyers Leonardand theHeatcome to town on Feb. 9.
• The Blazers play the Clippers,Lakers,Grizzlies, andSpursonly three times this season.

Game of the year?

If I had to pick a “biggest game of the year” off the schedule I’d go with game 80 against the Nuggets on Apr. 9. It’s late enough in the season it may decide playoff seeds and tiebreakers, possibly even the division crown. Given the budding rivalry between Portland and Denver after last year’s epic playoff series, it has potential to be a pivotal night.