Breaking down the Pacers’ 2022-23 schedule, beginning Oct. 19 with a three-game homestand
Breaking down the Pacers’ 2022-23 schedule, beginning Oct. 19 with a three-game homestand
The regular-season runs from Oct. 19 through April 9. Rick Carlisle enters his second season as Pacers head coach.
The Pacers open up a new season at home on Wednesday, Oct. 19 against the Washington Wizards at 7:00 p.m. ET. It’s their first of three in a row at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to begin the season: v Wizards, Spurs and Pistons.
That’s quite a grand re-opening for the organization as they put the finishing touches on the final phase of renovations to The Fieldhouse. The building has been closed since May.
And then this young group goes on the road for their next five games.
The NBA unveiled the 2022-23 schedule officially on Wednesday afternoon after a few weeks of leaks for a schedule that we know the opponents and the total number of games. It became hilarious, but filled time during the quietest part of the year.
So, as Larry Bird used to say: 41 at home, 41 away. Looks good.
The best part about all of this is that for the first time since the pandemic, the NBA is back to its usual schedule. That’s important for the audience, but especially for the players and teams. Their body clocks are used to the schedule and we basically just jammed three seasons into two years. Players and staffers were both mentally and physically worn down.
The Pacers look very different going into the season, composed primarily of players 23 & under and led by point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Veterans like Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis and T.J. Warren are no longer here as the organization begins a new era.
They finished 25-47 last season (with almost 400 games lost due to injury) and already, sportsbooks set their over/under at 24.5 for the season. This is a rebuild.
They’re coming off a productive draft that included their highest selection since the 1980s in Bennedict Mathurin. They also added guard Andrew Nembhard (31) and forward Kendall Brown (48).
Training camp opens at the end of September.
And now it’s time for my 11th annual breakdown of the Pacers’ schedule.
League-wide Notes
The NBA season tips off Oct. 18 with a doubleheader on TNT: 76ers at Celtics, Lakers at Warriors.
Christmas Day games: Knicks v 76ers, Mavericks v Lakers, Celtics v Bucks, Warriors v Grizzlies and Nuggets v Suns.
All-Star break is Feb. 17-22. All-Star weekend will take place in Salt Lake City, then the Pacers have 22 games left.
No games on Election Day, Nov. 8. And on the day before, all 10 teams will play and help promote voter participation.
The league is launching Rivals Week, featuring classic and budding rivalries between teams and players. There will be nine nationally televised games from Jan. 24-28.
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season: Sunday, April 9. Eastern Conference teams play at 1 p.m. ET, Western Conference teams at 3:30 p.m.
The teams will travel an average of 41,000 miles, down about 2,000 miles per team from last season. Being centrally located, the Pacers travel the third-fewest miles.
Preseason dates
The preseason schedule was known last week. It has now been confirmed by the team.
Wednesday, Oct. 5 at Hornets | 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7 at Knicks | 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 12 v Knicks | 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14 v Rockets | 7:00 p.m.
Holiday Games
No game on Christmas Day, but you’re used to that being the case. They will, however, host their usual day-after-Thanksgiving game, Nov,. 25 against the Brooklyn Nets at 8:00 p.m.
They will also host their annual matinee on New Year’s Eve, 3:00 p.m. against Paul George, Kawhi Leonard & the Los Angeles Clippers. That should be a good one.
And they will be in Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Note the odd start time: 2:30 p.m. ET. (It’s not one of the featured games on national TV.)
Back-to-Backs: 14
That’s the same number as last season and slightly above the league average.
Seven are in the first third of the season (35 games). Two sets of back-to-backs after the All-Star break, spanning 25 games.
Previous seasons:
2021-22: 14
2020-21: 17
2019-20: 9
2018-19: 14
2017-18: 14
2016-17: 17
2015-16: 17
2014:15: 17
National TV Games: 1
Just one for the third time in six seasons — and surprisingly, it’s against … the Wizards? That’s right, during the second week of the season.
Friday, Oct. 28 in the Nation’s Capital — airing on ESPN. For the Pacers, it’s on the first night of a back-to-back and Game 3 of a five-game road trip.
Previous seasons:
2021-22: 1
2020-21: 3
2019-20: 6
2018-19: 12
2017-18: 1
2016-17: 11
2015-16: 7
2014-15: 5
Meanwhile, this is what it looks like at the opposite end of the spectrum. Plenty of Warriors and Lakers, as you’d expect.
Longest Homestands: Four
All four are at the front of their schedule, two in November and two in December. But so, too, are their two longest road trips.
A favorable home stretch in November features eight of 10 at The Fieldhouse. And five of their final seven games are at home.
Nov. 4-12: Heat, Pelicans, Nuggets, Raptors
Nov. 19-25: Magic (2x), Timberwolves, Nets
Dec. 9-14: Wizards, Nets, Heat, Warriors
Dec. 27-31: Hawks, Cavaliers, Clippers, Raptors
Road Trips: Five
After three straight at home to begin the season, the Pacers will pack their bags for a five-game roadie over nine days. It might be a good thing for a young team still coming together and building chemistry.
The best road trip of the season is their next one. They’ll be out west from Nov. 26 through Dec. 7 — almost two weeks — with stops in Los Angeles, Utah, Portland and San Francisco. They’ll knock out both LA teams on a back-to-back whereas the players would prefer more time out there. Oddly, that trip concludes in Minnesota.
That’s not their most difficult test. That’s not until after the All-Star break, consisting of 11 of 14 games on the road — including two four-game road trips. The backend includes seven of eight straight on the road.
Oct. 24-31: Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, Brooklyn (2x)
Nov. 27-Dec. 7: LAC, LAL, Sacramento, Utah, Portland, Golden State, Minnesota
Jan. 16-21: Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Denver, Phoenix
Feb. 25-Mar. 5: Orlando, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago
Mar. 11-25: Detroit (2x), Milwaukee, home v Philly, Charlotte, Toronto, Boston Atlanta
Notable Home Games
Oct. 22: Jaden Ivey’s first game in Indy as a pro.
Nov. 4: Miami Heat visit for the first time. Will Victor Oladipo, who just re-signed with the Heat on two-year deal, play in Indy for the first time since being traded?
Nov. 7: Your chance to see Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. I’m looking at you, Pat McAfee & The Boys.
Nov. 9: Back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic’s annual visit.
Nov. 12: Most fans are probably past it, but it’s former coach Nate Bjorkgren visiting with the Raptors. He’s an assistant coach.
Nov. 25: The Nets visit for the first time and it’ll be their third time squaring off in 18 games. But will Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant still be there? Former Pacers T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner should be.
***Dec. 14: This will be the most in-demand ticket of the season. And fortunately for Pacers fans, it’s early in the year. Steph Curry and the Warriors are in Indy for the only time this season.
Dec. 31: PG, Kawhi and the Clippers on NYE.
Jan. 8: Gordon Hayward and the Hornets.
Jan. 14: The exciting young Grizzlies, led by Ja Morant.
Jan. 27: Giannis and the Bucks, who have owned the series, play in Indy a few weeks before All-Star break.
***Feb. 2: LeBron and the Lakers.
Feb. 3: One day after hosting the Lakers, it’s Sabonis and the Kings in town as Tyrese Haliburton faces his former team. (His return to Sacramento is on Nov. 30.)
Feb. 10: Deandre Ayton’s first game in Indy after signing an offer sheet with the team. Duane Washington Jr. is now with the Suns.
Feb. 23: Celtics only play in Indy once this season. Aaron Nesmith revenge game? Or Malcolm Brogdon? I kid…
Feb. 28: Not a home game … but Rick Carlisle returns to Dallas.
Mar. 9: For now, Indy’s own Eric Gordon is on the Rockets.
Two-game Series: 3
First introduced during the pandemic-shortened season, the NBA is continuing to schedule a handful of two-game series for teams in the same city. That’s helped cut down on travel.
Three times, including once at home, the Pacers will play the same team in consecutive games. I also added their trip to Los Angeles to the list because it’s two games in the same city.
Oct. 29 and 31 at Brooklyn
Nov. 19 and 21 v Orlando
Nov. 27 and 28 in LA — against the Clippers and Lakers
Mar. 11 and 13 at Detroit
Games by day
Sunday: 9
Monday: 15
Tuesday: 3
Wednesday: 18
Thursday: 6
Friday: 18
Saturday: 13
I think the streaming prices are fascinating. I won’t leave DirecTV until Sunday Ticket moves on (cannot wait for Steelers-only version!) so it will still be a year or two before it matters to me…
The BRI that is used to set the salary cap includes local TV revenue. Nobody knows the answer yet, but how much will the salary cap and luxury tax thresholds come down if teams actually gave a deep discount to (or give away) their product? Because of arbitrage, if this streaming were to cost less than I’m paying DTV for my regional network that would also cost the teams $millions as the cost comes down (as I’d drop the RSN and stream it instead).
It’s going to be really interesting to see what happens to the salary cap. Local broadcast revenue isn’t a “loss leader” in small markets because this is a key component in the formula for BRI and the cap.
Yes everyone would like to pay less of their entertainment dollar. But I just don’t think you can see that really take place until the next CBA is signed and the NBPA is probably more interested in dollars for their players than “giving away” an income source for “exposure.”
Which is why I don’t understand blaming ownership. They are in the pinch until the next CBA is negotiated. It’s one thing for Cuban to pay out of his own pocket. Probably a tough sell for the Indy C.I.B. to ask for more money to cover a Pacers’ operating losses because management sabotaged local TV revenue while still being subject to paying a salary cap based on BRI.
There are plenty of people out there with a political view that the CIB shouldn’t fund the Pacers at all, I can’t imagine “deciding to forego a key revenue stream for local broadcast rights” will please them. They would expect consumers to cover the cost not a CIB subsidy.
There is just no business logic that streaming would cost any less than this, no matter how much people wish it did. Not until BRI and the salary cap get reset to a lower (ha!) number.