2023-24 Bulls schedule: Late matchups with Knicks could loom large

The NBA schedule is rapidly evolving.

The league has tweaked its schedule a great deal in recent seasons, adding rest during the All-Star break, a reduction of back-to-backs and an end-of-season Play-In Tournament, among other changes.

This year’s schedule features more alterations that are sure to catch your eye.

For starters, the Bulls will open their season in the final week of October for the first time since 2016. In six of the past seven seasons, the Bulls’ season opener came in the third week of October, between Oct. 18 and Oct. 23. (The lone exception is the COVID-19 pandemic-plagued 2020-21 campaign that started Dec. 23).

In addition to a later start, this season will debut the In-Season Tournament. It’s an elaborate format that could prove foolish and fail, as much as it could end up being a fantastic addition. But it’s clear the NBA is doing all it can — within reason — to make its marathon regular season as compelling as possible.

Here are five thoughts on the Bulls’ 2023-24 slate.

Full Schedule just dropped 🔥

Which games will you be at? 👀@ATT | https://t.co/1prQxySTM6 pic.twitter.com/UnOMceYvbk

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 17, 2023

The In-Season Tournament

You’ll either love this addition or hate it and wonder what exactly is the point. The new format will have to really delight to push fans from the latter group to the former.

Here’s how it works.

Each team will play four designated group play games from Nov. 3-28. Teams will play one game against each opponent in its randomly selected group, with all teams playing two home games and two road games. Group play games will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November. The Bulls will play Brooklyn at the United Center on Nov. 3 and Orlando on Nov. 17. Chicago travels to Toronto on Nov. 24 and Boston on Nov. 28.

Eight teams will advance from group play to the second stage of the tournament, the knockout rounds. The advancing teams will be the six group winners and two wild cards — the best team in group play games from each conference among those who finished second in their groups. Knockout rounds are single-elimination and will take place from Dec. 4-9.

Each of the 22 teams that don’t advance to the quarterfinals will be assigned two regular-season games, a home-and-away to be played on Dec. 6 and 8. The losing teams in the quarterfinals in each conference will play each other in regular-season games on those two dates.

Qualifying teams will compete for a prize pool, and the new In-Season Tournament trophy, the NBA Cup. At the conclusion of the tournament, the NBA will name the Most Valuable Player of the competition and an All-Tournament Team.

Let’s keep an open mind and see how it plays out.

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A series-heavy slate

The Bulls schedule includes five series games, or consecutive contests against the same opponent. It’s the most the Bulls have had.

Chicago will play consecutive games — none coming on back-to-back nights — against Orlando, Miami twice (home and away), Philadelphia and Charlotte.

The NBA has leaned into a format that grew in popularity during the pandemic as a way to reduce travel and promote more playoff-like situations. Coupled with the new In-Season Tournament, these series contests help sprinkle in some regular-season intensity. It’s weird, but it works.

For five seasons, from 2015-16 through the 2019-20, the Bulls played only five series games. Three came in 2018-19. The Bulls played four such series in 2020-21 and only two in 2021-22. Last season, they had four such series, facing off against Toronto, New York, Cleveland and Philadelphia. The Bulls went 2-6 in those contests.

Another factor that makes this year odd is how early Chicago’s series games will come. They run from Nov. 15 to Jan. 8. That means the Bulls will have completed this scheduling quirk within the first 40 games.

Knicks matchups could be major

Forget the longtime rivalry. Focus instead on the fight for playoff positioning.

The two foes will meet four times this season, with the first matchup on Jan. 3. They won’t see each other again until April. Then, they will play each other three times over their final six games.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that these teams could find themselves battling for the sixth seed and the right to skip the Play-In Tournament. The significance of all three contests, at that juncture, could be enormous.

If you’re more of the glass-half-empty mindset, the running-it-back Bulls could require wins in those three games against the Knicks just to eke into the playoffs.

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Limited national television

The national networks apparently weren’t interested in the Bulls’ continuity.

Chicago has only three games scheduled for ESPN and just one scheduled for TNT. Three more are currently are set for NBA TV.

Bad. Bad. Bad.

It’s among the loudest indictments of the Bulls’ place in the NBA hierarchy. Only failing to make the playoffs last season ranks higher. It’s another reminder that this storied franchise, sitting in the NBA’s third-largest market, is often reduced to an afterthought nationally.

Chicago opens the season against Oklahoma City, with 2022 No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren. Still, ESPN preferred to put Boston-New York in the first slot of that night’s doubleheader. None of the Bulls’ four group-play games in the In-Season Tournament will be televised nationally, and Chicago again didn’t land a Christmas game.

With a quartet as entertaining as DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević and Alex Caruso, you would think the networks would have more interest. But clearly, the Bulls must earn their respect.

A difficult December

It would be best for the Bulls if they got off to a good start through November.

December looks dangerous. Even with a season-long six-game homestand, the Bulls could struggle to play .500 basketball in the month.

We know 12 opponents within Chicago’s 14-game December challenge, with the other two depending on the results of the In-Season Tournament. But it doesn’t get much more difficult than the dozen currently scheduled: New Orleans, at Milwaukee, Denver, at Miami (twice), at Philadelphia, and then the six-game homestand against the Lakers, San Antonio, Cleveland, Atlanta, Indiana and Philadelphia.

We’ll know before the new year whether the Bulls made the right call to run it back, or whether it’s time for them to launch a fire sale at the February trade deadline.

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(Photo of Zach LaVine and Julius Randle: John Jones / USA Today)

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