The New Orleans Pelicans season opener is just a few months away and yet the excitement is already palpable, especially with the Pelicans being part of the first day of NBA action. However, the news of excitement comes with a scary beginning of the season that highlights one of the hardest stretches New Orleans will face throughout the season.
October 27th is the big day as New Orleans starts the NBA season in Golden State for a game against the defending champion Warriors. This begins a stretch until the end of November that, according to SOS rankings by Jared Dubin, is the hardest among all NBA teams.
NBA overall SOS with ranks by (2014-15) W-L and Pythagorean Expectation, and then by month: pic.twitter.com/k6fcgpzEIO
— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) August 13, 2015
From the beginning of the season until November ends the Pelicans will play Golden State twice, Dallas twice, Atlanta twice, Phoenix twice and also have to deal with away games in Toronto, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles to play the Clippers.
That doesn’t even mention a home game against the revamped San Antonio Spurs that ends a brutal final six games of November. That stretch starts in Oklahoma City against the Thunder before taking the Pelicans home a game against the Spurs and two games against the Suns. New Orleans then ends the stretch on the road against the Clippers that leads into a game the very next night in Utah against an energetic Jazz team.
Following the rough November is a December that is just as difficult as the first stretch. The Pelicans December is rated as the second toughest schedule in the NBA during the month, only easier than the Dallas Mavericks. While the schedule maybe a little high on the SOS ratings because of two matchups against the suddenly destroyed Portland Trail Blazers, the Pelicans still have 10 out of their 15 games in December against playoff teams from last season.
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The brutal six game stretch to end November gets even more tough when you look at the first three games of December. The Pelicans start December home against the Grizzlies, then play the next day in Houston against the Rockets, followed by a game back home against the Cavaliers two days later.
December also features one of the Pelicans longest road-trips, as they find themselves playing five games in a row outside New Orleans starting December 12th until December 23rd. That stretch features the Chicago Bulls, the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns, with trap games possible against the Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.
There is one final stretch of games after the All-Star break that could trip up the Pelicans. February 21st starts a brutal stretch that goes until mid-March, beginning with two road games against the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. A two-game homestand against the Thunder and Timberwolves could be a mixed bag, but what follows is a nine game stretch to begin March where the Pelicans will be home for just three contests.
The stretch begins in Houston against the Rockets, followed by the three-game home stand against the Spurs, the Jazz and the Kings. The Pelicans then head out for a five game road trip that includes the Charlotte Hornets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
The New Orleans Pelicans handled their tough stretches very well last year, being a big reason why they powered their way into the playoffs through a gauntlet of a Western Conference. This upcoming season could depend on them to be just as strong against their toughest opponents to avoid a shaky start.
The beginning of this season is not going to be easy. There could very well be a struggle against the elite teams and a panic inside the locker room with a new coach and bigger expectations all around.
The key for the New Orleans Pelicans going into this season is going to be staying calm and getting the job done against the best of the league. This team wants their chance to show the league they can tangle with the best of the best in the NBA.
They’ll get their chance to do it early in the year. It’s up to them to show the league what they’re capable of.
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