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Last year the Phoenix Suns came in with some promise and obvious question marks. They finished the pre-season 4-3 and even had a game on National Television (ESPN) to add an exclamation point on the excitement of the new season beginning.
This year the team welcomes in a few of the same teams as last year as they released the pre-season schedule for the 2013-2014 season today:
- Monday, October 7th vs. Maccabi Bazan Haifa (Home) 7 p.m. Local Time
- Wednesday, October 9th @ Portland Trail Blazers (Away) 7 p.m. Local Time
- Sunday, October 13th @ San Antonio Spurs (Away) 11:30 a.m. Local Time
- Tuesday, October 15th vs. Los Angeles Clippers (Home) 7 p.m. Local Time
- Thursday, October 17th @ Sacramento Kings (Away) 7 p.m. Local Time
- Tuesday, October 22nd vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Home) 7 p.m. Local Time
- Wednesday, October 23rd @ Denver Nuggets (Away) 6 p.m. Local Time
The repeats from last season include the Thunder, Nuggets, Blazers, and the Kings. This years slate of games provides a unique array of teams from the very bad, to the middle of the pack, and even some Championship contenders that will test the Suns early. An added note, there are no National TV Games this year.
It is not a perfect barometer for the season as a whole as a 4-3 pre-season can easily turn into a 25-57 debacle.
Overall the most important factor in this schedule is that the Suns host Maccabi, the Clippers, and the Thunder giving some excitement early on for the fans early. Is there a chance the Suns show promise against this group of teams? Can they equal or surpass last season's 4-3 mark? How do you feel overall about the teams the Suns not only host, but the teams on the schedule in general?