Philadelphia 76ers: Takeaways from release of the 2017-18 season schedule

Following the release of the 2017-18 NBA schedule, here are some of the main takeaways from the perspective of the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s not just the diehard fans of the Philadelphia 76ers that are looking forward to start of the 2017-18 NBA season.

Furthermore, it appears the NBA head office is also eagerly anticipating the development of a Sixers team now stocked with high-end talent.

The Sixers kick off their campaign on the road on Oct. 18 in a nationally televised game on ESPN against the Washington Wizards. They make their home debut two nights later against the Eastern Conference finalist Boston Celtics.

But from a national perspective, the most notable game on the Sixers’ calendar this season is their Madison Square Garden matchup on Christmas Day with the New York Knicks. Overall, the Sixers will appear nine times on ESPN and five times on TNT from a national TV perspective. Furthermore, there Sixers appear on NBA TV an additional nine times, which includes being staged at the O2 Arena in London on Jan. 11 against the Celtics.

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The elevation to such a prestigious platform is clearly a feather in the cap to all involved with the Sixers following a torturous recent history from a win/loss perspective.

The highest volume of games overall comes in March, when the Sixers play 16 total games, made up of an even 8-8 split at home and on the road. And while this heavy period contains three back-to-backs (14 overall for the season), none of the games are played in the Western Conference, meaning the travel between games in much less despite the heavy schedule.

The Sixers’ toughest and lengthiest overall road trip comes in November, starting with a matchup against the Utah Jazz. They follow this up by playing the Sacramento Kings, the defending champion Golden State Warriors, before finishing up in Los Angeles to take on the Clippers and the Lakers. Being so early in the season, this will be a true test of the talent head coach Brett Brown has at his disposal this season.

The full schedule can be seen here:

Some interesting nuances of the schedule include:

• The Sixers play their two games for the season against the NBA champion Warriors twice in the span of a week in November
• Their two games for the season against the Houston Rockets are over the space of just five days in October
• The Sixers face the Miami Heat three times in the month of February

By investing heavily in the likes of J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson, accompanied by the debuts of Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons, expectations entering this season for the Sixers are the highest they have been for a number of years, both internally and externally.

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It’s clear after viewing the schedule that the league office is very bullish about the Sixers’ prospects this coming season. If they can mesh as a team as a quickly as possible while simultaneously staying healthy, there is no reason why the franchise can’t meet these expectations and make a serious run toward reaching the postseason.