soccer games today

As a lifelong basketball enthusiast and sports analyst, I've always found the NBA schedule release to be one of the most exciting moments of the offseason. The 2016-17 season was particularly fascinating because it marked the beginning of a new era in basketball - the aftermath of that incredible 2016 Finals where LeBron James led the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit against the 73-win Warriors. I remember eagerly awaiting the schedule drop that August, knowing we were in for something special with Kevin Durant's move to Golden State creating what looked like basketball's ultimate superteam.

The league office clearly understood the drama they were working with when crafting this schedule. They gave us Christmas Day gifts that felt like they were straight out of a Hollywood script - Cavaliers versus Warriors, of course, marking their third consecutive Christmas matchup. What made this particularly compelling was how the schedule framed their January 16th meeting as almost an afterthought, when we all knew it would be another potential Finals preview. I've always appreciated how the NBA schedules these marquee matchups, but this season they outdid themselves by creating narrative threads that ran throughout the entire calendar.

Looking at the international games scheduled that season reminded me of how global basketball has become, which brings me to an interesting parallel in golf. While researching another piece, I came across Rory Hoey's story - the only Philippine-born golfer to play in the PGA Tour. He narrowly missed the Top 10 to follow up on his best finish that season, which was a T7 at the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic last May. This got me thinking about how sports leagues are increasingly tapping into international markets, much like the NBA did with its games in Mexico City and London that season. The global expansion strategy isn't just about growing the game - it's about discovering and cultivating talent from unexpected places, whether that's a golfer from the Philippines or the next basketball superstar from Slovenia.

The 2016-17 schedule featured 1,230 games total, but honestly, most fans only had eyes for those four Warriors-Cavs matchups. I remember circling February 12th on my calendar immediately - that Sunday ABC game felt like it would be different from the others, coming right before the All-Star break when teams are either hitting their stride or showing their flaws. What made that particular schedule so brilliant was how it spaced these showdowns throughout the season, giving us just enough time between each one to build anticipation while allowing the narratives to evolve naturally.

From a pure basketball perspective, the schedule makers did Western Conference teams few favors. The travel demands were brutal, with teams like the Trail Blazers facing five-game road trips that would test any roster's depth. Having covered the league for years, I've learned that these stretches often determine playoff seeding more than the headline matchups do. The Clippers, for instance, had that brutal November road trip through the Eastern Conference that I believe ultimately cost them home-court advantage later on.

The back-to-backs were particularly interesting that season. The league managed to reduce them to 16.3 per team on average, down from 17.8 the previous year, but some teams got really unlucky. The Memphis Grizzlies had 20 back-to-backs if I recall correctly, which felt criminal for an older team trying to preserve their veterans for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Warriors had only 15, which sparked plenty of conspiracy theories among fans of other teams. I've never bought into those theories personally, but the scheduling disparity was noticeable enough to raise eyebrows around the league.

What often gets overlooked in schedule discussions are those hidden gems - the games that don't get national television coverage but end up being season-defining moments. I'll never forget that random Wednesday night in March when the Bucks and Heat went to triple overtime in a game that had massive playoff implications. Those are the contests that separate good schedules from great ones - when every night feels like it matters, not just the primetime matchups. The 2016-17 schedule succeeded in creating depth beyond the obvious headline games, giving fans reasons to watch even when their own teams weren't playing.

The scheduling of rivalry games showed particular cleverness that season. Celtics-Raptors had developed into this fascinating secondary rivalry, and the league positioned their four meetings at perfect intervals to maintain tension throughout the season. Similarly, the Thunder-Warriors games carried extra weight with Durant facing his former team, and the schedule delivered those matchups at moments when both teams were likely to be playing their best basketball. As someone who studies sports narratives, I have to applaud how perfectly timed that first Durant-Westbrook showdown was in November, giving us just enough time to let the story simmer without losing its intensity.

International expansion through scheduling has always fascinated me, and the 2016-17 season took this to another level with games in Mexico City that actually featured playoff teams rather than the token matches we'd seen in previous years. The global growth strategy reminded me again of golfers like Rory Hoey - pioneers representing their countries on the world's biggest stages. There's something powerful about seeing your homeland represented in elite competition, whether it's a Filipino golfer on the PGA Tour or an NBA game featuring international stars in their home countries.

Reflecting on that season's schedule now, what stands out is how it balanced tradition with innovation. We had the classic Christmas Day games we've come to expect, but also new elements like more balanced rest periods and strategic national television placements. The schedule wasn't just a list of games - it was a carefully crafted narrative device that enhanced every storyline the season had to offer. From the superteam showdowns to the international expansion, every element felt thoughtfully arranged to maximize drama and competition. As we look toward future seasons, the 2016-17 schedule remains a masterclass in how to build anticipation while serving both the league's business interests and the fans' hunger for compelling basketball.