Peachtree Hoops: Atlanta Hawks Release 2011-12 Regular Season Schedule

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The Atlanta Hawks will tip off their 2011-12 regular season on Tuesday December 27 in New Jersey against the Nets. The home opener will take place the next night on the 28th when the Hawks host the Washington Wizards at Philips Arena.

Full press release is posted after the jump and analysis will follow later.

Hawks Press Release:

ATLANTA, GA ----- Following a trip to New Jersey to start the NBA season on December 27, the Atlanta Hawks will open their 2011-12 home schedule one night later (Wednesday, December 28) at Philips Arena against division-rival Washington, it was announced this evening as the Hawks and the National Basketball Association release the 66-game, 2011-12 season schedule.

With five of their first 11 contests against 2011 playoff teams, the Hawks will challenge postseason participants Miami and Chicago twice within a week to start the month of January. Atlanta travels to both cities in a back-to-back contest on January 2^nd (Miami) and 3^rd (Chicago), and will face each team at Philips Arena later in the week in their first back-to-back-to-back set of games on Thursday, January 5 (vs. Miami) and Saturday, January 7 (vs. Chicago). Sandwiched between those two games is a January 6^th road date at Charlotte.

The Hawks meet their 2011 second round playoff opponent on two other occasions this year, February 20 at Chicago and Wednesday, March 28 in Atlanta.

As far as the team the Hawks eliminated in the first round, the Magic, Atlanta and Orlando will play each other three times in 2011-12, with the first game scheduled February 10 at the Amway Center. The Magic heads to Atlanta for their only appearance on Thursday, February 23, and the two will wrap up their regular season battles back in Orlando on April 13.

The NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks will play Atlanta in the regular season finale, on Thursday, April 28, while their opponent in the Finals, the Miami Heat, and the Hawks will play each other four times. In addition to the aforementioned January games, the Hawks and Heat are scheduled to meet again Sunday, February 12 at Philips Arena and March 7 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The January 5 Miami contest will be the first of 13 nationally-televised Hawks games carried by the league’s broadcast partners ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. Atlanta will be featured six times on ESPN and NBA TV and one on TNT. The Hawks’ local TV schedule of games on Sportsouth will be announced at a later date, and the radio broadcasts will continue to be heard on Sportsradio 680 the Fan and 93.7 FM.

This year’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday game is scheduled for Monday, January 16 against Toronto at 4 p.m.

Atlanta plays the Los Angeles Lakers only once this season, on February 14 at the Staples Center.

The 33-game home schedule is highlighted by 16 weekend dates – with seven games on Friday, five on Saturdays and four on Sundays. Adding to the home court advantage, the Hawks announced earlier tonight that, as a way to thank fans for their loyalty and support, team owners Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon have eliminated all ticketing fees for 2011-12 Hawks tickets purchased on the internet, by phone or at a Ticketmaster outlet. The Hawks’ longest home stretch will come in April when Atlanta plays their last five games of the season at Philips Arena from the 18^thto the 26^th (Detroit, Boston, New York, LA Clippers and Dallas). Their longest road trip comes in March when the team embarks on a six-game, nine-day trip (Indiana, Miami, Detroit, Sacramento, Denver and LA Clippers), starting the 6^th and ending on the 14^th.

Atlanta will have two sets of back-to-back-to-back games, with the first three games set for January 5-7 against Miami, Charlotte (away) and Chicago. The team’s additional back-to-back-to-back games will happen on March 23-25 (vs. New Jersey, at Washington and vs. Utah).

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