Toronto Raptors: 3 thoughts on the 2018-19 NBA schedule
1. The national TV schedule
The national television schedule is usually indicative of one of two things: talent or intrigue. That’s why the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers are playing a combined 426 games on national television this season.
Toronto won’t be shying away from screens anytime this season either, though.
The Raptors will play a stunning 15 games on national television in 2018-19. They’ll be pretty evenly split between ESPN (eight) and TNT (seven). As Josh Lewenberg of TSN reports, this is a hefty amount of exposure for the team, historically speaking.
Correction: this should read "tied for the 2nd-most in franchise history" with 15 scheduled national TV games in the US. They got 15 in 2000-01 and 17 in 2001-02. Full list here: pic.twitter.com/W4kUvOISPC
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 10, 2018
Clearly, the schedule-makers see something special in Toronto this season. That, or they’re anticipating fireworks if there’s drama surrounding Kawhi Leonard.
Their first national television game comes on Oct. 19 against the Boston Celtics, another team competing for the Eastern Conference crown.
Naturally, the contests against the San Antonio Spurs will beamed to the masses anticipating awkward reunions all around.
Interestingly, the last scheduled national television game comes on March 20 during the front end of a home-and-home series with the Oklahoma City Thunder; the Raptors aren’t scheduled to play on ESPN or TNT during the final three weeks of the season.
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A schedule is just meaningless moments on a page until the games are actually played. Still, it’s the perfect opportunity for fans to hype themselves up for the coming season.