Pacers’ 2014-15 Schedule Released; Some Highlights

May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) brings the ball up against Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers (15) during the second half in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Between the conclusion of one NBA season and the tip-off of the next, there are three dates in the NBA summer calendar to look forward to: NBA Draft, July 1 which marks the  beginning of free agency and the subsequent trade rumors, and the reveal of the following season’s schedule.

As of today, August 13, I can officially say, “check, check, and check.” Here are some key dates and teams to circle on your calendar – and in today’s day and age, by “circle your calendars,” I mean, “type it into your smartphone.”

Oct. 29: Home vs. Philadelphia

Not a sexy matchup, by any means, but it’s opening night! If nothing else, you’ll get to see reigning Rookie of The Year Michael Carter-Williams and former Kentucky star Nerlens Noel, who will be making his professional debut after sitting out all last season due to recovering from a torn ACL while still in college.

The Pacers have a solid track record on opening night the last few years, granted they’ve been against softballs such as Orlando, pre-playoff caliber Toronto, and post-contender Detroit. Against a 76ers club still very much in rebuilding mode, hopefully this will be a decent tune-up game for a Pacers team playing its first game that counts without Paul George. The blue and gold then host Memphis on Halloween night before hitting the road first the first time on…

Nov. 1: Road at Atlanta

The Pacers will be returning to the ATL for the first time since nearly having their season ended embarrassingly early there in Game 6 of the opening playoff round last year. It’s been a while since Indy has played against the Hawks when Al Horford has been healthy, but they’ll be seeing a pretty familiar squad, as Atlanta’s only notable offseason addition was former Oklahoma City 3-and-D specialist Thabo Sefolosha.

Indiana will also take on the Hawks at home on Dec. 8, and on the road on Jan. 21. These games are indeed of note because without Paul George, the Pacers will be fighting in that second tier of playoff-caliber teams, and may well have to stave off the pesky Hawks to remain in the playoff race.

Nov. 4: Home vs. Milwaukee

Really not much to say here, other than it’s the first of four inter-division matchups with the Bucks, the remaining falling on Jan. 2 in Milwaukee, Mar. 12 in Indy, and Mar. 26 in Milwaukee. The lone bright spot about these games is that you’ll get to see college standout Jabari Parker, who is widely expected to be at/near the top of the Rookie of The Year voting.

Nov. 5:  Road at Washington

Nov 23, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) celebrates with Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The blue and gold haven’t seen the Wizards since ending their season in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last year, and given Washington’s rise, the Wiz are probably out for some revenge. In my recent Eastern Conference preview, I predicted Washington to take the Southeast Division crown with an improving young backcourt, two solid post bigs, and a nice addition in Paul Pierce on the wing.

The Pacers’ first trip to our nation’s capitol also marks their first of five nationally-televised games. They will face the Wiz later on in the season on Nov. 8, Mar. 25, and their potentially pivotal penultimate game of the season on Apr. 14.

Nov. 12: Road at Miami

Before the league-altering Prodigal Son-esque announcement, I fully expected this game to be the first in this season’s chapter of the LeBron James-Paul George showdown series. Obviously, that’s not happening for a couple reasons, as neither player will be involved in this game. But nonetheless, the Heat will still be fielding a good, competitive, playoff-worthy squad with two of their former big three staying in South Beach, plus adding a few familiar faces: former Central Division-er Luol Deng, and former Pacers Josh McRoberts and, for the first time since the stunning deadline day trade, Danny Granger.

This game will also be nationally-televised (and will not draw nearly the ratings of last year’s games of the like featuring these two clubs), and will be the first of four regular season meetings. The others will be in the Circle City on Dec. 31, in Miami on Jan. 23, and back at home on Apr. 5.

Nov. 15: Road at Chicago

Nov 21, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately, I don’t expect the Pacers’ to be making their first visit to the Windy City undefeated like last year. But, this game will still be entertaining as, no matter what records may be, these division rivals still don’t like each other. The Pacers will have their hands full with Chicago’s always-gritty returning cast back in play, plus having upgraded from Carlos Boozer to Pau Gasol and bringing back former MVP Derrick Rose, who has looked as explosive as ever in his first competition while playing with Team USA this summer. As a basketball fan, I sincerely hope D-Rose’s injuries don’t steal another season from him.

The midpoint of November will also kick off the first of four meetings against the new-look Bulls, the others coming in Indy on Dec. 29 and Mar. 6, plus a nationally-televised game on Mar. 18 in Chi-Town.

Nov. 19: Home vs. Charlotte

Well, this could be awkward. Given the surprising way that Lance Stephenson took his talents to Charlotte this summer, I’m still undecided of how I’m predicting the Bankers Life Fieldhouse crowd will greet him upon his name being announced during the starting lineups. He was flashy, a character, and a ton of fun to watch while donning the blue and gold, but his stat-stuffing play down the stretch, his antics against the Heat in the playoffs, and his spurning of the Pacers’ offer for a contract that was similar on a per-year basis has me leaning towards hearing more jeers than cheers.

Hopefully the fans will still be willing to open their arms for two former Hoosier players, Cody Zeller and rookie Noah Vonleh, for their first of four meetings against a Charlotte team that finished seventh in the conference last year and could be in the Pacers’ way in the playoff push. The other meetings come on Jan. 17 and Feb. 8, both in Charlotte, and a potentially crucial game for both teams in Indianapolis on Apr. 3.

Nov. 26: Road at San Antonio

Please watch this game. Not because anybody is expecting another decisive victory in the Alamo for the Pacers, like their inspiring 11-point victory last year, but because the Spurs play a beautiful, fundamentally-sound, well-coached style of basketball. In fact, I’m siding with what Miami forward Chris Bosh said after losing to them in the Finals last year. The Spurs’ five-game series was some of the best basketball I have EVER seen in my 27 years on God’s green Earth.

So, if you’re thinking about skipping that one because you think the Spurs play a brand of basketball that is as exciting as the black-and-white colors they don on their jerseys, do yourself a favor and watch them. If you do skip it, hopefully you come to your senses and check them out when they come to the Circle City on Feb. 9.

Nov. 29:  Road at Cleveland

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat tries to take the ball away from guard Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers during practice for the 2013 NBA all star game at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that the crowd in the Quicken Loans Arena will look MUCH different than it did in the years between LeBron James’ tenure in Cleveland? Same goes for the first game in Miami.

Anyway, the Pacers get their first glimpse at the new-look, suddenly-elite Cavaliers team that will feature James, fun-to-watch point guard Kyrie Irving, and by that point, stretch-four Kevin Love. The season will only be about a month old by that point, so the cohesion between James and his new running mates who have never had the kind of pressure that they now do, and that also goes for head coach David Blatt as well, who is entering his first NBA gig after a successful coaching career overseas, remains to be seen. It will be much tougher to snatch victories from the Cavs than it has been the last four years, but this may be the Pacers’ best shot at doing so. Their remaining games against the Cavs will come on Feb. 6 and 27 in Indianapolis, and the season series will conclude in Cleveland on Mar. 20.

Dec. 10: Home vs. L.A. Clippers

Surprisingly, the Pacers took both games against the Clips last year, including one at home by 14 which included this jaw-dropping dunk from Paul George (which will be even sweeter when he does it again post-comeback). This game won’t really have much of an impact within the conference, but the Clippers’ style is a LOT of fun to watch. This is your only chance to catch them for a Pacers home game, as the only other time they play the Clippers will be a week later on Dec. 17.

By the way, one more kudos to new commissioner Adam Silver and the rest of the league for handling the Donald Sterling case with complete class and professionalism.

Dec. 21: Road at Minnesota

Heading to Minneapolis in December? Yikes. I live in the Twin Cities after moving from Indiana and frequently, the winters are just as brutal as advertised. And playing in the Target Center has not been kind to the Pacers in the four years I’ve lived here. The biggest highlight in their 1-3 record since I moved here is that I got to see Danny Granger’s last game as a Pacer live in-person, and this will be your first look at electric rookie Andrew Wiggins, once the all-but-official trade for Kevin Love goes through. Your first chance to see Wiggins in person for a Pacers home game will be on Jan. 13.

Dec. 26: Road at Detroit

After the Pacers finish up their Christmas season, they’ll travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons. I have no idea how the NBA scheduling works, but I wonder what the Pacers’ chances were for having a Christmas Day game before Paul George’s injury.

The Pistons added some shooting with offseason additions Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, and former Pacer backup D.J. Augustin, plus coach Stan Van Gundy. In my aforementioned Eastern Conference preview, I mentioned that the Pistons will likely be right in the thick of the final playoff spots the Pacers will now be fighting for, but that Motown will be playoff-less once again. This game, plus the following matchups with the Pistons in Indy on Jan. 16 and Feb. 4, plus the series finale on Apr. 10 will determine if I’m right or not.

Side note – all those rumors connecting Roy Hibbert to Greg Monroe are likely dead following the news that Monroe will sign Detroit’s qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next year.

Dec. 27: Road at Nets

Right after their series opener with Detroit, the Pacers travel to Brooklyn to meet the Nets for the first time. The biggest differences from the last year’s team that was swept by Indy is that there is no Paul Pierce anymore, Brook Lopez should be back healthy, and Lionel Hollins will be patrolling the sidelines instead of Jason Kidd. Oh, and expect to see a lot more of second-year big man Mason Plumlee. In the Eastern Conference preview (I promise I’m not trying to pump that one too much…but seriously, go read it), I mentioned that the Nets will also be in the thick of a bottom-level playoff seed, but will ultimately come up short. Either way, the Pacers also face off with the Nets on Mar. 21 in Indianapolis and Mar. 31 back in Brooklyn.

Jan. 5: Road at Utah

Really no reason to include this one, other than it’s a look at Indiana native Gordon Hayward following the signing of his max contract. And it’s my birthday and the Pacers have done well on this day the past few years. If you want to get me a gift, I like cars.

Jan. 29: Home vs. New York

Barring some crafty front office moves by Phil “The Zen Master” Jackson, the Knicks’ return to prominence won’t be able to really get going until summer of 2015 at the earliest, once some burdensome contracts come off the books. But the Pacers-Knicks rivalry will always hold a special place in my heart thanks to the Reggie Miller era which included clutch performances and feud with filmmaker Spike Lee.  The league has decided to “Do The Right Thing” (Last Comic Standing, eat your heart out) and put this one on national TV. The other three games against the Knicks will not be on national TV, but will all fall within about a month of each other on Mar. 4 in Indiana and in the Big Apple on Mar. 7 and Apr. 8.

Feb. 24:  Road at Oklahoma City

The Pacers get another late-season date with the Thunder, where they’ve had their trouble since their rise to the top of the Western Conference standings. Indiana won a pivotal late-season meeting at home last year which helped them cement their place as the top seed in the East.  They won’t be angling for that this year, but this year’s late-season home meeting on Apr. 12 will likely be just as important for seeding by that point. And because of the crowded West, just like last year, don’t expect the Thunder to do the Pacers any favors by resting their stars heavily.

Apr. 15:  Road at Memphis

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) celebrates with guard Mike Conley (11) during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Eighty games will have passed between the blue and gold’s two contests with Memphis, but this one will obviously have much more meaning. As always seems to be the case with the Western Conference, the Grizzlies will likely be playing down to the wire in order to secure playoff seeding and positioning, so expect the whole nine yards from their talented roster, which includes Indiana natives Zach Randolph and Mike Conley, Jr. Hopefully by this point, the Pacers will be trying to figure out which playoff seed they’ll be instead of merely trying to clinch one.

So, there you go. With as much parity there now is thanks to some player movement in the offseason, it’s hard to really pinpoint an “easy” stretch for the Pacers, especially given the roster and circumstances. The closest you’ll find is a stretch that spans from mid-December to mid-January which includes the Pistons twice, Timberwolves twice, Lakers twice, 76ers, Celtics, Nuggets, Pelicans, Nets, and Bucks. On the flipside, the month of November includes dates with the Wizards twice, Heat, Bulls, Hornets, improved Mavs and Cavs teams, and the Spurs.  Ouch.

You can view the full schedule here.

From a climate standpoint, I’m not ready for summer to end. Again, I live in Minnesota. But from a basketball standpoint, bring on Oct. 29!