The NBA announced its regular season schedule on Wednesday, and there are some things that don’t change: 41 home games, 41 road games, four games against each divisional opponent, two games against each inter-conference opponent, et cetera, et cetera.
Beyond that, there are always a few dates to circle, a few moments to get excited about from a Raptors perspective.
Here's the Raptors' schedule pic.twitter.com/nNUyRTwmbw
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) August 17, 2022
The opener: vs. Cleveland, Wed., Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Obviously, a game between the Raptors and Cavaliers is not going to stir a bunch of national conversation in the United States, at least after the LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard eras. However, the opener for both teams, to be played in Toronto, pits rookie of the year Scottie Barnes and runner-up Evan Mobley.
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That vote was one of the closest ever, with Barnes getting five more first-place votes and just 15 more voting points than Mobley. There is a pretty defined top-four in the Eastern Conference this year, with Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Miami representing the top tier (or top two tiers, if you prefer to pair them off). The Raptors and Cavaliers are two of the more likely contenders to break into that group, and their ability to do so will start with the sophom*ores building upon their prodigious rookie-year outputs.
The start: oofta
In the greatest innovation to beat-writer travel since NEXUS/TSA PreCheck, the league is implementing back-to-back sets in the same city, similar to what the NBA did in the 2020-21 season (Tampa Tank). Obviously, this is not being done to coddle the likes of me, but to limit the amount of travel the players have to endure all season long.
Per the NBA: The estimated average miles traveled for the 2022-23 regular season has been reduced to 41,000 miles per team, a record low in the era with 30 teams and 82 games per team.
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) August 17, 2022
The Raptors get a pair of those sets right away — one on the road, one at home. They come, respectively, against Miami and Philadelphia, two of the top four projected teams in the Eastern Conference. Leading into those games, they have the opener against Cleveland and one on the road against Brooklyn, which could be unfriendly if Kevin Durant is still a Net. The Raptors only see two-non playoff teams from a year ago in their first 11, Cleveland and San Antonio. They better come out sharp immediately.
The finish: oofta, part two
Of course, these games could be essentially meaningless, but two road games in Boston and a season finale (*Herbie Kuhn voice* FANAPALOOZA) against Milwaukee is not particularly friendly, all things being equal.
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Bizarre road trip of the year: March 2-10 in Washington, Denver and Los Angeles
Yes, with the same-city residencies, there is less overall travel for each team. Still, the schedule can be odd and, frankly, unkind.
There are eight teams that play in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones, and that usually results in a pair of extended road trips for teams that play in the Eastern Time Zone. Some other games are usually tacked on to those trips, but the basic idea is that there are a pair of four-game trips that serve as a foundation for the schedule.
Not so for the Raptors. After a two-game stay in Washington, the Raptors fly across the country, with just a single off day, to play in Denver on March 6, and then they go to Los Angeles to play the Lakers and Clippers on March 8 and 10, respectively. At least at the end of that, they get three days off.
The other trip west of the MTZ is your typical hellacious journey: seven games in 12 days that take them from Sacramento to San Francisco to Portland to Phoenix to Salt Lake City to Houston to Memphis. There is good news on that one, in that the Raptors only have one back-to-back set in there.
The Toronto tourism committee
Toronto has a reputation for its, uhh, nightlife. Only two teams could be susceptible to an extended stay: Philadelphia (Oct. 26 and 28) and Charlotte (Jan. 10 and 12).
Revenge is a dish best served repeatedly
In case you have forgotten, the Pistons are 9-3 against the Raptors since Masai Ujiri fired Dwane Casey and Detroit hired him. Over those four seasons, the Pistons have a .328 winning percentage in the 290 regular season games they have played against teams other than the Raptors, while the Raptors have a .618 mark against non-Pistons teams. Hilarious!
The Raptors are in Detroit on Nov. 14 and Feb. 25, while the Pistons come to Toronto on Feb. 12 and March 24. Enjoy the losses.
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Day games
Will the basketball be good? Of course not. Will you be delighted that a surprising option has been presented as an option on a bleak winter day? Of course. The Raptors play at home against the Trail Blazers (Jan. 8, 3:30 p.m.), Pistons (Feb. 12, 3 p.m.) and Bucks (April 9, 1 p.m. to close the season) and in New York (Jan. 16, 3 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Detroit (Feb. 25, 12 p.m., noon) and Charlotte (April 2, 1 p.m.).
Top picks
Finally, if you split season tickets, here are my top picks for you, when considering opponent, time of year, day of week and anything else I deem worthwhile, not including the home opener.
5. Heat, Wed., Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.
4. Celtics, Sat., Jan. 21, 5 p.m.
3. Clippers, Tues., Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.
2. Lakers, Wed., Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.
1. Warriors, Sun. Dec. 18, 6 p.m.
(Photo of Pascal Siakam: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Eric Koreen is the lead Raptors writer for The Athletic. Previously, he has covered the Raptors and the NBA for the National Post, VICE Sports and Sportsnet. Follow Eric on Twitter @ekoreen
