Your Unofficial Guide to the NBA League Pass Schedule: December

One month later…we’re back.

In November’s edition of this Unofficial Guide to the NBA League Pass Schedule, the goal was egalitarian: how do we watch every team, in their best match-up, as much as possible? It was a noble effort, that led to some pretty entertaining match-ups:

• The Derrick Favors explosion versus Miami
• The Hornets 3-point, Jeremy Lamb-Nic Batum eruptions versus Portland
• The Warriors dazzling comeback versus the Clippers

At the same time, some teams simply did not get the attention they deserved:

This potential flaw in my homegrown, shoe-strung matrix is largely based on my preseason League Pass Rankings. When you attempt to factor in new uniforms, courts, and coaches (aka “freshness”), you end up skewed towards Sacramento, Detroit, Orlando, and Philly.

Fast-forward to today, December 1st. Now we have data – one whole month’s worth! We can start making slightly more informed decisions on maximizing the viewing experience. Specifically, using Hal Brown’s Power Rankings, we can score the competitiveness of each match-up. But before we unveil the December TV Guide, let’s add one massive condition:

G.S.O.E.

Golden State Over Everything

The Warriors have as many losses on December 1st as they did on November 1st. They are nothing short of amazing, and midway through last month they officially became Must See TV. I don’t really care if you think the 1996 Bulls are better or not – this team right now is playing beautiful basketball. The Dubs play 13 games this month – on the low-end of the spectrum – with one repeat opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks. So, using those 12 Warriors’ games as a start point, we can fill-in December with the rest of the league’s best games – while still getting at least one look at each team.

The result? 228 games over 30 nights (there’s no action on Christmas Eve) whittled down to some of the best 29 match-ups for all 30 teams. Remember, the goal is only one game per night, for all you slightly-above-average-obsessed-NBA-fans.

More Warriors. More Jazz. More Mavs. More Raptors. More Spurs.

Enjoy.