2012 NBA Schedule Release: 1st Look at Christmas & Primetime Games Next Season
The 2012-13 NBA schedule has just been released, and there are a number of marquee games on the slate this upcoming season.
Perhaps none is more anticipated than the opening-night contest between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics on October 30 in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals. Also, the Dallas Mavericks will be televised when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night.
This will be an exciting rematch of the Eastern Conference finals and the debut of former C’s star Ray Allen in a Heat uniform. It was wise of the league to schedule this intense rivalry as the opening match, as it promises to be a great game and will get the bad blood pumping early.
Christmas Day Schedule
Another much-anticipated contest will be the Lakers' annual Christmas Day game, this time against the New York Knicks. It never officially feels like the holiday season until Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers rock their white X-Mas best.
But that's not the only Christmas Day game. Yahoo! Sports Marc Spears provides the complete slate:
"XMas Day NBA Games: Boston @ Brooklyn; Knicks @ Lakers; Thunder @ Heat; Houston @ Bulls; Nuggets @ Clippers.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 26, 2012"
Let’s take a look at the rest of the schedule and identify some matchups we can’t wait to see, and some intriguing subplots for the upcoming 2012-13 NBA campaign.
Intriguing Matchups
Nov. 1: New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets...first regular-season home game by a professional sports team in Brooklyn since the Dodgers in 1957.
Dec. 17: Houston Rockets at New York Knicks...Jeremy Lin returns to the Big Apple.
Jan. 16: Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks...Joe Johnson returns to play his former team.
Jan. 17: Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers...Is this a preview of the NBA Finals?
Jan. 30: Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns...Steve Nash returns to Phoenix.
Mar. 16: New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets...After being denied by the lockout-shortened season last year, Carmelo Anthony finally makes his first trip to Denver since being traded in 2011.
Mar. 18: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics...Allen returns to Boston after his bitter exit from the Celtics.
Mar. 22: Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks...Jason Terry returns to Dallas for the first time in a visitors uniform.
Top Storyline: Will Miami Heat Win Back-to-Back Championships?
LeBron James and the Heat finally captured their much-anticipated championship that had been in the making since he and Chris Bosh took their talents to South Beach.
But like the famous YouTube clip goes, the Heat aren’t satisfied with just one title.
By adding veterans Rashard Lewis and Allen, the front office has proven as much. This team is going to be deeper than ever and will once again be the team to beat in the entire NBA.
Every one of their games will be must-see TV and will be the toughest ticket in the NBA. Expect to see them on national TV all season long.
Other Title Contenders
Boston Celtics
Have the Celtics reloaded, or have they regressed?
Instead of re-signing the sharpshooting Allen, Boston decided to bring Jason Terry to Beantown. While they get a tad younger at the position, it’s a tough pill to swallow for fans. Their “Big Three” has been broken up.
The good news is that Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green are back, and they made a shrewd trade to land the underrated Courtney Lee. With promising draft picks Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo now on board as well, the Celtics enter the new season with much more depth than last season.
This is good news for a team that tends to slog through the regular season like it’s a chore. Now that the team is younger, registering a better regular-season record and earning a higher playoff seed seems likely.
But we all know the only thing that matters in Boston is championships, and the race for home-court advantage over the Heat is going to begin from Day 1.
Were the new additions enough to get this veteran team over the hump?
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are always in the news for one reason or another, and this offseason has been no different.
They finally got their point guard by trading for Steve Nash, and they added depth to the bench by nabbing Antawn Jamison and re-signing Jordan Hill.
These are all terrific moves, but there is still one floating in the air that seems destined to happen sooner or later.
It’s no secret Dwight Howard wants nothing to do with the Orlando Magic, and if the Lakers can land him in exchange for Andrew Bynum, they become the favorites over the champs to win the 2013 title.
Kobe, Nash, Howard, Pau Gasol…yikes.
With or without Howard, the Lakers are always a team you circle on the schedule. This year’s team might need two circles if they land the best center in the league.
Predicted Regular-Season Champion: Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are going to be the surprise success in 2012-13. They had an incredible offseason, highlighted by re-signing Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez while netting Joe Johnson in a trade.
That starting five can compete with anyone in the league, and they also have some decent depth off the bench, notably MarShon Brooks and Mirza Teletovic.
Brooklyn’s underrated core that is stocked with All-Stars, coupled with the excitement of playing in a new city, will push them over the edge. Expect the Nets to shock the world by having the league's best regular-season record.
