Analyzing the Golden State Warriors’ 2014-2015 Schedule

The Golden State Warriors’ regular season schedule for the 2014-2015 season was released on Wednesday. The Warriors will open the season on October 29th against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. Golden State’s home opener is three days later when the Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers.

New head coach Steve Kerr will be challenged early as the first half of Golden State’s schedule is loaded with away games against many tough teams. By Christmas, the Warriors will have already traveled to Portland, Houston, Oklahoma City, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis and others.

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Golden State does not have a seven-game road trip like they did last season, but they do have a lengthy six-game trip to the East, which features four of last year’s Eastern Conference playoff teams, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Thanks to recent success and Stephen Curry‘s rise to super-stardom, the Warriors will play in a franchise-record 19 nationally televised games, including one network game on ABC against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Because of the All-Star Weekend expansion, Golden State will be away from the comforts of Oracle Arena for quite some time. The Warriors only have two home games in the month of February.

Although an early season matchup may seem to have less gravity than a late-season matchup, Golden State must perform well during the stretch. They will play many contenders in the final month of the season, and one loss could cost the Warriors home-court advantage in the playoffs.

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The tough beginning to the season evens out, however. The opponents in the West are never easy, but Golden State will enjoy the luxury of a six-game home-stand in the middle of March, and a four-game home-stand to close out the regular season.

Let’s take a look at a few marquee matchups for the Warriors this upcoming season.

Of course, all games against the Los Angeles Clippers will be exciting. Even though former coach Mark Jackson refused to call it a rivalry, it is obvious the Warriors and Clippers don’t like each other; they aren’t shy about it either.

For the second straight year, the Warriors will be playing on Christmas night against the Clippers. This matchup will be in Los Angeles where the Clippers will try to avenge last season’s Christmas-night loss to Golden State.

All four games against the Dallas Mavericks should be thrilling. Curry sank Dallas with two buzzer-beaters last season. With both teams improving (Dallas signed Chandler Parsons), the games are not only exciting, but also high-stakes. These two teams should finish side-by-side in the Western Conference standings.

Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James‘ return to Cleveland makes every teams’ games against the Cavaliers exhilarating. Golden State, in particular, should be excited to face Cleveland as all sings point towards Kevin Love landing there after a trade to the Warriors seemed imminent (click here for the latest on Love).

All games against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Chicago Bulls are also must-watch battles in order to see how Golden State stacks up against the league’s best teams.

In the tough Western Conference, every single game is of the utmost importance. The Warriors learned that lesson last season as they struggled at home against mediocre teams in the middle of the season. Coupled with Kerr’s new coaching principles, Golden State should carry razor-sharp focus into every game — even home games against struggling opponents.

Here’s the link to the Warriors’ full regular-season schedule.