The full NBA schedule is set to be released on Thursday of this week, according to NBA Insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer. The reported date falls in line with previous years, so it's no surprise by any means. What was a shock was when the Christmas Day slate was leaked and San Antonio was slotted into one of the two primetime spaces. It was a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.
NBA Communications has also revealed that they'll reveal some of the games tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I'm fascinated to see what the Spurs will have in store for them this year.
Last season wouldn't necessarily qualify as a dumpster fire, but there was immense disappointment based on several factors. The nonstop adversity was a huge piece of it, but the NBA didn't do the Silver and Black any favors either. Here's hoping there isn't a similar issue this season.
The Spurs' schedule was brutal after the New Year
San Antonio finished the 2024 calendar year with a positive record. They sat one game above the .500 mark, and that's despite losing Coach Popovich already, Jeremy Sochan missing time, and Devin Vassell's struggles after sitting out the first few weeks of the season. The rub was coming, though.
They had the second-toughest schedule in January, based on winning percentages, and were forced to play several teams twice in a row. That format did not benefit the young team, who didn't have much time to adjust their attack for the rematch.
The teams that the Spurs faced twice in a row that month were the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Indiana Pacers. They were also supposed to face the Los Angeles Lakers twice, but that's when the LA fires were raging, and one of those games was postponed.
San Antonio went 4-8 in January and ended up three games below .500 when it was over, only to head into another horrendous portion of their schedule. The guys only played one home game the entire month of February, and it was the very first one. The Spurs played the Miami Heat on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Bucks. They lost that game, then just kept losing.
The Silver and Black didn't play another game at the Frost Bank Center until March 4. As if losing Victor Wembanyama to the DVT diagnosis wasn't bad enough at that time, the guys were forced to play nothing but road games for over a month.
Sure, there were two games at the Moody Center right after the All-Star Break, but those are not home games, and if you don't believe me, go watch that Phoenix Suns game and tell me that was a San Antonio crowd because it wasn't. Austin is a college town first and foremost, and Kevin Durant went to Texas. His presence alone in a Suns uniform was enough to cause conflict in the audience.
Anytime the guys have to switch up their routine, travel further, use different facilities, or deal with a less-than-enthusiastic crowd, it is not a home game. Between the games in Paris and Austin, the Spurs only had 39 home games. No other team has to deal with that. We'll see how it all shakes out on Thursday when the schedule is fully released, but they have to be hoping for a slightly easier path.