Analyzing the toughest and weakest parts of the Charlotte Hornets’ schedule

The 2017-2018 NBA Schedule has recently been released. I will be analyzing the toughest and the weakest parts of the Charlotte Hornets’ schedule.

With the NBA schedule recently being released, there certainly is plenty to talk about. Much of the talk is centered around the decreased number of back-to-backs, and the absurd amount of National TV games that some non-playoff teams have. However, I’m going to be analyzing the toughest and weakest parts of the Charlotte Hornets‘ schedule.

During their tough stretches, the team will really need to dig in and come together as a team to win some games against the NBA’s best. During the weaker stretches, the team needs to be able to stay focused and determined despite the fact that they will be playing inferior teams. Throughout the season, the Hornets will encounter one extended tough stretch, and one, arguably two, extended weak stretches.

The Toughest Stretch:

The toughest stretch for the Hornets is by far November 10th-November 29th. This long two and a half week slate will feature most of the league’s elite teams. Here’s the order of games during that time frame:

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November 10th: @ Boston

November 15th: vs. Cleveland

November 17th: @ Chicago

November 18th: vs. Los Angeles (Clippers)

November 20th: vs. Minnesota

November 22th: vs. Washington

November 24th: @ Cleveland

November 25th: vs. San Antonio

November 29th: @ Toronto

As you can see, during this series of games the Hornets play the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, along with three Western Conference playoff teams.  

The only team during this nine-game stretch that the Hornets will most likely be favored against is the Chicago Bulls. Considering the degree of difficulty in the other games, I’d say this is close to a must win game for the Hornets. The other eight games, Charlotte will need to be playing at least close to their best to have a chance to win.

Also, during this run, there are two sets of back-to-backs. Both will be difficult in their own way, although they both also involve an away then home order.  

The first one involves a game in Chicago then a game at home against the Clippers. This back-to-back may be particularly difficult due to time zones. The Chicago game will be in the Central Time Zone, then the next day they will be back on Eastern Time. The one hour difference may not seem like a big deal, but even something that slight could mess with the player’s sleep. For reference, the Hornets went 0-5 in the second half of back-to-backs where they changed time zones last year.

The second one is difficult merely because of the opponents involved. Playing the Cleveland Cavaliers then San Antonio Spurs in back-to-back nights is possibly one of the worst combinations to have on a schedule. It also doesn’t help the situation noting that the Hornets were winless against both teams last season.

Personally, I think that the Hornets should consider this stretch successful is they are able to win at least three of these games. If they are to take the next step as a team, they must be able to win against elite teams.  

There are many other games on the schedule that will be tough, like playing the Celtics and then AT Golden State over a span of three days, but this is the only true, extended stretch where all the games will be tough. Luckily for the Hornets, they also have parts of the season where the schedule isn’t as unforgiving.

The Weakest Stretches:

There are two relatively weak stretches that the Hornets have throughout the season. The first of which comes about a week and a half before the All-Star Break. If they can rack up a lot of wins before the break that will be huge for their confidence. From January 22nd to February 4th, here’s how the competition will stack up:

January 22nd: vs. Sacramento

January 24th: vs. New Orleans

January 26th: vs. Atlanta

January 27th: @ Miami

January 29th: @ Indiana

January 31st: @ Atlanta

February 2nd: vs. Indiana

February 4th: @ Phoenix

The Hornets have the luxury of starting off this stretch with three games at home against three teams unlikely to make the playoffs. To be honest, the only playoff team in this series of games will be the Miami Heat.  

That actually will be a very tough game to win. Traveling down to Miami on the second half of a back-to-back will be a big challenge for the team. Also, the Pelicans may pose a slight challenge because of the duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Other than that it should be smooth sailing for the Hornets.

The Hawks have completely entered rebuilding mode. The Kings are young talent, but it’s young, inexperienced talent. The Pacers have also significantly regressed since their lopsided trade with the Thunder. Even though the Suns have two potential superstars in the making, the Hornets still need to be able to take care of business and not take teams light this too lightly.

Once this stretch ends, the Hornets will have a few tough games against playoffs teams, but just about a month later they will have another relatively light stretch of games:

March 8th: vs. Brooklyn

March 10th: vs. Phoenix

March 13th: @ New Orleans

March 15th: @ Atlanta

March 17th: @ New York

March 19th: @ Philadelphia

March 21st: @ Brooklyn

As you can see, the team once again will face a string of games where they face none, maybe one, playoff team. It’s actually eerily similar to the aforementioned string of games. This stretch may even be considered easier because they get to play the Nets twice.

However, there is one main reason that I consider these games to be slightly harder. There are five straight road games featured here. Even when the competition is weak, being on the road for so long begins to have an effect.

The Hornets had three 5+ game road trips last season. They went a combined 4-13. You would think this doesn’t bode well for this year, but it’s worth noting the competition was much, much more difficult.

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As the season progresses, it’s important to recognize these tough and weak parts of the schedule. It allows us to get a general idea of where the team should be entering and exiting these stretches. These will be the most important stretches of the season for the team to either gain ground in the Eastern Conference, or falter and miss opportunities.