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Suns Near Top of NBA in Strength of Schedule, Travel Miles

If the Suns are to return to the postseason for the first time since 2009-10, they might have to overcome a few external challenges in addition to the ones on the court.

Late last week, the NBA released the regular season schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 campaign. And for the most part, each team within the two conferences plays a relatively similar set of opponents.

But despite the largely balanced schedule, there are still a few extenuating factors that play a role over the course of an 82-game slate. Over at ESPN.com, Bradford Doolittle recently analyzed these differences to determine which franchises have the toughest schedules. 

Here's how the writer did it: "For each game, we calculated the probability of winning for the two teams based on the baseline forecasts, home court and other scheduling factors - rest, road back-to-backs, travel, etc. We used those probabilities to run the schedule through a simulator. The differences between the average simulation results and our baseline forecasts suggest who benefited from the 2016-17 schedule."

According to the results of that equation, the Suns will play the third-hardest schedule in the NBA this season. On paper, only the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers have a more difficult road. Rounding out the top 5 are the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

Playing in the Western Conference, and especially the Pacific Division with the Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers, it should come as little surprise that Phoenix would rank high on the list. The Suns also have 14 back-to-backs, but fortunately eight of them come at home. 

Other notes to remember for the Suns' schedule: their longest road trip is six games in 11 days, their longest home stand is five games in eight days and they are one of a handful of teams who do not play four games in five days at any point in the season.

The Suns boast a youthful roster highlighted by three teenagers, but they also have several veterans and a rallying figure in Head Coach Earl Watson to help navigate the waters. The team will be ready for any obstacle for what it hopes, and some predict, will be a breakout season.