A day after announcing their preseason plans, the Miami Heat revealed their 2016-17 regular season schedule on Thursday.
Miami will be heading into the season with a number of questions, some of which will be answered during the preseason. The eight-game slate unveiled on Wednesday will give head coach Erik Spoelstra the opportunity to watch several bubble players in action. All of that will be preparation for the next 82 games that are now known.
The Heat will begin the regular season on October 27th with a road game in Orlando. This contest will come just six days after the preseason comes to a close. The Magic represent a tough test for Miami, especially with the game in Central Florida. The Heat would like to open the season with a statement after the loss of Dwyane Wade, but that may be difficult in Orlando.
Following the road game, Miami heads home for three games in a row. One of the teams that will visit will be the San Antonio Spurs. Even without Tim Duncan in the fold, the Spurs should remain one of the best teams in the NBA. Miami and San Antonio have had several exciting regular season battles in recent years.
On November 10th, Wade will bring his Chicago Bulls teammates to his old home at American Airlines Arena. This will be the first time that Wade has ever opposed the Heat. In addition to the Wade story line, Chicago represents one of the teams that Miami could end up battling for a playoff spot.
December 9th will be the first time that Miami sees its old friend, LeBron James. The Heat will travel to Cleveland to take on the defending NBA champion Cavaliers in the first of four games between the teams. The following night, the Heat will travel to Chicago for a game against Wade in his new home building.
Miami will not play on Christmas Day which is a rare occurrence. Without Wade and possibly Chris Bosh, Miami lacks much superstar talent. This coupled with several championship caliber teams around the league likely led to the decision to take Miami off the holiday schedule.
The Heat will have a home-and-home series with the Cavaliers in March. On the 4th, James and his Cavaliers will be at American Alrilnes Arena. Two days later, the two teams will take on one another again in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.
The season will come to a close on April 12th with a home game against the Washington Wizards. Cleveland will also be in town two days earlier in what could be an important game for both teams.
Miami's full schedule can be seen on NBA.com.
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Courtesy of our news partners at NBCMiami.com.