A quick emptying the noggin on the Utah Jazz 18-19 Schedule

Here is the schedule –

• The Jazz open on the 17^th in Sacramento and then come home to play Golden State.

• Jazz have 11 National TV games

• Gordon Hayward returns to Salt Lake City on Friday November 9^th. Home game #6 and it is on ESPN.   Wonder if Gordon will be playing every game at that point or if he will be resting for certain games.

• LeBron comes to town on January 11^th and March 27th , the Warriors two visits are October 19^th and December 19^th

• I said today on Locked on Jazz the first thing to check is who do we only play 3 times. The Jazz play the Spurs and Warriors twice at home and only once on the road and the Jazz play Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans twice on the road and only once at home.  That is much more favorable than last season.

• The league has made amazing progress in the elimination of 4 games in 5 nights, significant travel on back to backs and time zone back to backs. The Jazz are down to 14 back to backs this season.  More importantly, 2 of them don’t include travel.  Moreover, of the 12 back to back that include travel only 4 of them have a time zone change.   The back to backs aren’t great, but the real problem is the travel on the back to backs.   The West to East travel is particularly bad and the Jazz only change time zones on 4 back to backs.

• Fans get 17 of the 41 home games on a Friday or Saturday night.

• The Jazz schedule is pretty fair, they play 10 games when they are rested and the opponent is not, they play 10 games the opponent is rested and they are not and they play 62 games when teams are at equal rest. The NBA has made amazing strides in the scheduling.

• One of the toughest stretches of the season comes in December. It starts on December 9^th with a back to back in San Antonio and Oklahoma City.  Then  the Jazz come home for a single game against Miami before heading back out to Mexcio City.  There is three day break but Mexico City has a lot more than basketball to the trip.  Then Jazz leave Mexico City and go to Houston before returning home for one game against the Warriors and then right back out to Porltand before coming home for Oklahoma City on a West to East back to back.   That is brutal.  8 games, 7 playoff caliber teams in 3 time zones and 9 plane flghts.

• Strange road trip of the year is the Jazz first one. It has a back to back in the middle with 2 days off on each side of the back to back.   This is for player rest but the Jazz will play Houston on Wednesday and then not play again until Saturday in New Orleans.  Then after playing Dallas on Sunday they won’t play Minnesota till Wednesday.

• Jazz play Memphis in 2 of their first 3 home games of the season when you would presume both Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are healthy.

• Jazz are home a lot in January from the 9^th to 25^th with only one road game in between. Think Snow. The Jazz are only on the road for four single trips (Clippers, Minnesota, Portland and Golden State) from Jan 9^th to all-star break

• Time will tell but the close to the Jazz season looks like the softest part of the schedule. The Jazz play Phoenix on the 13^th of March and in the final 16 games the Jazz play 4 projected playoff teams (6 if you include the Lakers which we should)

• Two home games a month that is all we ask. This would be my ultimate ticket package.  In October/November (I get three games) I am going to Jazz v. Warriors opener, Jazz v. Raptors on November 5^th and November 9^th Boston and Hayward.  In December,  James Harden and the Rockets on December 6^th and then Christmas is going to be amazing v. Portland.  In January,  LeBron and the Lakers come in on the 11^th and Denver on the 23^rd of January should be a great game.    In February it could be the month of rookies since Atlanta with Trae Young, Phoenix with DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic comes to town with Dallas.    March is the month of young great players.  Giannnis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee come to town on the 2^nd and Anthony Davis and New Orleans play on 4^th of March.   But I will have to bypass one of them to see Oklahoma City on the 11^th of March and LeBron comes back on March 27^th.   Heck, I need way more than 2 games a month to get this done.