SAN ANTONIO -- The NBA released the schedule on Thursday for the 2016-17 season, and here are a few quick takeaways from the San Antonio Spurs' upcoming slate, which begins Oct. 25 at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors.
The Spurs have captured at least 50 victories in each of 17 consecutive seasons while clinching postseason berths in 19 straight campaigns, which registers as the longest active streak in the NBA. Over the past 19 seasons, the Spurs own the best winning percentage over any 19-year span in NBA history, but the 2016-17 season could prove much more challenging with franchise stalwart Tim Duncan no longer in the fold:
Rough start: The Spurs tip off the season Oct. 25 on the road against a revamped Golden State Warriors squad, which now features seven-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant along with sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
These squads faced off on three occasions last season, with the Warriors trouncing the Spurs by 30 points (120-90) in the teams’ first meeting at Oracle Arena on Jan. 25. In that matchup, the Spurs played without an injured Duncan, and obviously will be without the former face of the franchise in this meeting considering he retired on July 11. San Antonio managed to win only one of the three matchups last season against Golden State, an 87-79 decision on March 19 at the AT&T Center.
Interestingly, the Spurs entered the derby over the summer for Durant’s services in free agency, but came up short. Luckily for San Antonio, it has some familiarity defending Durant since he spent his entire career, minus his rookie year, leading up to this season playing for the division-rival Oklahoma City Thunder. Defending Durant should prove difficult, but what’s worse for San Antonio is it also has to contain Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green.
No Duncan to open at AT&T Center: The Spurs play their home opener on Oct. 29 against the New Orleans Pelicans, and everyone in attendance no doubt will experience somewhat of a surreal feeling given that Duncan will not be taking the court with his teammates.
Considering Duncan has been the heart and soul of the Spurs since 1997, it’s going to be interesting to see how coach Gregg Popovich and the rest of the club handles this matchup, which also features three-time All-Star Anthony Davis. This game will be the second contest of a doubleheader on ESPN, which tips off first with the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Toronto Raptors, led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowery, in a rematch of the 2016 Eastern Conference finals.
Defending champions come to town: The Spurs host the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on March 27, and this always seems to be a matchup filled with fireworks as the club tries to bottle up LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who once dropped 57 points at the AT&T Center.
These teams split last season when they battled twice in January over a span of 16 days.
Christmas gift: The NBA served up another one this year with a five-game showcase that features the Spurs hosting the Chicago Bulls.
These squads played twice last season with the Spurs earning a split.
Another matchup worth watching will be the Dec. 8 road clash against the Bulls, which will mark the first time new addition Pau Gasol faces his former team.
Rodeo road trip: For just the second time since the 2009-10 season, San Antonio’s annual rodeo road trip will feature just eight games on the road instead of nine. The eight-game stretch starts on Feb. 6 with the team visiting the Memphis Grizzlies on a road trip that also features matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Clippers.
San Antonio won’t return home again until March 1 to host the Indiana Pacers.
Over the past 14 years, the Spurs have produced a record of 82-35 during their annual road trip -- a tradition that started during the 2002-03 season when the club moved from the Alamodome to the AT&T Center. Each year, the AT&T Center hosts the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in February, which forces the Spurs to hit the road for the majority of the month.
