2022-23 NBA Schedule: Breaking Down Top 10 Games of the Season
Basketball fans can begin marking their calendars after the NBA rolled out the full schedule for the 2022-23 season.
When the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers met in the NBA Finals for four straight years, the regular season felt a bit superfluous. What happened for the Warriors and Cavs before the postseason was largely irrelevant as they'd simply find another gear when it mattered.
Now, the field is much more wide open, even if Golden State is again the team standing at the top of the mountain. The play-in tournament has provided plenty of excitement over the final weeks, too, as franchises that might otherwise have been out of the race continue to hang around.
Here are some of the most intriguing matchups along the road to the postseason.
Oct. 19: Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors
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As the 2021-22 season unfolded, it became clear the Rookie of the Year was a two-man race between the Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes and the Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley. Barnes collected five more first-place votes to narrowly edge out Mobley for the award.
The Raptors forward averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals, and he played a critical role in Toronto securing the fifth seed in the East.
The Cavs big man might have been Rookie of the Year had it not been for the five games he missed toward the end of the regular season. That added to a prolonged slide for Cleveland out of the top six and into the play-in tournament.
Barnes and Mobley probably won't be competing for the same individual accolades this year, but both the Raptors and Cavaliers figure to be in the thick of the top-six race in the East. And given the outlooks for both organizations, this could be a fun head-to-head battle for years to come.
Oct. 20: Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers
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You knew the Los Angeles Lakers would be on here at some point.
The 2021-22 season was a reminder of how The Lake Show can be the most engrossing soap opera in the NBA, and it doesn't necessarily matter whether the team is good or bad.
Darvin Ham has a massive challenge before him in his first year as an NBA head coach.
LeBron James is showing his age and no longer capable of carrying a team to a championship on his own. Anthony Davis can't stay healthy, having missed 78 games over the last two seasons. And Russell Westbrook is a net-negative asset for a team with title ambitions.
James' impending free agency will hang over the organization all year, too. Much of what happens on the court will be framed around whether it increases or decreases the likelihood of LeBron sticking around.
If the Clippers win their season series over the Lakers, then it could foreshadow the hierarchy between the two L.A. rivals over the next few years.
Oct. 28: New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns
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Going six games with the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round was ultimately a warning sign for the Phoenix Suns, who unraveled in their subsequent series with the Dallas Mavericks.
The fallout from that exit threatened to be much worse, with Deandre Ayton ultimately re-signing on a four-year, $133 million extension. But the outlook for the Suns has changed a bit. They went from a franchise set up for long-term success to one that might have already hit its ceiling.
The New Orleans Pelicans appear to be heading in the opposite direction, perhaps on the precipice of a breakout like Phoenix enjoyed in 2020-21.
Brandon Ingram continued to play at a level befitting his max contract, and CJ McCollum rolled back the years following his trade to New Orleans. Now imagine what the Pelicans can do with Zion Williamson in the lineup.
That's obviously a big if, but you can't fault fans for feeling good about where the team is headed.
Nov. 7: Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic
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It looked like the Orlando Magic were primed to select Auburn star Jabari Smith Jr. with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, right up until they didn't.
Orlando opted instead for Duke star Paolo Banchero, with Smith falling to the Houston Rockets at No. 3.
There's always a level of excitement whenever top-five picks face off on the court. The Magic's decision to pass on Smith for Banchero will add to the drama the first time the two are on opposite sides.
This is bound to remain a long-running storyline to follow as well.
Unlike in some years, there wasn't a clear consensus top player in the 2022 draft class. Cases were made for Banchero, Smith, Chet Holmgren and perhaps even Jaden Ivey, and the Magic would've been justified in taking any of the four.
No matter how early it is into their careers, the first encounter between Banchero and Smith is bound to spark discussion about whether Orlando made the right choice.
Nov. 23: Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
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Simply making the play-in tournament qualified as an achievement for the Los Angeles Clippers since Kawhi Leonard missed the entire year and Paul George was limited to 31 games.
Now that Leonard is back, anything short of a Finals appearance will probably be considered a disappointment.
Regardless of the circumstances, four years and no Finals appearance will certainly be a tough pill to swallow considering how high expectations were set when Leonard and George first arrived.
On paper, head coach Ty Lue has everything he needs for a title-winning squad. George and Leonard are All-NBA talents, and an already strong supporting cast could be even better with the addition of John Wall.
Regular-season success will only go so far for the Clippers, but their players might be eager to make a statement or two against the reigning champs.
Dec. 10: Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors
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Who doesn't love an NBA Finals rematch?
Both the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics figure to be near the top of the league again since neither team suffered a personnel exodus. And neither is on its last legs with an aging core of stars.
Losing Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II hurts Golden State's depth a bit, but the arrival of Donte DiVincenzo could offset that. Jonathan Kuminga and a fully healthy James Wiseman should be prepared to assume larger roles in the frontcourt as well.
Boston addressed its need for another playmaker by acquiring Malcolm Brogdon, and Danilo Gallinari will help a team that was 14th in three-point percentage (35.6).
For the Celtics, playing the Warriors will provide an early indicator as to whether they've gotten closer to hitting the level required to win a title.
Dec. 25: Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
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Thanks to their best player, the Memphis Grizzlies exuded a level of confidence belying their lack of collective success. They backed up their swagger by pushing the Golden State Warriors to six games in the conference semifinals, a series that might have gone differently if Ja Morant was healthy.
Memphis is about to learn that life in the NBA can be different when you go from plucky upstart to a bona fide title contender. The Grizzlies won't be the favorites to come out of the West, but they're a genuine threat to Golden State.
On the other side, the Warriors know how quickly a budding dynasty can ascend. They went to the conference semis in 2013 but lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2014. The following year, they won the first of their three titles over a four-year span.
Especially against the defending champion, Memphis will be eager to show it has arrived and deserves to be taken seriously.
Considering how much players from both teams are eager to exchange trash talk, this has the potential to be an engaging rivalry, something the NBA is lacking.
Feb. 1: Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics
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The status of this matchup will hinge significantly on whether Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still members of the Brooklyn Nets.
Looking past all of the drama, the Nets have had a solid offseason so far. Royce O'Neale is a good defender and a complementary scorer who will have no trouble playing off the ball. T.J. Warren is a proven scorer if he can avoid any injuries. And Ben Simmons will in effect be a new signing.
The 2021-22 season illustrated the folly of betting on talent alone and underlined the need to build continuity in the regular season.
But with New York City's COVID-19 mandate gone, Irving's availability shouldn't be anywhere near the problem it was last year. Pairing him and Durant together can be a formula for success with the right supporting cast.
Brooklyn should be eager to avenge its first-round exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
March 4: Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks
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Depending on what happens with the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks could be the best candidates to dethrone the Boston Celtics in the East.
Neither team is significantly changed from last season, so Milwaukee gets the early edge over Philadelphia.
If they had had the services of Khris Middleton, then the Bucks may have been a repeat conference champion. They were rounding into form as they dispatched the Chicago Bulls in a first-round gentleman's sweep.
General manager Jon Horst didn't need to go out of his way to transform a roster that's shown it can win in the postseason.
For different reasons, the Sixers were wedded to their present squad. James Harden didn't look like his usual self in Philly, averaging 21.0 points and shooting 32.6 percent from beyond the arc, but re-signing him was the front office's only move when it came to the 2017-18 MVP.
With the benefit of a full season, perhaps Harden and Joel Embiid will catapult Philadelphia past Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
March 22: Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves both made aggressive moves in order to raise their playoff ceilings.
The Hawks sent Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs for Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale. Minnesota pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason when it gave up four first-rounders and other pieces for Rudy Gobert.
In both cases, it's not immediately clear whether either deal will have its intended effect—at least right away.
Atlanta went 43-39 before losing to the Miami Heat in five games in the first round. It was a clear reality check for an organization that was a conference finalist one year earlier.
The Murray trade wasn't analogous to the Milwaukee Bucks' acquisition of Jrue Holiday, who proved to be the final piece. Milwaukee was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in back-to-back seasons before deciding to go all-in on Holiday.
As good as Murray is, he doesn't address all of the flaws on Atlanta's roster.
Likewise, it remains to be seen whether Gobert was the player the Timberwolves needed to leverage all of their assets for when they already have Karl-Anthony Towns.
Gobert is clearly a better rim protector than Towns, but now KAT might be forced to guard smaller forwards on the perimeter. That could offset whatever gains Minnesota gets from adding the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
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