It seems as if all we do these days is look ahead.
On Tuesday, the NBA officially released its schedule for the upcoming season.
Opening night will take place on October 29th which will kick-off the season with three games. We’ll warmup with the Orlando Magic visiting the Indiana Pacers on NBATV, then settle in for two of the better rivalries the NBA has to offer: Bulls/Heat and Lakers/Clippers in the nightcap on TNT.
While this is only one night, NBA.com’s Jeff Caplan breaks down, in his opinion, the 2013-’14 seasons top-15 games.
Narrowing down 1,230 regular-season games to 15 that we’ll categorize as “The Most Intriguing of the 2013-14 Season” was a rather arduous assignment. Especially considering that, like many seasons, so many special “firsts” are occurring; Derrick Rose’s first game back, Doc Rivers’ first game coaching the Clippers, Paul Pierce’s and Kevin Garnett’s first game with the Brooklyn Nets, Andrew Bynum’s first game with his third team since he last played and, of course, Dwight Howard’s first game with the Houston Rockets. That means more games than usual are going to be highly anticipated in the opening week of the season and highlighted here.
Obviously Caplan includes opening nights’ showcase games. After all, it is the long anticipated return of Derrick Rose, and what better way to comeback then to spoil Miami’s ring ceremony? Something Chicago holds dear in its heart.
Following opening night are quite a few circles on the schedule — all courtesy of Caplan — and one in particular immediately following opening night:
Nets at Cavaliers, Oct. 30, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Welcome to the bench Jason Kidd. The rookie coach takes the helm of one of the most veteran rosters in the NBA, and nothing short of challenging the Miami Heat for the East crown will be deemed a success as the Nets begin Year 2 in Brooklyn. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko joinDeron Williams, Joe Johnson and Robin Lopez for the most expectation-laden season since Kidd played for the Nets a decade ago. Eyes in Cleveland will focus, for a moment or two, on Mike Brown’s return to the bench, but attention will quickly turn to center Andrew Bynum‘s knees, which kept the big man out all of last season with Philadelphia. A healthy Bynum should lift Kyrie Irving and Co., into playoff contention.
Personally, this game would rank ahead of Bulls/Heat and Lakers/Clippers on my list as far as season long intrigue. With all of the new (and big) additions between the Cavaliers and Nets — KG, Pierce, Bynum, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, AK47, Jarrett Jack, Mike Brown and Jason Kidd on the sideline — what’s not to be excited about?
Let’s not forget a stellar point guard matchup between Kyrie Irving and Derron Williams.
And how will Brooklyn’s star-studded cast fit together? Will the new-look Cavs be a real threat? How good is Kyrie Irving? We’ll get our first answers on October 30th.
A few to follow…
Spurs at Warriors, Dec. 19, Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif. (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Who knows what might have happened if Golden State had held on to Game 1 in San Antonio in that amazing second-round series in which Stephen Curry emerged as a star and the Warriors emerged as a real threat in the West. With Andre Iguodala bringing a veteran, defensive stance to a young team that can really light it up, they will be a handful for any team, and that includes the Spurs, who will somehow have to deal with Golden State’s athleticism at both ends of the floor.
Rockets at Thunder, Dec. 29, Chesapeake Arena, Oklahoma City (6 p.m. ET, League Pass)
Well, this should be interesting. A few years ago it seemed that OKC and Dallas were embarking on a long road as prime rivals. That’s now changed to OKC and Houston, which has the Thunder to thank for its sudden return to prominence. The Rockets acquired James Harden from salary-cap-strapped OKC prior to last season and Harden’s presence greatly assisted Houston signing Howard. Throw in last year’s first-round playoff series, won by Kevin Durant and OKC in six games even with Russell Westbrook injured, and we’ve got the makings for a riveting rivalry led by a pair of young stars on each side.
Nets at Knicks, Jan. 20, Madison Square Garden, New York (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
These two bitter neighbors will square off in Brooklyn on Dec. 5, but nothing will compare to their meeting in Manhattan. The Garden will be nuts as the Knicks try to keep the upper hand against a Nets team that, on paper, appears superior. Nets coach Kidd had some of the best games of his career playing at MSG and he wrapped up his 19-year career playing for the Knicks. He won’t be expecting a red-carpet return.
The other notables:
Spurs at Heat, Jan. 26, American Airlines Arena, Miami (1 p.m. ET, ABC)
Heat at Thunder, Feb. 20, Chesapeake Arena, Oklahoma City (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
Clippers at Thunder, Feb. 23, Chesapeake Arena, Oklahoma City (1 p.m. ET, ABC)
Pacers at Heat, April 11, American Airlines Arena, Miami (7:30 p.m. ET)
Christmas day is another animal. Other than the All-Star Game, the NBA marathon on Christmas is the leagues season showcase. Five nationally televised games that are all must-watch (for us junkies). The best-of-the-best that the league has to offer:
Bull at Nets (Noon on ESPN)
Thunder at Knicks (2:30pm on ABC)
Heat at Lakers (5:00pm on ABC)
Rockets at Spurs (7:00pm on ESPN)
Clippers at Warriors (10:30pm on ESPN)
On the surface, the NBA schedule release should not be something to jump up and down about, but considering the time of year and all of the major offseason moves, it’s quite intriguing to look at which games will have an effect on how the upcoming season shakes out.
For the first time in a long time, there are several threats to win 60 games this season. At the very least 50-plus.
Think about it.
In just the East you have Miami, Chicago, Indy, Brooklyn and New York. And don’t sleep on Cleveland either. If they catch a break on the injury bug they could be a threat to creep into the top-5 in the East. That’s a big if.
Out West you have the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, Rockets, Warriors and Grizzlies.
That’s 12 teams that can win 50 games.
I’m ready for tip-off.
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.