2012-13 NBA Schedule: Primetime Games That Are Sure to Disappoint
The NBA released the 2012-13 league schedule last night, which has plenty of intriguing matchups and a full 82-game slate—a welcome change from last year’s rushed 66-game lineup, which took place over a 120-day period.
In order to add to the excitement of the release of the schedule, ESPN put forth a press release detailing all of the intriguing matchups that will be aired on both the ABC network and the Worldwide Leader this coming year.
There are a lot of great matchups, but some are just head scratchers and should be banished to NBA TV or local television.
Let’s take a look at three of those scheduled games.
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers—December 25 on ESPN
This isn’t a bad matchup, but Christmas Day games—for the NBA—are about displaying the best and most exciting storylines possible.
There isn’t much bad blood between these two teams, and there aren’t too many superstars on either roster aside from Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
The league should have scheduled the Clips against a more traditional powerhouse rather than a solid team of no-name players like the Nuggets.
Indiana Pacers at Memphis Grizzlies—January 21 on ESPN
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an extremely important American holiday and one that the NBA embraces more than any other sport in the country.
They work to put forth historically important matchups that both educate and entertain fans on the federal holiday.
Which is why this Pacers vs. Grizzlies matchup is just perplexing.
Both teams have been decent to above average the past two seasons, but they just aren’t that fun to watch and don’t have any star power or history.
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers—April 17 on ESPN
On the last day of the season, ESPN should be trying to highlight matchups that will have impacts on the playoff race.
Instead, they opted to feature two lottery teams as the final nationally televised game of the regular season.
While the W’s and Blazers are expected to be better in 2012-13, they have yet to prove anything and should have been replaced with more solid teams here.
