With the free agency period nearly over and every player signed, the void between this star struck offseason and the beginning of NBA preseason has been filled with the full release of the NBA schedule. The Miami Heat's might be the most anticipated of them all due to all the talk of the team possibly breaking the single-season record for wins in a season.
While it is a considerable stretch that "Miami Thrice"
could break 72 wins in their first season together, it is an interesting debate to see if they could actually eclipse the mark set by some of the greatest players of all time. After a look at the schedule though, there is a possibility that they might not lose a game until late November when they travel three hours to Orlando.
The first three games of the schedule are a bit rough with the season opener in Boston, followed by a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on the road, and then ended with the home opener against the Orlando Magic. Then the Heat get to rest up for about two weeks before they get real competition again.
Two days after the Magic game is a road game against the New Jersey Nets, which is followed by easier competition in a home against against the Timberwolves, and then an away game in New Orleans. Following that, the Heat get a six-game homestand against less than stellar competition besides the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz. The Suns, Nets, Raptors, and Bobcats all take a stop at the American Airlines Arena before the Heat ship off to Memphis.
To be honest, the Heat got it a little easy with the first 20 games of the season with no test in the schedule aside from the first two games. Not until December do the Heat get a road trip, which even then isn't that impressive with the Bucks, Jazz, Kings, and Warriors in five nights. It gets considerably more difficult in January when they face a five-game onslaught on the road against Milwaukee, Portland, the L.A. Clippers, Denver, and Chicago.
There remains two four-game road trips left on the schedule with each of them against less than quality opponents. If you assumed that based on the first week of the schedule that the Heat would get a difficult year, you'd be completely wrong. The Heat only have one difficult road trip and it's not until mid-January.
With only four somewhat challenging opponents in November, Miami has the chance to enter the month of December with less than five losses if this Heat team forms their chemistry early.
Miami gets another six-game homestand in March against quality opponents in Chicago, Portland, the L.A. Lakers, Memphis, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Even at home these games are a test. The Heat play six of their final nine games on the road with the last two on the road against Atlanta and Toronto to end the season.
Marquee Matchups
Since the opening week and holiday schedule's have already been announced prior to the full release of the season, we will only discuss the marquee match-up's aside from what we already know.
November 24: At Orlando
This is the Miami Heat's first road test in November and it comes at the end of the month. Following a few easy games, it'll be a test to see how the Heat react when they have to face a quality opponent again in a hostile environment even if it is three hours away. Games against the Orlando Magic throughout the season will also be interesting to watch to see how well the Heat play Dwight Howard.
Joel Anthony can play Howard well on the defensive end, but it'll only be so long before he gets into foul trouble. Erik Spoelstra will most likely have to send the majority of his centers to defend Howard and give up some fouls in the process. Considering this could be a preview of the Eastern Conference championship, early preparation will be needed.
December 17-at New York
This is the first match-up of the season between the Heat and Knicks and it could result in a rivalry renewed. The 1990's featured constant battles between the two teams, but with the Heat moving in one direction and the Knicks moving in another, the rivalry died due to the Knicks suffering inside and out as a franchise.
After some quality pick-up's in Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton however, the Knicks could give the Heat a run for their money if they impress early in the season. If the Knicks assume that their strategy of trying to outscore the other team is going to win them the game, they'll have another thing coming. It'll take more than offense to beat a team like the Heat this time around.
January 7-15, at Milwaukee, at Portland, at L.A. Clippers, at Denver, and at Chicago.
The second road trip of the season for the Heat, but probably the hardest week of the season for Miami as well. Four of these teams are coming off of playoff berths with all five of them significantly improving over the offseason. Jeff Van Gundy reported a few days ago that the Heat might not lose two games in a row this season, but if it was to happen, it would happen here.
Not only are the teams difficult, but the road alone is unbelievable. They start out in Wisconsin before heading out to Oregon two days later. They get a three-day rest before heading out to California and then Colorado for a back-to-back before the trip finally ends in Illinois two days later.
A week away from home will be a sight to behold to see how much endurance and ambition this Heat team has against quality opponents on the road and in a short amount of time.
January 30: At Oklahoma City
Unfortunately for NBA fans, the schedulers decided that the Heat's first match-up against the Oklahoma City Thunder won't occur until 2011. The Thunder have established themselves as the newest threat in the West and the Heat would be the perfect team to play against.
The Thunder and the Heat, even before LeBron and their new roster, are arguably the most exciting teams in the NBA and no fan should miss out on a game like this, with the score probably reaching into the 110's and an onslaught of Top 10 worthy plays for ESPN.
March 10: vs Los Angeles Lakers
The second of a two game series between the powerhouse's of the East and West coast with the last game being in Miami. Even before the new roster, Dwyane Wade and the Heat have always given the Los Angeles Lakers a ride. Every Heat fan remembers Kobe Bryant's "luckiest shot of his career" and every Laker fan remembers the overtime loss in the second game of the series last year.
With the Celtics deteriorating, the Heat and Lakers could form the next big rivalry in the NBA over the next few years. At least until Kobe Bryant's retirement. Not only that, but this could be the last time these two teams play until a potential matchup in late May for the NBA Finals.
March 29: At Cleveland
The teams will play on December 2nd, but you might argue that this game could feature even more bad blood than the first matchup between the two. The Cavs have significantly deteriorated as a team, but this could be the game that features a potential sweep by the Heat in the fourth game of the series.
There is no doubt that it will be a sellout once again, but the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena could be more riled up than ever if LeBron and Co. think they can go to Cleveland and sweep his former team. They might need more security than they had during the game in early December—and this time, they may need to use it.
I was quite surprised with how easy they made the Heat's schedule, aside from the week-long road trip. The month of November features three difficult games with a six-game homestand to allow the Heat to get the ball rolling and form the right chemistry against inferior opponents. This might open the door for the Heat to truly persue the 72-win record that analysts have been saying could be broken next season.
Two months still remain between now and the first preseason game, but there will be plenty of breaking down of every team's schedule. The Heat's schedule is one worth noting though because of just how realistic 72 wins can be for the Triofive.
