As die-hard as I am about basketball, the annual release of the NBA calendar just never gets me all that excited. Maybe if you're a Laker or Celtic fan expecting some great prime time matchups it's a bit different, but for Bucks fans? Not so much. I know there will be 82 games, half will be at home, the home opener will be on a Saturday, and no more than one or two Bucks games will be on national television. And since I get NBA League Pass every year, the national TV schedule isn't particularly relevant to me anyway, except as a barometer of what the guys in Secaucus thought would make for good ratings. As usual, the Bucks didn't score highly in the latter category, with just a lone NBA TV game on November 16 against the Mavericks. But it's not like anyone was expecting this to be the season the Bucks become fixtures on TNT, so no shock there.
But the worst part? The season still seems so far away. Though we'll get a full slate of preseason games before then, we have to wait nearly three months until the Bucks open on Friday, October 30 in Philly. The home opener is as per usual on a Saturday, with Charlie Villanueva and the Pistons in town October 31. Overall, the schedule looks a bit lighter early on than a season ago, with nine of the first 16 games at home including seven of the first ten.
The new year might be less kind. The Bucks play 18 of 29 on the road in January and February, including a killer six-game Western road swing. Fortunately, March provides a bit of a respite with 10 of 15 at the Bradley Center. For even more on the nuts and bolts of the schedule, check out Jeremy's take over at Bucksketball. I enjoyed this part:
I was holding out hope that interest in Brandon Jennings wild ride might lead to one game breaking the TV barrier, but then I remembered the only game the Bucks had on ESPN last year was taken off the air in favor of a dog show or something. The upside of no national television games is a lack of Sunday games. The Bucks have to get up early only five times this year. Compare that to the Lakers and their 16 and you probably have a few guys happy to bein Milwaukee. Especially since the night life in the balmy Milwaukee winters can get so wild.
(Laughter.)
Thank you, I’ll be here all night.