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With the Sixers finally releasing their full 2015-16 NBA schedule Wednesday night, there are some aspects worth analyzing. Here are some of the more important areas I picked out of it:
- They have zero games on national television (ESPN/TNT/ABC) this year, but do play twice on NBATV. Those games are November 9 against the Chicago Bulls, and November 29 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
- Philadelphia ends the regular season on the road April 13, where they'll take on the Bulls from the United Center. I can't imagine they'll be making the playoffs this season, so that game will likely be the last you'll see of the Sixers for a handful of months.
- They'll have off from February 11-18 for the All-Star Break, then continue action against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 19.
- The Sixers will travel approximately 38,819 miles from the start of the season on October 28 until its conclusion on April 13.
- Philadelphia will play in 19 back-to-back games this year, down from 21 last season. December and March will have four back-to-backs, November, January and February will have three, and April will only have two. In comparison to some of their Atlantic Division foes, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets play just 15 back-to-back games, while the Toronto Raptors play 17, and the Boston Celtics play 18.
- The league has attempted to cut back on teams being forced to play four games in five nights, and Philadelphia will only have two stretches like that this season. However, they will play three games in four nights 19 times, and also have a rough stretch from March 15-23 where they play six games in eight nights. Opponents of note during those eight days include the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Washington Wizards.
- There are only three afternoon games on the schedule. Two are in December, with the first is December 5 at 1:00 p.m. against the Denver Nuggets from the Center, and the next December 20 at 3:30 p.m. from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
- As usual, Philadelphia will be competing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 18), but instead of playing the Washington Wizards, they'll be in New York to take on the Knicks. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
- Philadelphia has two six-game road trips, tied for the longest all season. The first road trip is from November 20-29, where they'll play the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and Grizzlies. Their second long road trip will be their annual west coast swing, spanning from December 23-January 2. Those teams include the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers.
- Their longest home stand at the Center is a total of six games from January 4-16. Opponents during those dates include the Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Bulls, and Portland Trail Blazers.
- A set of games that could have some serious tanking implications come in March, where the Sixers play the Miami Heat in a home-and-home on March 4 and March 6.
Looking at this season's schedule, how many wins do you think they'll have? Right now I'd put them in the ballpark of 30 wins.