Hottest Games of the NBA Season Diehard Fans Shouldn't Miss

NBA team schedules were released to the public last week, which means basketball fans everywhere have blocked out entire weekends on their calendars for “basketball reasons.”

The NBA schedule release usually gives publicity to the high profile matchups and holiday slates. These are the games where the casual NBA observer watches, makes an observation like “LeBron still can’t close” and sticks to it for a whole season. We know how those criticisms turned out.

This list compiles the games that hoopheads set an alert on their television guide for. These juicy matchups are worth watching in the bathroom because that's where you get the best signal on your laptop.

Basketball fiends, get out a pen, find your nearest writing surface and mark these dates on the NBA calendar.

San Antonio at Miami, November 28th

The "what could've been" NBA finals matchup holds a lot more intrigue than the Heat's other early season matchups.

What gets forgotten from the athletic fast-paced finals between Miami and Oklahoma City is how dominant the Spurs were in 2012. They were the league's most efficient team on offense, held a 20-game winning streak and were the favorite to win it all—until Oklahoma City won four straight in the Western Conference finals.

The Spurs challenge Miami's roster in a different way defensively. Their superb team passing and defensive emphasis was reminiscent of how Dallas won it all in 2010. Yes, the same Mavs team that beat the Heat in six games that year.

In addition, these two powerhouses never played against each other at their peaks. Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili were absent from their one matchup last season. All the more reason to tune in.

Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City, December 7th

The Lakers offense was a mess last season—unable to keep up with Oklahoma City's quick scoring attack in their second-round loss. Controlling Russell Westbrook, who dominated in that second-round series, might still be a conundrum for L.A.

Los Angeles brought in Steve Nash to try to contend with Oklahoma City's gaudy offense. This "measuring stick game" will show if the move holds weight in the West. Nash should be comfortable with Kobe Bryant and the rest of his teammates when this matchup rolls around in December.

New York at Brooklyn, December 11th

The opening weekend matchup that will start "The Battle for New York" will not be as telling as their rematch in Brooklyn five weeks later. Both teams should have a better handle on their rotations and personnel.

Besides the territorial aspect, there are a ton of storylines to follow here. Brooklyn will be out to prove itself as a contender in the East with an early win, while New York tries to put it all together with Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and company in their second full year. 

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be rocking for this one. NBA fans will have a better look at which New York team is headed into the right direction in 2013.

Houston at New York, December 17th

Jeremy Lin's return to New York is the Knick fan's most anticipated game on the schedule.

With Houston's meager supporting class, fans will get a uncensored look at Lin's true value, and whether James Dolan was right to avoiding re-signing the flashy point guard. Not to mention Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd having the pressure of a thousand sumo wrestlers on their backs if they don't make Lin's night a difficult one.

If Lin gives MSG a show, riots in New York is not out of the question. Get to your nearest television for this one.

Oklahoma City at Miami, December 25th

The NBA finals rematch is a default game on this list and the prime-time showcase for Christmas Day.

Will the Thunder's "Big Three" get wiser from an Olympic experience together this summer? Miami, with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis added to the roster, is banking on their small ball approach that worked so well in the NBA Finals to lead them to another title.  

This first matchup will get some credence to where these two teams stand early on. If Allen or Lewis push the Heat to another gear of offensive efficiency, this game could be an announcement to the rest of the league that a dynasty is building in Miami.

New Orleans at Orlando, December 26th

Two of the NBA’s most talented bigs will face off against each other for the first time. The best defensive presence in the game Dwight Howard goes up against a rookie phenom Anthony Davis.

Davis is already making waves alongside NBA talent on Team USA. Some compare “The Brow” to a younger, more competitive version of Dwight Howard when he entered the league. Seeing how he holds up against the NBA's most dominant inside force will be a good indicator of where he stands among NBA bigs. Presuming Howard is still in Orlando, of course.

By the way, in one of the biggest stories of the new season, Ryan Anderson will return to Orlando as well.

Sacramento at Detroit, January 1st

It’s year three for the 2010 draft class, which on paper looks like a bunch of names with untapped potential—no more than the two centers featured in this game that have become the focal points for their young teams: DeMarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe.  

Cousins has always been well-regarded for his strength and defensive toughness, but his behavior has gotten in the way of winning in Sacramento. Talent has been sparse in Detroit since Monroe arrived there, but his passing ability and touch around the rim has scouts regretting letting him fall into Detroit’s hands on draft night.  

Monroe and "Boogie" both got beat out by Anthony Davis for a Team USA spot this summer. Even if the longevity factor for Davis’ selection was in play, both Monroe and Cousins had two years of NBA experience to put toward a tryout and turn some heads in USA Basketball circles. Both came up empty handed.

Who's the better young center? Perhaps the most improved player will correlate with which team has a more promising season.

Indiana at Boston, January 4th

Yet another matchup that will be a measuring stick for the state of the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers have held on to the majority of the core players in order to make a run for the East title, while Boston got younger this offseason to try to hang on. Ray Allen, Darren Collison and Greg Stiemsma are gone, but Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Ian Mahinmi will take part in this heralded matchup.

Seasoned veterans and future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will look to teach another NBA lesson to Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert, who are looking to prove they are ready to evolve.

The clock is ticking on both of these teams’ relevance; a statement win to start off 2013 would do wonders for a stretch run toward the postseason.

Miami at Los Angeles Lakers, January 17th

This clash of styles provides one of the most intriguing draws on the NBA schedule.

This battle is no longer a Kobe vs. LeBron debate. The Lakers and the Heat have the largest collection of star talent in the league. Not to mention they hail from Los Angeles and Miami, home of superstars and leisure.

A battle with the defending champions will give a better sense to the Lakers whether Steve Nash is their missing piece to a title. This will be one of the dates circled on the Heat’s calendar as they go on their defending champions' road tour out West.

The Lakers are one team that could exploit Miami’s lack of size down low; they have the advantage inside with both Bynum and Gasol. The Heat will attempt to thwart the Laker bigs with a healthy dose of small-ball and transition game.

Miami at Boston, January 27th

Even more exciting than Miami getting their rings, honestly, will be the Heat hitting the road for an Eastern Conference finals rematch.

As LeBron James returns to the scene of the crime where he changed his legacy—Game 6 of last season’s Eastern Conference finals—Ray Allen’s return to Beantown will get all the publicity.

Newspaper ad or not, Allen will be facing a hostile environment in the Garden. The interactions between Allen, Garnett, Rondo and Pierce throughout this game may be just enough to tune in. Forget about Miami’s Big Three, all eyes will be on No. 34 on the Heat.

Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota, February 28th

Ricky Rubio should be back in the lineup from an ACL injury by this February matchup. Injured against the Lakers last season, Rubio will be hungry to exact some demons against Kobe Bryant and company. Not to mention Kevin Love duking it out with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum down low. I wouldn't want to be boxing out in this one.

If Rubio is healthy, the matchup of point guards between him and Steve Nash will be the matchup to watch and a joy for basketball purists. Both master penetrators and magicians with the basketball, the two stars will try to one-up each other in front of a movie-star crowd in Los Angeles.  

In their only matchup last season, when Nash was in Phoenix, he dished out 17 assists while Rubio was a non-factor. Expect the Minnesota floor general to have a better showing in this one.

Milwaukee at Golden State, March 9th

Golden State and Milwaukee both missed the postseason last year, but are expected to be in the playoff hunt in their respective conferences.

By the time this game rolls around, we should see the aftereffects of Andrew Bogut-Monta Ellis trade through one full season’s time. The return to Golden State will be an emotional night for Ellis and Warrior fans. Ellis was the ringleader of the Warriors the three years previous, albeit not successful but entertaining enough to keep tuning in.

On the other hand, the Warriors finally have a man in the middle in Bogut. After being chosen first overall by Milwaukee, he never was able to stay on the floor consistently for his original team. The Aussie will be raring to go against his former team, if he's healthy. That's always an "if" with the Bay Area center.

Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas, March 26th

Both the Clippers and Mavericks will be infusing new talent into their rosters, most of which are complementary players that are questionable fits. It will be interesting to see the finished product go out it for Western Conference playoff seeding.

Dallas lost out on the Deron Williams sweepstakes but settled for quantity with O.J Mayo, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, all new fixtures in their top eight rotation. All three are leaving situations in which they felt underappreciated in their old city, so contributing is paramount.

While Dallas won their 2010 championship with strategic defense, Brand and Kaman don’t exactly fill a need protecting the basket. They cannot afford any Lamar Odom flameout like last season from one of their new additions. That leads us to the Clippers.

L.A. surely improved their roster with Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom and Grant Hill coming off the bench, but the former two bring concerns. Crawford is a volume shooter who specializes in low-percentage jumpers, while Odom didn't play meaningful minutes in 2012 and when involved, can be a chemistry killer. How will they fit in with a clear alpha dogs Paul and Griffin?

Both teams will need time to blend, so this late March matchup facing off against surefire playoff contenders will be a good indicator of both team's development.