Its hard to rank the toughest schedules as we sit here today. For some of these teams we don’t even know who will be on the final rosters when late October comes calling. Also this isn’t college or the NFL where some teams may not play each other for years. In the NBA, you see everyone at least twice, so I’m going to mix it up for the first RPI ranking for the NBA.
5. Los Angelas Lakers
The Lakers were one of the worst teams in the league last year, finishing last in their division. Unfortunately, they’re still the Lakers so they still have a nice amount of nationally televised games and challenging road stretches. Four games into the season, they will depart on a five-game eastern road trip which can be tough for a team depending on young players. They also start December with another eight-game road trip, facing five playoff teams from a season ago and a young Minnesota Timberwolves team that looks to be decent on paper. Not to mention sharing a devision with the defending champs the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. Seeing both of those teams four times is no easy task, especially when you’re trying to rebuild your team.
4. Los Angelas Clippers
The Clippers come back with one of the most-talented teams in the league as well as one of the toughest schedules. Not only do they have to play the defending champs the Golden State Warriors but they are one of four teams with a league high 20 back to backs. We see this every year where teams can get worn down just by the work load. They also have a brutal month of December, with two five-game road trips and 11 games against teams that will most likely finish .500 or better.
3. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are another one of the four teams with a league-high 20 back-to-back games. They also have to face tough teams in their division like the Clippers four times a year. What makes the Warriors schedule so hard, however, is the stretches they have to go through this season. Right out of the gate, they have to face James Harden, one of the NBA’s top scorers, and Anthony Davis twice each. Davis and the Pelicans were swept by the Warriors in the playoffs, which will most likely give him and the team extra motivation to play Golden State as hard as possible. That's only magnified by the presence of former Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry as the Pelicans new head coach. They also have a pretty tough April finishing out the season. They play the Portland Trail Blazers and star point guard Damian Lillard, as well as a young Timberwolves team. The last four games of the year bring the Warriors to face the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs twice.
2. Houston Rockets
The Rockets were one of the top teams last year and they add star point guard Ty Lawson to an already talented team. Unfortunately they too are one of the four NBA teams with a league high 20 back to backs. On top of that they may reside in the league’s toughest division. Every team int the Southwest Division made the playoffs last season and the Rockets have to play the (Grizzlies, Spurs, Mavericks, and Pelicans) FOUR TIMES a year. That alone is just brutal. Luckily most of their tough stretches are in the thick of the season like the brutal February where they will spend most of the time on the road.
1. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were not one of the best teams last season, they actually finished last in their division, and after losing Greg Monroe to free agency I don’t think many expect them to improve much. So when the you find out that they are the fourth team with a league high 20 back to backs what comes to your mind? That’s on top of playing a tough division schedule against the Cavaliers, Bulls, Bucks, and Pacers. They also have a rough start of the season facing ten teams that made the playoffs last year plus the Timberwolves, Pacers, Thunder, and Heat. The league also showed they know how to kick a team while they were down by not giving them any national exposure. Hopefully the Pistons can use this as motivation, but it doesn’t look good.