Get ready to schedule

It's almost here. Tomorrow morning the Trail Blazers 2008-2009 schedule will be released. Are all those rumors you've been hearing true? We'll know soon enough.

There will be tough stretches, there will be easy stretches (as "easy" as anything is in the Western Conference, that is), but my question to you is: Does it matter? Is it better to have a more difficult schedule early? Late? Can things like the number of back-to-back's can change the dynamic of a season? What about the extra travel now that the Sonics reside in Oklahoma City? Do playoff teams simply overcome those hurdles, or are playoff teams made thanks to beneficial scheduling? I've got my own thoughts that I'll share tomorrow, but I'd like to get your opinions first.