All month long in the driest month on the sports calendar, it has been nothing but a mental battle for me as I gear up for another exciting fall. All month long, I’ve been saying, “You can do it, Michael. Hang tight. Basketball will be here before you know it.”
Then I received a gift that both NBA writers/bloggers and fans alike will be grateful for. Remember how basketball used to start up in October around Halloween and the peak of the World Series? Get this: the 2017-18 NBA season will begin in MID-October. That’s right, the MIDDLE of the month. For Wizards fans, that’s Wednesday October 18th. It’s like the schedule makers knew we’d be waiting anxiously for the season to start as soon as Game 7 of the second round concluded.
For you Wizards fans outside of the DMV that don’t have the privilege of seeing all 82 games, I’m sure you’ll be excited to know that 18 of the 82 games will be nationally televised. Last year, there were only FIVE.
Now that our fall and winter plans have begun to crystalize, I present to you the Top 10 games I’m looking forward to watching this season. Some of these I’ll be watching from my couch while others I’ll hopefully be in the arena.
10) March 13 - vs. Timberwolves
The Timberwolves enter the season more stacked than they used to be. Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague… need I say more? This is their only visit to DC but they’ll be fun to watch. Will they challenge the Western Conference powerhouses of the Warriors, Spurs or Thunder? By this meeting in March, we’ll get a clear picture.
9) February 27 - at Bucks
When these teams met in a game last year at Milwaukee, the Wizards were blown out 123-96 as the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo (I feel so bad for the Bucks writers and bloggers who have to spell out his name night after night) scored a career-high 39 points. The Wizards got revenge in that same building a few weeks later.
8. October 27 - at Lakers
A first look at Lonzo Ball
The Wizards will travel to Los Angeles in their fourth game of the season and get their first glimpse of the number two pick in the NBA Draft and Summer League MVP Lonzo Ball. According to his dad, he’s pretty damn good. All jokes aside, expect Wall and Beal to have big games in front of the stars of Hollywood. A few weeks later, DC fans (or Lakers bandwagons from the DMV) will get their first glimpse of him.
7. December 5 - at Trail Blazers
Last time they met in Portland, this happened:
Whether this one comes down to the wire or not, John Wall vs. Damien Lillard is always a treat.
6. October 18 - vs. 76ers
The home opener
#TrustTheProcess is both the motto of the 76ers and my motto as a young journalist. For the first time since the 2011 lockout-shortened NBA season, the Wizards open the season at home in the newly named but same building Capital One Arena. No it isn’t the phone booth but I kinda dig the new name. This game also marks the NBA debut of #1 draft pick Markelle Fultz and it’s fittingly right in his hometown. Flutz is from Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
5. November 11 - vs. Hawks A first round rematch
Don’t know how much MMA will be on display with a different Hawks team out there but Dennis Schroder is still on the squad so yeah….
4. January 25 and 30 - vs. Thunder
I put down both dates only because these teams will see each other twice in a five-day span. The Wizards played them tough at OKC last year but ultimately came up short. In the second meeting in DC, the Wizards got payback. How will the Wizards look to contain not only Russell Westbrook but Paul George as well? After PG turned the Wizards down, expect Washington to come in with motivation.
3. February 28 - vs. Warriors
The defending NBA champions return to DC exactly one year after their last meeting in the District. Washington won that game after Kevin Durant left the game early due to an injury. KD gets a do-over as far as homecoming goes so how will he fare in front of his hometown?
2. November 3 - vs. Cavaliers
When they last met in DC, this happened:
Even though the Wizards lost this game, this was the highlight of their season. Not because of the scoreboard but this was the very game that the entire basketball world saw the potential that the Wizards have in the east. You, the fans and us at Hoop District saw the potential gradually as the season went along but this was the night that the rest of the league saw it. This is the first meeting in DC since then, and it’s sure to be a Friday night spectacle.
1. Dec. 25, Feb. 8, March 14, April 10 - Every game against the Celtics
Yes this is more than one game. Yes I put all four games down. In particular, the Christmas Day game is gonna be the big one since it is their first meeting since that tough Game 7 defeat but I’m also looking forward to what the atmosphere will be like in DC in early February. The Celtics reloaded and with Kyrie Irving wanting out of Cleveland, a lot of the “experts” think it’ll be Boston running away with the east. I’m sure John Wall, Bradley Beal, and the rest of the Wizards squad are waiting with bated breath to show the world that the east belongs to them. Add a new sibling rivalry between the Morris twins, maybe more all-black games and every game on national TV and basketball fans everywhere are in for a treat each time these guys play. In a player-driven league, it’s gonna be great seeing the rivalry between the Wizards and Celtics really take off. Get your popcorn ready!
Those are what I believe will be the games to watch this upcoming season. I know it’s mid-August but we only got two more months left. Hang tight folks. We can get through this together.