Whenever the NBA starts playing games again, Hawks fans will have an extra half hour to make it to Philips Arena for tipoff.
The 82-game schedule the Hawks released Tuesday includes 7:30 p.m. starts for weekday home games. The Hawks had started weekday games at 7 p.m. since the 2005-06 season to make it easier for fans already downtown before the games.
Now the team moved the start times to accommodate those spectators who have to travel to games from outside the downtown area. Weekend games will start at 7 p.m., with the exception of a 2 p.m. game against Charlotte on Dec. 4.
“The opportunity was there to create a better situation for those who live in suburbs to give them a chance to get to the games, and that was one of the things we wanted to accomplish,” Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said. “Hopefully it will alleviate the traffic congestion people face and presents an opportunity to get to the arena in a timely fashion.”
When fans will get the chance to see the Hawks, who last season ranked No. 22 of 30 NBA teams in announced attendance, remains uncertain. Owners locked out players at the end of June, and there have been no negotiating sessions on a new collective bargaining agreement since then.
Assuming the season starts on time, the Hawks will open at Minnesota on Nov. 2 before returning to Philips Arena to face Boston on Nov. 4. The Celtics are one of nine Hawks opponents of their first 13 that participated in the 2011 playoffs.
Among those teams is defending NBA champion Dallas, which makes its only visit to Philips Arena on Nov. 19. Miami, the defending Eastern Conference champion, comes to Atlanta twice (Dec. 9 and April 4).
For the third consecutive season the Hawks will play on Thanksgiving Day in a game televised by TNT. The Hawks have eight games scheduled for national television, with the other seven on ESPN.
The Hawks also continue their tradition of playing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a game against the Raptors on Jan. 16.
The busy part of the Hawks’ schedule comes in March, when they play 17 games (11 on the road), including six sets of back-to-backs. They close out the month with eight games in 12 days.
The Hawks are scheduled to play 20 sets of back-to-back games. They will play four games in five nights two times.
The Hawks finished the 2010-11 season with a 44-38 record, fifth-best in the East. They upset Orlando in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Chicago in the East semifinals.
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Schedule highlights
Season opener
Nov. 2 at Minnesota. The Timberwolves had the fewest victories in the NBA last season (17).
Home opener
Nov. 4 vs. Boston. The Celtics are set to return stars Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett.
Longest road trip
Six games from March 3-13. The trip starts in Memphis and ends in Denver.
Longest homestand
Four games from Dec. 17-23. The Hawks play a season-high 10 home games in December.
Marquee home dates
Nov. 19 vs. Dallas
Dec. 9 and April 14 vs. Miami
Dec. 17 vs. Lakers
Jan. 7 and March 28 vs. Chicago
Dec. 30 and April 13 vs. Orlando
March 2 vs. Oklahoma City
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