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By John Denton Aug. 12, 2016
ORLANDO – A closer look at the Orlando Magic’s 2016-17 regular-season schedule, which was released on Thursday:
A FAST START? With a new head coach (Frank Vogel) and seven newcomers (Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, D.J. Augustin, Jodie Meeks, C.J. Wilcox and Stephen Zimmerman) to the roster, the Magic might find it difficult to build chemistry and cohesion early in the season. However, the schedule over the first six weeks could aid the Magic’s transition a bit.
Orlando opens on Oct. 26 at the Amway Center against Miami, a franchise that will be learning how to play without Dwyane Wade for the first time since the 2003 season. It is just the third time ever that Orlando and Miami have played in the season opener and the first time since 1993 when Shaquille O’Neal dropped 42 points and 12 rebounds on the Heat.
Difficult road games on consecutive nights against Detroit (Oct. 28) and Cleveland (Oct. 29) follow, but that’s the only back-to-back in the first 18 games. Also, after the Pistons/Cavs back-to-back the Magic enter into a stretch of six consecutive games against teams that missed the playoffs last season. Granted, Philadelphia will be better with No. 1 pick Ben Simmons, Chicago now has Wade and Rajon Rondo and Minnesota and Utah are two of the best young teams in the NBA, but those are all winnable games that the Magic will need to find a way to win in order to grab the fast start that it desperately needs considering the gauntlet ahead.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: For a second straight year, the Magic will be home for the holidays. It is a time when Florida families are usually inundated with visitors from other states. As a result, crowds at the Amway Center tend to swell and the atmosphere for Magic games typically have an added buzz.
Orlando will sandwich home games against Phoenix (Nov. 23) and Washington (Nov. 25) around Thanksgiving Day. That schedule should allow the Magic to keep alive one of the area’s greatest traditions by feeding those in need at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida for a 24th straight year.
As for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day holidays, the Magic will face the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 23) and Memphis (Dec. 26).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Late November and early December will see the Magic play five games in an eight-night stretch in San Antonio, Memphis, Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington. But that stretch will seem easy compared to what Orlando will be facing in January when it will be required to be road warriors to stay in the playoff chase.
Of the Magic’s 16 games in January, 11 will be played on the road. The start of 2017 opens with Orlando in Indiana (Jan. 1) and New York (Jan. 2) and January ends with the Magic facing Boston (Jan. 27), Toronto (Jan. 29) and Minnesota (Jan. 30) on the road. In between: Orlando will be challenged by a six-game, 11-day road trip that will see it play at the Lakers (Jan. 8), Clippers (Jan. 11), Portland (Jan. 13), Utah (Jan. 14), Denver (Jan. 16) and New Orleans (Jan. 18).
BEST FIVE HOME GAMES OF THE SEASON:
1. Jan. 22, vs. Golden State: It’s a Sunday noon game, which will remind many of the days when Shaq and Penny used to dominate at the old O-Rena in those Sunday afternoon NBC games. The NBA’s newest super team, the Warriors, added Kevin Durant to last season’s 73-win outfit. Golden State will be the season’s must-see attraction every night as it attempts to run the table at 82-0.
2. March 11, vs. Cleveland: LeBron James makes just one trip to Orlando this season, and fans will have to wait until the spring to see him and the defending champion Cavaliers. Orlando enters this season having lost its last 16 games when facing James, a streak that extends back to 2012. By the time LBJ hits the Amway Center, that streak will either be over or it will be at 17 in a row. Finally, with Ibaka and Biyombo, the Magic possess the kind of shot-blockers who can potentially keep the 260-pound James away from the rim.
3. Dec. 7, vs. Boston Celtics: The NBA’s schedule-makers have worked hard to limit the number of back-to-backs that teams will have to play in an effort to curb injuries and improve the quality of play on the court. The Magic have 15 back-to-backs this season, three fewer than last season. Only one time all season will the Magic play on consecutive nights where the first game is on the road and the second is played at the Amway Center. On Dec. 6, Orlando will wrap up a difficult five-game road trip in Washington. A night later at the Amway Center, the Magic have the unenviable task of having to play the revamped Boston Celtics, a team that added all-star power forward Al Horford in the offseason. That will be about as difficult of a back-to-back as the Magic will encounter all season.
4. Dec. 23, vs. Lakers; Jan. 4, vs. Atlanta; Jan. 24, vs. Chicago; Feb. 15 vs. San Antonio: As shocking as it will be to see Dwight Howard in an Atlanta Hawks uniform and Wade in the red and black of the Chicago Bulls, it will be nearly as odd to see the Lakers without Kobe Bryant and the Spurs without Tim Duncan. Two of the greatest players of their generation retired in dramatically different ways this past season – Bryant went out shooting and showered with fanfare, while Duncan slipped out the back door. As for Howard and Wade, their new teams seem excited to have them, but both additions feel like patchwork band aids. Chicago can’t seem to decide if it wants to rebuild around its young players or try and stay quasi-relevant a couple of more years with Jimmy Butler, Wade and Rondo. Atlanta lured Howard back to his hometown, but the only intrigue there is to see if the soon-to-be 31-year-old center can rekindle anything from his sagging career and his tattered image.
5. April 12, vs. Detroit: The NBA’s schedule-makers know full well that the Eastern Conference is likely to be tightly bunched this season and every game down the stretch could dramatically swing the standings. For the 8 p.m. regular-season finale, the NBA has Stan Van Gundy, Tobias Harris and the Pistons visiting Orlando. Both teams figure to be fighting for playoff spots, so this final game could go a long way in deciding seedings and/or home-court advantage.
MAKING HAY: NBA coaches have long believed that the easiest time to steal victories and make a move in the standings are the days just before and after the break for the NBA All-Star Game. Because players are often making vacation plans before the break and sluggish and rusty afterward, teams can be susceptible to swoons and bouts of inconsistency during those periods.
The time around the break for the NBA All-Star Game will find the Magic in Orlando for their longest home stand of the season.
For a second year in a row, the Magic will host the San Antonio Spurs in the final game before the break on Feb. 15. And when teams return from the extended time off for the All-Star Game, the Magic will then play their next four games – vs. Portland (Feb. 23), vs. Atlanta (Feb. 25), New York (March 1) and vs. Miami (March 3) – will all be at the Amway Center.
TICKETS: This season, the Magic will have 8,000 season tickets priced at $40 or less. Season tickets, partial plans, group and single-game Amway Center suite rental opportunities are on sale. Ticket highlights for the Magic’s 2016-17 season at the Amway Center, honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal’s 2012 Sports Facility of the Year, include: 2,500 seats priced $20 or less, 8,000 seats priced $40 or less and 9,000 seats priced $50 or less.
For ticket information log on to OrlandoMagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.
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Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.
