Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of t-shirts placed on the seats before game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warrior at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Now that the New Orleans Pelicans schedule for the 2015-2016 season has been released the fun part comes. Considering how important the schedule turns out to be in the long run that is the NBA season, taking a look at all the little quirks and moments in a schedule before the season starts is a fun task, especially in August.
The oft-maligned 82-game schedule format can, at times, elicit chatter about the tangible meaning of any single game. However, while it can be difficult to see how a middle-of-November game against a non-conference team can be worthwhile, the West has shown us in recent years how the important the difference between even 48 and 49 wins (ask the 2013-14 Suns) or 55 and 56 (ask the 2014-15 Spurs) can be.
What that means is that there are matchups or situations throughout the upcoming season that will be more important to the Pelicans’ success than others. Tthe West is a dogfight, and has been for a few years now so it is safest to assume that the team will need to reach at least last year’s 45 win mark to enter the postseason though as the 2013-14 season showed us that might not be quite enough. That means some games have to be more important than others.
With the Thunder getting healthier and securing their talent long-term, Phoenix giving its young core more playing time, and the Jazz expanding upon their world-destroying second half, AD and his band of ballers face something of an uphill battle in defending their privilege of a first round sweep.
For instance, last season’s exhibitions against the Suns and in Oklahoma against the Thunder in late December (featuring an AD 38-12 against the Thunder) were both paramount in building momentum toward that vital 9-6 January record. That first month of 2015 was capped off by a 108-103 win over the Clippers in the Smoothie King Center. And, of course, home victories over the Warriors and Spurs in the last month of the season capped off a 6-3 April to catapult the Pels into the 8th seed.
However, the stretch run is not the only portion of the season featuring important games– they dot the entirety of the Pelicans schedule. Without further ado, the five most important games for our favorite New Orleans Seabirds this year:
Next: The Tough Start