Indiana Pacers: Reacting to the first section of the schedule

The Indiana Pacers announced the first part of their schedule this season.

After a weird and unexpected offseason, the NBA is releasing the schedule in sections. The Indiana Pacers had already been reported to open their season by hosting the Knicks but now we have a schedule for the first three months of the season.

https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1334953396563038212?s=20

The Pacers will be at home for four of their first five games, including an early two-game home stretch against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 27 and 29. The schedule appears to be very on and off in terms of home and away, which may be a result of travel implications.

December will be telling for the Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have an interesting situation to start the season. They play five games in December, all of which come against Eastern Conference foes. However, the matchups will give fans a glimpse into just how good Indiana is. With two games against the Celtics, the Pacers will immediately have a chance to prove themselves against one of the league’s best teams.

On the flip side, Indiana has three games against bottom teams in the East. They host the Knicks on Dec. 23 in the opener, as well as a road matchup with the Bulls on Dec. 26 and a home date with the Cavaliers on New Year’s Eve. If they play well against the Bulls, Cavs, and Knicks, but struggle against Boston, we will know very quickly just how competitive this squad can be.

An early trip out west

The Pacers get their Pacific trip out of the way pretty early this season. They begin a five-game road trip on the west coast on Jan. 11 and wrap up the trip on Jan. 17. They will meet some strong groups during the trip, including meetings with the Warriors, Clippers, Blazers, and the new-look Suns. Indiana opens the trip in Sacramento against the Kings who recently gave De’Aaron Fox and max contract.

This is the first road trip for Indiana and it will definitely be interesting to see how they handle it.

Nationally televised games

Indiana was given two nationally televised games in the first portion of their schedule. They will make their national debut on Feb. 3 when they travel to Milwaukee to face Giannis and the Bucks. Milwaukee is one of the premier teams in the NBA and features an MVP candidate, making this a fun matchup to watch.

Indiana will also be on ESPN on Feb. 26 in a road matchup with the Boston Celtics. They open the season with two quick home games against Jayson Tatum and the Celtics and travel to Boston for what should be a great matchup once again.

While the Pacers do not host any national games yet, at least they will be able to prove themselves against two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.