Can Michael Carter-Williams replicate his opening night feats against the Heat?
By Lewis Gould
It is not surprising that no Sixers games made the list of “Must Watch” match-ups in the 2014-15 season.
And Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis won’t be going game-by-game to figure out how many wins the Sixers will total, as they do when the NFL schedule is released and everyone wants to see where the Eagles fit into the league’s pecking order.
But the Sixers announced their schedule for the 2014-15 regular season last night, and there are some highlights for hoopheads to mark:
After opening at Indiana on Oct. 29, the home opener is against the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Sixers will also host the Heat in the regular season finale on Wednesday, Apr. 15.
In addition to the games against Miami, here are some other highlights from the Sixers 2014-15 home schedule:
•Monday, Nov. 3 vs. Houston at 7:00 p.m.: All-Stars Dwight Howard and James Harden look to avenge an overtime loss on the road to the Sixers last November
Friday, Nov. 7 vs. Chicago at 7:00 p.m.:
Former MVP Derrick Rose returns to lead the revamped Bulls with four-time All-Star Pau Gasol
Friday, Dec. 5 vs. Oklahoma City at 7:00 p.m.: Reigning MVP Kevin Durant and the Thunder make their only stop in Philadelphia
Monday, Jan. 5 vs. Cleveland at 7:00 p.m.: LeBron James returns to WellsFargoCenter as a member of the Cavaliers for the first time March of 2010
Wednesday, Jan. 21 vs. New York at 7:00 p.m.: Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks make their first trip to Philly under the guidance of team president Phil Jackson
Monday, Feb. 9 vs. GoldenState at 7:00 p.m.: All-Star Stephen Curry and former Sixer Andre Iguodala make their one and only appearance at WellsFargoCenter
Wednesday, Mar. 11 vs. Chicago at 7:00 p.m.: Derrick Rose locks horns with fellow point guard and reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams
Friday, Mar. 27 vs. L.A. Clippers at 7:00 p.m.: Perennial All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin make their annual trip to Philly alongside former Sixer Spencer Hawes
Monday, Mar. 30 vs. L.A. Lakers at 7:00 p.m.: Lower Merion’s own Kobe Bryant looks to return home to play in Philadelphia for the first time since December of 2012
Wednesday, Apr. 8 vs. Washington at 7:00 p.m.: First-time All-Star John Wall and newly acquired forward Paul Pierce lead the Wizards in the battle of I-95
The Sixers open the season with two road games but will still play 14 of their first 25 at the Wells Fargo Center from Oct. 29 through Dec. 19. That includes two four-game homestands from Nov. 1 through Nov. 7 and Nov. 24 through Dec. 1.
The next portion of the schedule will see the Sixers play 16 of 26 games on the road from Dec. 21 through Feb. 6, including a season-long seven-game road trip from Dec. 21 through Jan. 3.
Following that stretch, the Sixers will play 12 of their next 18 games at home from Feb. 7 through Mar. 20, including a season-high five straight from Mar. 6 through Mar. 14. The Sixers have two sets of back-to-back home games during this span (Mar. 6-7 vs. Utah and Atlanta and Mar. 13-14 vs. Sacramento and Brooklyn).
Eight of the Sixers final 13 games from Mar. 22 through Apr. 15 are on the road.
The Sixers have 21 sets of back-to-backs this season, with just six occurring before January. However, the Sixers will play seven sets of back-to-back games from Jan. 9 through Feb. 7 and will play a total of 18 games over that 30-day span. The Sixers have just three sets of back-to-back games over the final 31 days of the season.
Over the course of the schedule, the Sixers will face each NBA team at least once at home and once on the road, including Eastern Conference opponents twice at home and twice on the road except for the following: Charlotte (2 home, 1 road), Chicago (2 home, 1 road), Cleveland (1 home, 2 road) and Orlando (1 home, 2 road),
The Sixers will have 10 days between games from Feb. 10 through Feb. 19 during this season’s All-Star break.
