With the hectic pace at which last year’s NBA schedule moved the 2012-13 season should feel like a marathon. Depending on how things go for the Lake Show it could feel even longer if we’re looking at another lengthy offseason. I don’t want to become accustomed to watching the Finals with no rooting interest. This past season I couldn’t even bring myself to hate on LeBron enough to cheer for the Thunder.
That’s why the Lakers path to NBA glory deserves a little closer inspection. So here’s a quick overview of the 2012-13 schedule for the Lake Show.
Circle These Dates
When it comes to Kobe’s quest to catch Jordan every game is important. With each passing contest we’re seeing the conclusion of a career. Savor these moments, Bryant’s brilliance is fleeting.
The season opener features a primetime battle against the Mavs which will pit Steve Nash against one of his former teams. That goes down on October 30th. December has a couple of key dates to circle now. On the 7th the Lake Show swings into Oklahoma City for the first meeting since the Thunder struck the Lakers playoff chances out. The on Christmas day the Lakers will welcome the Knicks to Staples. Not exactly the drama-filled sort of Christmas day game were used to but at least you get the feel we might get a Lakers victory for Christmas this year.
Some other dates to start making plans for now are January 17th when the defending champions come to town. February is rivalry month as Friday the 2nd the first Battle of Los Angeles goes down in Staples then on the 7th the best rivalry in sports gets renewed as the Lakers and Celtics get familiar in 2013.
A Not-So-Hectic Schedule
Last season it was almost as exhausting watching all the games crammed into a cramped schedule as it must have been for the Lakers to play them. This time around we get a little breathing room as the Lakers will only have 16 back-to-backs over the course of 82 games as opposed to the 18 they pulled off in only 66 contests a year ago.
The month of January features a season-high 16 games nine of which will be played in Staples.
When it comes to playing in Downtown L.A. the Lakers gets 12 of their first 17 games in front of the hometown fans. The annual Grammy road trip starts on January 30th with a stop in Phoenix then concludes with a nationally televised Sunday game in Miami on the 10th. In all the Lakers hit the national scene 25 times starting with the season opener against Dallas and concluding with the final Battle of L.A. for the regular season as the Lakers “visit” the Clippers.
No Place Like Home
Last season Mike Brown struggled to get wins away from Staples. If they have similar issues this season then we won’t realize it until February. The Lakers have a home-heavy schedule to begin the 2012-13 campaign. In November the Lakers ill play 10 of their 14 games inside Staples. That trend reverses in December as the Lakers hit the road playing 9 of 14 on the road. Things balance out in February with a 9/7 split on home/road games meaning we’ll have a strong indication of what this team is made of come February.