Knicks Schedule Release: Games You Need To Watch In 2016-17

The 2015-16 NBA regular season schedule has been released. Which New York Knicks games should you make a point of watching early in the season?

The 2016-17 NBA regular season schedule was officially released on Thursday, August 11. For the NBA, the time has come for coaches, players, fans, and analysts to evaluate every last detail of their respective team’s schedule.

The New York Knicks are no exception, as the the time to evaluate the implications of the structure of the schedule has arrived.

New York is coming off of a 2015-16 season during which it finished at 32-50. It’s since retooled and reloaded, however, by trading for Derrick Rose and signing the likes of Brandon Jennings, Courtney Lee, and Joakim Noah.

With Carmelo Anthony returning for his 14th NBA season and Kristaps Porzingis entering his second, the hype machine is running as powerfully as it ever has in New York City.

Within the first few months of the season, the Knicks will answer many of the current questions they face. Vital tests from both within the division and outside of it will determine what New York must improve upon and what it must polish.

The question is, which five games will be must-see television for every Knicks fan?

Note: For a look at the full schedule, click here!

Next: Opening Night

Opening Night

Date: Tuesday, October 25 at 8 p.m. ET
Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio
2015-16 Season Series: 4-0, Cavaliers

The New York Knicks intend to be a postseason-caliber team during the 2016-17 season. In order to become such a force, the Knicks must prove their worth against the highest form of competition.

New York will have its first opportunity to do so during its first game of the season, when it travels to play the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers will hold ring night on the same evening that New York will look to establish itself as a team to be aware of. Losing a game on opening night isn’t an indictment, nor is winning one a guarantee of greatness.

For a Knicks team that actually has a talented enough roster to make the playoffs, however, a win in Cleveland could be a massive feat.

The 2016-17 Knicks aren’t the 2014-15 Knicks; winning in Cleveland wouldn’t be a meaningless achievement for a team in shambles. Instead, it’d be a confidence-boosting victory for a team that has the potential to secure a Top 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The result won’t dictate the remainder of the season, but playing in Cleveland on ring night will be an excellent opportunity for the Knicks to build chemistry and character.

Next: Rivalry Resumed

Rivalry Resumed

Date: Friday, November 4 at 8 p.m. ET
Opponent: Chicago Bulls
Venue: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
2015-16 Season Series: 3-1, Knicks

The New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls have been bitter rivals since the 1980s. The rivalry reached new heights when Patrick Ewing and John Starks led the Knicks up against Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Bulls, and the hate hasn’t simmered.

On DATE, that rivalry will reach entirely new heights when Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah lead the Knicks into Chicago.

Rose, a Chicago native, played for the Bulls from 2008-09 through 2015-16, thriving as the franchise player when healthy. Noah played for the Bulls from 2007-08 through 2015-16, excelling as the heart and soul of the team.

Losing both in one summer was tough enough for Bulls fans, but it was even more difficult to see the two fan favorites end up with the Knicks.

New York got the better of Chicago in 2015-16, but both teams have made drastic changes this offseason. Chicago added the likes of Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and Robin Lopez, while New York landed Rose, Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings.

Between Rose and Noah returning to Chicago, Rose and Jimmy Butler’s alleged feud, Carmelo Anthony facing Wade, and Kristaps Porzingis battling Nikola Mirotic, these games will be spectacular.

Next: The Measuring Stick

The First Measuring Stick

Date: Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Opponent: Toronto Raptors
Venue: Air Canada Centre
2015-16 Season Series: 3-1, Raptors

The New York Knicks are attempting to make the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. 2012-13 was also the last time the Knicks won the division title, with the Toronto Raptors claiming it in each of the past three seasons.

On DATE, New York will have the opportunity to prove just how far it’s come when it faces those Raptors at VENUE HERE.

The Raptors may have lost Bismack Biyombo, but don’t confuse that with an overall regression. DeMar DeRozan is entering his prime, and both he and Kyle Lowry are gaining invaluable experience with Team USA.

Furthermore, defensive stopper DeMarre Carroll projects to be healthy in 2016-17—which he wasn’t in 2015-16—and Jonas Valanciunas is on the brink of a breakout.

If all goes according to plan, the Raptors will be even more of a force in 2016-17 than they were in 2015-16. Following a season during which Toronto won 56 games and reached the Eastern Conference Finals, that’s troublesome for the Knicks.

On DATE, New York will have a chance to earn an early leg up in what projects to be a tight race for the division title.

Next: Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Date: December 25, 2016 at 12 p.m. ET
Opponent: Boston Celtics
Venue: Madison Square Garden
2015-16 Season Series: 3-1, Celtics

After a one-year hiatus that felt like an eternity, the New York Knicks will return to playing on Christmas Day. The opponent just so happens to be one of the greatest rivals New York has ever known.

With the holiday spirit in the air, the Knicks will look to give the New York faithful a victory against the Boston Celtics.

This Christmas Day encounter will be one of the most physical of the year for the Knicks and Celtics. Both teams are coached by individuals who know how to put points on the board, but also come from defensive backgrounds.

Brad Stevens has established himself as a defensive mind, and Jeff Hornacek, a Jerry Sloan disciple, will look to re-establish himself on national television.

Boston, which won 48 games in 2015-16, signed four-time All-Star Al Horford. He’ll likely match up with Kristaps Porzingis, while Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose square off against Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas.

If the Knicks hope to win the Atlantic Division, defeating the Celtics at home will be a major key.

Next: The Fight For The City

The Fight For New York

Opponent: Brooklyn Nets
Dates: Wednesday, November 9 at 7 p.m. ET & Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Dates: Wednesday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET & Sunday, March 12 at 6 p.m. ET
Venue: Barclays Center
2015-16 Season Series: 2-2, Tied

The Brooklyn Nets may not be a championship contender on paper, but that doesn’t make this game any less important. The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets were rivals, and now that the opposition plays in Brooklyn, that feud is even stronger.

The Knicks split the season series with an inferior Nets team in 2015-16, and that simply cannot happen again in 2016-17.

Brooklyn has a cast of quality players, including Bojan Bogdanovic, Jeremy Lin, and Brook Lopez. Talented as that team may be, there’s no reason to believe that the Knicks shouldn’t sweep their in-city rivals.

There’s reason to believe that there will be trouble, however, especially given Lin’s elevated level of play whenever he encounters the Knicks.

The reality is, New York has a postseason-caliber roster and Brooklyn doesn’t. Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah form a superior starting five, and Brandon Jennings and Lance Thomas are high-caliber reserves.

The Knicks have many dangerous opponents, but no team is quite as much of a threat to New York’s confidence as the Nets.

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If you can only catch five games during the first few months of the 2016-17 regular season, make sure these are the five!