25 NBA Games You Can't Miss This Season

Every summer while the sun is shining and people are flocking to the coasts and getting sun, something still seems to be missing. That something, of course, is basketball.

What we've got now is just over two weeks until the NBA comes back with two big-time nationally televised basketball games and one seemingly ill-timed Cavaliers-Wizards showdown.

With the season that close and nothing else really mattering at this point besides the last few roster spots on each team and who finally decides to sign Leandro Barbosa, all I can think about is the opening tip.

So, with the season so close and pretty much every team's meaningful players set in stone, it seems like the perfect time to take a look ahead at the season and pick out 25 games that you just shouldn't miss.

October 30, Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat

It'll be nice to get this little storyline out of the way early. Sure, it's going to be interesting to see how the fans in Boston react when Ray Allen comes back, but for the most part the big story between the two teams is how the Celtics nearly took the Heat out in the Eastern Conference finals and, yeah, how the Heat snagged Ray away.

Technically Cleveland-Washington will be tipping off an hour before this one, so you can call that your official season opener, but this is the first nationally televised game of the season.

We get to see if there's any bad blood between the old Celtics players and Allen and how the new and improved Celtics line up alongside the reigning NBA Champions. What more could you ask of an opening night game?

October 31st, Denver Nuggets vs. Philadelphia 76ers

This will be the first official "homecoming" game of the season, and I can imagine that this will be the warmest welcome that any star player will get from his old fans. Steve Nash will get a warm reception from Phoenix, but it seems like the people of Philly either really love a guy or they really hate a guy, and it seems that the former is true with Andre Iguodala.

Alongside the return of Iggy, you'll get to see the first glimpse of Andrew Bynum in a 76ers uniform (unless his knee injury drags into the season), the first glimpse of Evan Turner as a more integrated player in this lineup and how well the Sixers defense looks compared to last season.

On the Denver side, we get our first look at what appears to be the deepest team in the NBA and how well they are able to run lineup after lineup out there and still score in bushels. 

October 31st, Memphis Grizzlies vs. L.A. Clippers

Halloween is going to be a busy night in the world of basketball. As Philly-Denver is wrapping up and the candy bowl is emptying out, this one should just be tipping off.

What do we get to see in this game? Only the revitalization of one of the most exciting playoff series from the 2012 season and potentially the extension of an interesting budding rivalry.

The new-look Clippers get lined up with the similar-looking Grizzlies in a battle that's sure to go down to the wire. 

Even if it doesn't, at least we get to see Blake Griffin dunk a few times and Zach Randolph elbow him in the ribs while he's defending him. This one has an extremely high possibility to be chippy. 

November 1st, New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets

The first game of the season for both the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks is going to be a show for all of us. It's not only a showdown of two Team USA teammates, but it's the first of many matchups between new crosstown rivals.

This game is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but there's a ton of meaning in it on a microscopic level. 

Whichever team wins this game gets bragging rights over the entire city, and if the Knicks are able to pull off a win in this one, then they'll get to spoil the Nets opening their brand new arena with their brand new lineup.

November 1st, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs

As the first few days of the season stay packed with excitement and intrigue, the third day of the brand new season pits Western Conference finals foes against each other for a resurrection of their 2012 playoff matchup.

While it seemed like a symbolic passing of the torch, you'd better bet San Antonio didn't see it that way and will be looking to keep its club at the top of the Western Conference. A win here wouldn't mean much for the standings, but it would make a pretty big statement win.

Plus, there's a slight chance that we'll get a Perry Jones sighting for Oklahoma City, which would be a pretty exciting moment if you're like me and love seeing rookies perform in the first few weeks of the season.

November 2nd, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

I guess there was no real reason to wait for this one to come up, so four days into the season is as good as any to get a little sibling rivalry firing on all cylinders.

There's still a question as to whether or not Dwight Howard will make it into the lineup at the beginning of the season, but if you need Howard in the game to get excited for a Clippers-Lakers matchup, then you need to check your pulse.

It's Chris Paul against Steve Nash, Blake Griffin against Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace against normalcy. It's Clippers-Lakers on ESPN.

November 8th, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Chicago Bulls

Chicago will be facing questions all season long, no more so than the first few weeks of the season, so there's no better time to get a good look at the Bulls than when they go up against the reigning Western Conference champions.

We'll get to see the Derrick Rose-less Bulls in their first real challenge of the season in terms of taking on a team that has been prominent for a few seasons (their first four games feature challenges from Sacramento, Cleveland, New Orleans and Orlando).

Will Chicago have anyone taking control of the game if it runs close late, or will the Bulls have trouble keeping it close enough for that to even be a question?

November 9th, Charlotte Bobcats vs. New Orleans Hornets

Am I really advocating that you spend your hard-earned free time watching the Charlotte Bobcats? You're damn right I am.

Not only is this going to be a meaningless game in the long run, but it will also feature some pretty bad basketball.

So why should you watch it? It's No. 1 against No. 2, former teammates clashing, the future of two franchises slamming into each other at full speed.

Anthony Davis takes on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in what might be the only game in which anyone takes any interest in the Bobcats outside of North Carolina.

November 23rd, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers

This is a homecoming that might bring a tear or two to a few eyes around the world, and that includes myself.

For five years, Brandon Roy was simultaneously the present and the future for the Blazers, until everything went horribly wrong and he was forced into early retirement. His meteoric rise and subsequent flame-out happened so quickly that Portland is still trying to recover.

Roy returns in a new jersey a year after retirement, but he should be showered with the most raucous, emotional cheering he's ever experienced. 

November 24th, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors

It'll probably be the first time in over half a decade, but I'm recommending that you take a look at the Minnesota Timberwolves on consecutive nights.

This one is pretty straightforward. There aren't any grand homecomings or plans for revenge in this one; it's just a matchup between to rising teams in the Western Conference.

Whereas Minnesota will almost certainly end up with a playoff spot this season, Golden State is still on the fence. It depends on how well the team meshes and how healthy they can stay. 

November 29th, Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. That's the theory I'm holding with the Warriors until I actually see them slow down and play defense.

If it takes longer than a month for them to realize Mark Jackson's goal, then this is going to be one explosive basketball game.

We can chuckle at a showdown of point guards that Minnesota either passed on or traded away during the 2009 NBA draft, as these two teams rack up points for a few hours and threatens to break into the 110s.

December 14th, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers

This season, we get to see how two different approaches work out for teams that are trying to avoid becoming Eastern Conference also-rans.

By this point, each team will be in a nice little groove, and we'll be able to tell what their ceiling is in terms of a potential run into and through the playoffs.

Whereas Philadelphia is taking the route more recently traveled by a few teams in trading for a star player, Indiana is trying to follow the Oklahoma City route in developing players and building from the ground up.

It's not going to be a definite determination of which one works better, but it's going to be an interesting game nonetheless.

December 17th, Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks

Apparently there's some dude that came out of nowhere last season to become a huge thing in New York City. His name is Jeremy Lin; perhaps you've heard of him?

Lin set the world on fire for a little over a month, got injured and then was not re-signed by the Knicks. Of course this game is going to be of some interest.

At this point, the Knicks should be putting together a squad that looks playoff-worthy, while the Rockets are just trying to stay afloat, but this game gets no less interesting as a result. Lin is coming back to the Big Apple with hundreds of reporters in tow.

December 25th, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat

After a five-game NBA Finals that was more brutal for Heat haters than it was in terms of it being a slugfest of a series, Oklahoma City came out realizing it has a lot to work on, while Miami came out with a shiny new trophy.

If this wasn't an opening night game, then it was bound to be a Christmas Day game.

This game takes what really has become the prime time slot for Christmas Day as the second ABC game tipping off in the early evening. Fireworks, harsh words and bad blood should be aplenty in this one, folks.

December 26th, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards

As two teams try to put unfortunate incidents in their past, they follow similar paths into the future, although very different at the same time.

On a very basic level we've got two of the best young point guards in the NBA facing off against each other, along with two of the top four draft picks who happen to play the same position. The backcourt matchups of Kyrie Irving and John Wall, plus Bradley Beal and Dion Waiters should be tantalizing enough.

What we're getting to see here is the philosophy of two organizations trying to rebuild, which is a really interesting story to follow.

January 1st, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

For whatever reason, this is probably my most anticipated homecoming of the season, based solely on the fact that I have no idea how Lakers fans are going to react.

I'm guessing that once the arena fills up with the halfhearted fans by the end of the first quarter, there will be more indifferent moans than anything toward Bynum, but for the introductions I'd predict a shower of boos for the former L.A. big man.

This is the second time the Lakers and Sixers play each other, and therefore the second Dwight Howard-Bynum matchup of the year, but that takes a bit of a backseat to Bynum's homecoming in terms of a storyline.

January 11th, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers

At this point in the season, there should be a vague picture of what the season is going to look like the rest of the way through, so we should know for sure who will be fighting for the top spots in each conference.

If that is the case, then this could be a pretty important game on a basic level and infinitely intriguing on a more complex level.

Oklahoma City will try to assert itself as the cream of the crop in the West in front of Lakers fans, while Los Angeles tries to do the same. 

January 16th, New Orleans Hornets vs. Boston Celtics

Sure, I'll be pretty stoked to see an Anthony Davis-Kevin Garnett showdown once this date rolls around, but what's really going on here should be a son trying to show up his dad.

Austin Rivers plays his dad's team for the first time in his professional basketball career, so we'll get to see how he reacts to Doc being on the sidelines.

Will he go straight into hero-ball mode and try to put up 30 on his pops, or will he go for the ultimate slap in the face and do what it takes to leave Boston with a win? It's the classic father-son conundrum. 

January 17th, Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Ever since the trade that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles went down, all that's been talked about is how he's going to stack up against the Miami Heat lineup and how much of an advantage the Lakers could actually have over the Heat.

Well, as Charles Barkley quips about this and that for us on a TNT televised game, we'll be able to see for the first time whether or not it's true.

Los Angeles may have the point guard and center advantage, but Miami leads in the shooting guard and small forward departments. The rest will have to shake itself out.

January 27th, Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics

The strangeness of seeing Ray Allen in a Miami Heat uniform will likely have passed by this time, but there's something else special going on besides Allen's return to Boston.

This January 27th game will be the first Sunday of the year with ABC-broadcasted afternoon basketball games. There's nothing better than waking up on a Sunday morning and realizing that the day is filled with basketball.

If that warm, fuzzy feeling isn't enough for you, then you can enjoy the mixed reaction that Ray Allen is sure to get from his former home crowd.

January 30th, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns

We're all they way through January, and we've still got a handful of homecoming games to get through, so let's get this one out of the way.

At the end of January, Steve Nash goes back to Phoenix for the first time since being traded this summer. 

Not only will it be fun to see the people in Phoenix reproachfully cheering for a guy in a Lakers uniform, but we get to watch one of Nash's former proteges, Goran Dragic, do his best to lead his strangely built team in a crusade against the Lakers. 

February 7th, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

One of the true lasting rivalries in the NBA picks back up in Boston as the Lakers come to town in the dead of a chilly Massachusetts winter.

This will be the first of two games within two weeks when we get to see the older but surging teams of either conference facing off against each other. We'll get to see whose old guys are better and whose young guys make the bigger difference.

L.A.-Boston will probably have some sort of pre-All-Star break excitement around it, as well.

March 12th, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Orlando Magic

March 12th will be Dwight Howard's first game back in Orlando as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

You've got to imagine that there will be a lot of talk leading up to this comeback. The Lakers will likely get boos wherever they go all season long, but nothing will prepare Howard for what awaits in Orlando.

He's bound to get a treatment at least three-quarters as angry as the one LeBron James got in his first game back in Cleveland.

On a scale of one to Green Bay fans after their loss to the Seahawks in terms of anger, these Magic fans are probably going to be at least Bobby Cox angry.

March 13th, New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets

It seems impossible since he was traded more than a season ago to the New York Knicks, but this will be Carmelo Anthony's first game back in Denver as a member of the Knicks.

Because of that, we get a midweek special of back-to-back days with homecoming games. The people in Denver shouldn't be as upset as the Orlando fans, but things will probably get interesting for a bit in the early going.

Besides that, we've got a game in March between two teams that look to be Top Five in their respective conferences, so that should be enough to get you on the hook for it already.

April 14th, Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat

Unless there are some kind of unforeseen complications going on with Derrick Rose's knee and his recovery, then he should at least be back in time for this game in Miami.

Ultimately, these two teams probably won't be too close in the standings—Miami should be near the top, while Chicago will probably be somewhere in the bottom three spots of the playoff hunt—but this is a meaningful game nonetheless.

At the very least, it's a chance for Rose to test himself against the top-level competition before he and his Bulls go into the playoffs a few weeks later and try to play spoiler to the top-seeded teams.

Plus, who wouldn't want to watch a Rose-LeBron showdown?

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