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OKC Thunder 2016-17 season schedule Review

By Rich Condon

Apr 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan talks with his team during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan talks with his team during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA regular season schedule was released on Thursday; needless to say we already have a few games marked on the calender.

Thursday was a big day to be a sports fan. Simone Biles was busy cementing herself as the Mini-GOAT of women’s gymnastics, Michael Phelps reaffirmed his GOAT status in men’s swimming, winning an unprecedented 22nd gold medal, preseason football started, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, taking 2 out of 3 in Fenway, and last but not least, the NBA released the 2016-17 regular season schedule. Without any adieu, let’s dive into the important things you need to know about the Thunder Regular Season.

Thunder Buddies for Life!

The Thunder should be 3-0 heading into November as they open in Philadelphia on October 26, followed by two home games against Phoenix and the Lakers. However, things take a turn for the worse as the calendar turns to November, as they open the month with an away back-to-back against the Clippers and Warriors (NOVEMBER 3RD MAKE SURE YOU CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE AND GET YOUR POPCORN READY.)

Yes, unfortunately, Round One of Durant vs. Westbrook is in a less than ideal situation for our hero in the second game of a back-to-back in hostile territory. Speaking of reunions, Oklahoma City will host former Thunder Buddy Serge Ibaka and the Orlando Magic on November 13th, former Thunder Buddy James Harden on November 16th, and finally former Thunder Buddy Reggie Jackson and the Detroit Pistons on November 26th.  Finally, the Thunder will face Melo, the Unicorn (Kristaps Porzingis), and the 2010 All-Stars, I mean the Knicks, in New York on November 28th. This one is important to me because special things tend to happen in The Garden, and I’ve got a feeling Russell is going to put up a monster game.

Speaking of Russell…

Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) reacts after a dunk in the first half of the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) reacts after a dunk in the first half of the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Ten Games I Think Russell Westbrook is Going to Put Up a Triple Double

  1. October 26th @ Philadelphia
  2. November 3rd @ Golden State, January 11th @ Golden State, February 11th Golden State, March 20th vs. Golden State (Yeah, I cheated, these four count as one.)
  3. November 22nd @ Los Angeles Lakers
  4. November 28th @ New York
  5. December 25th Minnesota
  6. December 31st Los Angeles Clippers
  7. February 1st Chicago
  8. February 5th Portland
  9. March 14th @ Brooklyn
  10. April 12 vs. Denver

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Thunder host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Christmas Day. I’m excited for this one as the Timberwolves figure to be one of the rising teams in the Western Conference and c’mon doesn’t Thibs look like he can be a Grinch? Here’s to hoping the uniforms are as ugly as any Christmas sweater this year!

More from Thunder News

January is Rough

The month of January, at least on paper, looks like it may be a long one for the Thunder, as 12 of their 15 games will be on the road, with 6 of them coming in a row from January 13- January 25 (@ Minnesota, @Sacramento, @LA Clippers, @Golden State, @Utah, and @New Orleans.) They start the month with 3 games on the road (@Milwaukee, @Charlotte, and @Houston.) Oh, and they end the month with two more on the road (@Cleveland and @ San Antonio.) Ouch.

Mar 11, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) and center Enes Kanter (11) react to a call in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) and center Enes Kanter (11) react to a call in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Saturday February 11, 2017

Circle the day on your calendar now. Tell everyone you know who isn’t a fan of basketball that you don’t want to be bothered by ANYTHING OR ANYONE after 8:00PM Eastern Time. If you have a panic room, be inside of it by 8:00PM Eastern-Time. Don’t have a panic room? You have till Saturday February 11, 2017 to get one. Make sure there’s a TV in it. Golden State is coming to Oklahoma City on February 11, 2017.

The much anticipated return of former Thunder Buddy Kevin Durant after he spurned the Thunder to form the Death Star Lineup in the Bay. The chorus of boos reigned down upon Durant every time he touches the ball will cause a 6.7(minimum) on the Richter Scale. When Durant switches onto Westbrook for the first time, and Westbrook promptly puts the Slim Reaper on a poster, and the roof explodes off of Chesapeake, well, no one will be safe. You’ve been warned.  Game starts at 8:30PM Eastern Time. #HYPED.

Other Thoughts and Notes

The Thunder close out the season with 4 straight games on the road before their final home game against Denver on April 12th. Of the 82 games, 21 will be on national television, (ABC, ESPN, or TNT), and another 9, at least as of right now, are scheduled to be on NBATV. The Thunder have 13 back-to-backs this year, two separate occasions just happen to be against the Clippers and then the Warriors, both of which are on the road for the Thunder, too.

Bottom line: The Thunder are going to face a couple of tough patches; 17 of their first 34 games are against playoff teams from last season, they’re basically living out of suitcases in the month of January, and if they’re fighting for a playoff spot in April, then 4 out of the last 5 games being on the road certainly won’t do them any favors.

But, with the release of the schedule, it means that the NBA season is this much closer to returning. Training camp starts in around a month, the regular season starts in 75 days, and it can’t get here fast enough.

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