Knicks 2015-16 Schedule Released

Langston Galloway is primed to build on a successful rookie season. (Adam Hunger/USA Today)

Knicks and NBA fans rejoice: we are one step closer to the start of the 2015-16 season!

The NBA released its schedule for the upcoming season on Wednesday evening. It’s a tradition unlike any other as fans look ahead to when their favorite team will face off against the game’s elite talent. It isn’t just the fans who get excited for this day; the players look forward to it as well, as they get a chance to circle the key dates when they face their contemporaries. Here are some highlights for the Knicks’ schedule:

• New York opens the regular season on October 28th in Milwaukee, where the Bucks will start the season at home for the first time since 1984.
• Robin Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis and the rest of the newly acquired Knicks will make their home debuts on October 29th vs. Atlanta.
• Kobe Bryant will (likely) play his final game at MSG on November 8th when the Lakers come to visit.
• Lopez faces off against his twin brother Brook for the first time in the Knicks-Nets rivalry at the Garden on December 4th.
• Derrick Rose and the Bulls welcome New York to the Windy City to kick off 2016 on New Year’s Day.
• Philadelphia makes the trip up I-95 to face the Knicks in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day game on January 18.
• The Knicks welcome Stephen Curry and the defending champion Warriors on January 31.
• April 12th marks the end of the regular season, when the Knicks face off against the Pacers in Indiana.

In addition to these key dates, it is worth noting that the Knickerbockers will play 17 sets of back-to-back games (down from 20 last season) and zero stretches of four games in five nights (compared to four in 2014-15). They will also go on their extended road trip during the month of March as they are bumped for the Big East Tournament; it will kick off in Denver on March 8th and conclude in Washington D.C. on March 19th.

The biggest takeaway from the schedule, however, is the amount of national TV time the Knicks will get. They will only play a total of seven games on ESPN and TNT, all of which will be played before the All-Star break. Also noteworthy is that aside from New Year’s Day and MLK Day, New York will not be playing on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This may seem surprising given that New York is the largest market and has played on Christmas in each of the last seven seasons, but it is also very telling of how horrible the team was last season.

You can take a look at the full 2015-16 schedule here. Which games are you looking forward to this season?