2012-13 NBA Schedule: Breaking Down Biggest Early-Season Matchups
It seems like only yesterday we were talking about the Miami Heat winning the NBA championship, yet here we are, and the NBA has released the full schedule for the 2012-13 season.
Unlike last year's abbreviated schedule, there will be plenty of time to breathe in between games and get ready for the marquee matchups. Everyone knows the games that will draw the most attention, so we want to offer very early analysis of them.
Don't think of the analysis as a prediction, but more like a breakdown of the key storyline(s) that you need to be paying attention to when the action gets underway.
With that caveat, here is a look at the biggest matchups we are looking forward to early in the season.
October 30: Boston Celtics at Miami Heat (Opening Night)
What better way to start the season than with a rematch of the intense, physical Eastern Conference finals?
In addition to having the intrigue of being a playoff rematch, you have Ray Allen making his debut for the Heat after spending five years in Boston and being a key member of the 2008 championship team.
Even if you don't have interest in watching Allen try to pick Boston apart with three-pointers, you can always watch to see how much better LeBron James has gotten with the pressure of winning a title off his shoulders.
December 17: Houston Rockets at New York Knicks
The pregame introductions for this game will be just as interesting to watch as the game itself. Jeremy Lin makes his return to Madison Square Garden after a 25-game stretch last year that saw him become a worldwide phenomenon.
It is no secret that Knicks fans were unhappy, to put it mildly, when the team decided not to match Houston's offer sheet. Even if the game has no ramifications on the playoffs, the spectacle of seeing New York react to a player who played less than one full season with the team is going to be fascinating.
Plus, Raymond Felton will have the added pressure of trying to outperform Lin on this stage. If he doesn't, the hometown crowd will not let him hear the end of it.
December 25: Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat
With the NBA going all out for Christmas Day games this year—there are five on the schedule and all featuring marquee teams—it might seem hard to single out just one game.
There was a time when Lakers-Knicks would easily trump anything else. Now, though, the two best franchises in the NBA are Oklahoma City and Miami. The NBA Finals last year could have been the start of the next great East-West rivalry.
It also helps that the pressure to win a title has shifted from James to Kevin Durant. Everyone loves Durant because he doesn't call attention to himself; he just steps on the court, dominates and goes home.
But now fans and analysts are going to dissect his game, similar to the way they did with James, until he carries the Thunder to a title.
You can't win a title on Christmas, but it would be a nice present for Durant and the Thunder to defeat the team that ended their title hopes last season.
For a complete look at the 2012-13 NBA schedule, click here.
