10 Must-Watch Games in Week 1 of the 2013-14 NBA Season
After a four-month wait, the start of the 2013-14 NBA season has finally arrived.
And the basketball gods have smiled upon us this first week, providing no shortage of must-watch games.
The Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers officially tip off the action at 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 29, but the real treat starts exactly one hour later in South Beach. After being presented with their championship rings, the Miami Heat will face off against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, one of the East's biggest threats to Miami's three-peat bid.
The opening-week action only picks up from there, with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce making their regular-season debuts in Brooklyn the next night. We'll also get a rematch of the Western Conference Finals on Oct. 30, with the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs squaring off in Texas.
Consider this your League Pass primer for Week 1 of the NBA season. If you're going to only limit yourself to 10 NBA games this week, make sure it's these 10.
Oct. 29, Bulls at Heat: Derrick Rose's Return
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Viewing information: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
It's been more than 18 months since we've seen Derrick Rose play in a regular-season NBA game.
That streak will thankfully come to an end on opening night of the 2013-14 season, as Rose's Bulls seek to ruin the Miami Heat's ring night.
Before Rose's injury, the Bulls were the biggest roadblock in the Eastern Conference for the Heat. Given how reinvigorated Rose has looked throughout the preseason, it's not difficult to imagine these two teams clashing in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.
This game also kicks off the Heat's quest to three-peat, with the fate of Miami's Big Three potentially hanging in the balance. It could also be Greg Oden's first regular-season action in more than three years.
Long story short: If you're not excited about this game, you need to get your pulse checked.
Oct. 30, Nets at Cavaliers: K.G. and Paul Pierce's Brooklyn Nets Debut
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Viewing information: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Fresh off a first-round playoff upset in 2013, the Brooklyn Nets made some of the offseason's splashiest moves, luxury-tax threshold be damned.
The headliner? Trading Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans and three future draft picks for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry.
That one maneuver elevated the Nets from being first-round knockout fodder to legitimate threats to the Miami Heat. On Wednesday night, we get to see the new-look Nets take the floor for the first time in the regular season against Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs should be exciting in their own right this season, as Irving and company hope to make a charge at one of the Eastern Conference's final few playoff spots. This game will be the first regular-season game for the 2013 No. 1 draft pick Anthony Bennett, although Andrew Bynum appears unlikely to make his Cleveland debut.
Really, the appeal here is twofold: seeing K.G. and Pierce in a Brooklyn uniform for a regular-season game and the point guard duel between Irving and the Nets' Deron Williams.
Oct. 30, Pacers at Pelicans: New-Look Pelicans' First Test
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Viewing information: 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
The New Orleans Pelicans will hardly be recognizable to fans who haven't seen them since 2012-13, and not just because of their new name.
New Orleans traded away its 2013 first-round draft pick (Nerlens Noel) and a top-five-protected 2014 first-round draft pick this summer in exchange for Jrue Holiday, who the team hopes can become its franchise point guard. The Pelicans also acquired Tyreke Evans in a three-team trade, shipping out Greivis Vasquez, Robin Lopez and Terrel Harris in exchange.
Meanwhile, the summer appears to have done wonders for Anthony Davis, the 2012 No. 1 overall pick. He's been thoroughly dominant in the preseason, generating optimism about New Orleans' playoff chances this season.
The new-look Pelicans get a firm opening-night challenge in the form of the Indiana Pacers, who nearly knocked off the Miami Heat in the 2013 playoffs. Danny Granger won't be making his season debut, but the Pacers return all five members of their starting five from last season, including breakout star Paul George.
If the Pelicans are serious about contending for the playoffs, they'll need to hold their own against elite teams like the Pacers. Seeing how all of the Pelicans' new parts fit together will be worth the price of admission alone.
Oct. 30, Grizzlies at Spurs: Western Conference Finals Rematch
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Viewing information: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
On the second night of the 2013-14 season, we'll be treated to a rematch of the 2013 Western Conference Finals between the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.
An ill-timed injury to Russell Westbrook opened the door for the Grizzlies to advance past the Oklahoma City Thunder to the conference finals last season. The Spurs put a quick end to Memphis' Finals hopes though, by sweeping the series.
Seeing as neither team lost any major contributors during the offseason, this matchup should reignite many of the same storylines from the 2013 playoffs. The big question for the Grizzlies: How can they stop Tony Parker from taking over the game?
Before suffering an ankle injury late in the regular season, Parker was in the midst of an MVP-caliber campaign. He laid claim to the title of "best point guard in the NBA," as he was simply masterful in orchestrating the Spurs' well-oiled offense.
This game will be a tone-setter for both the Spurs and the Grizzlies to start the season off, making it an obvious must-watch game.
Oct. 31, Knicks at Bulls: The Beginning of the End for Carmelo Anthony in N.Y.?
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Viewing information: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Carmelo Anthony made headlines over the offseason by talking about his desire to reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2014.
That gives this Oct. 31 matchup with the Chicago Bulls extra importance, as the 2013-14 season could be the New York Knicks' last chance to prove to 'Melo that they're able to field a championship contender.
Financially, it makes perfect sense for Anthony to become a free agent next summer. Based on the rules of the league's latest collective bargaining agreement, he's allowed to sign a longer-term contract as a free agent than he can through a contract extension.
He won't re-sign with the Knicks if they're unable to push him over the championship hump, though. And with Derrick Rose back in the fold, the Bulls appear to be one of the strongest title contenders in either conference.
If New York can knock off the Bulls in their home opener, it'll be a huge step in the right direction for the Knicks. A blowout loss to Chicago, however, could spell the beginning of the end to Anthony in New York.
Oct. 31, Warriors at Clippers: Stephen Curry vs. Chris Paul
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Viewing information: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
The nightcap of Thursday night's action features two of the best point guards in the league, Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, in a must-watch head-to-head showdown.
Both the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors enter the year with legitimate championship aspirations, given their respective offseason additions. Andre Iguodala should fortify the Warriors' perimeter defense, while J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley will provide much-needed floor spacing for Los Angeles.
The biggest addition for either team, however, is the presence of Doc Rivers on the Clippers' sideline. Transitioning from Vinny Del Negro, whose late-game play-calling was questionable (at best), to a championship-winning coach in Rivers should make the Clips that much more dangerous.
Blake Griffin told ESPN's Shelley Smith that Rivers' arrival has put an end to "Lob City," but the Paul-to-Griffin connection won't be phased out completely. On the other side of the court, Curry's ability to go thermonuclear from downtown means that no lead is fully safe against the Warriors.
The showdown between Curry and Paul makes this a first-week game you don't want to miss.
Nov. 1, Thunder at Timberwolves: K.D. vs. the T'Wolves' Big Three
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Viewing information: 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
The Minnesota Timberwolves were a chic pick for the 2013 playoffs, but injuries got in the way.
With Kevin Love missing 64 games, Nikola Pekovic sitting out 20 and Ricky Rubio out for 25, the T'Wolves stumbled their way to a 31-51 record, 12th-best in the Western Conference. This year, all three of those players enter the season fully healthy, which has optimism running high in Minnesota once more.
On Nov. 1, the Wolves have a great shot at proving they're to be taken seriously in the Western Conference playoff race this year, going up against a Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
Kevin Durant and the Thunder sputtered in the playoffs following Westbrook's injury, which might not bode well for the team's early-season prospects. Westbrook is expected to miss the first four to six weeks of the season as he recovers from a second surgery on his injured right knee, leaving K.D. to shoulder the team's offensive load.
The lack of Westbrook somewhat diminishes the appeal of this game, but the Timberwolves' Big Three facing off against Durant still makes this a must-watch early-season battle.
Nov. 1, Mavericks at Rockets: Dwight Howard's First Texas Showdown
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Viewing information: 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Dwight Howard stunned many NBA observers by leaving the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason to join up with James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
On Nov. 1, Howard will square off against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in his first Texas-on-Texas showdown as a member of the Rockets.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year never looked like himself during his one year in Los Angeles, clearly hampered by a torn labrum he suffered early in the season. It remains an open question whether he can ever regain that form, despite a strong showing throughout the 2013 preseason.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have a bevy of their own questions with which to grapple this season. The additions of Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis won't transform the Mavs into overnight contenders by any means, but they could be enough to keep Dallas competitive in the Western Conference playoff race.
Seeing how both of these teams navigate their early-season chemistry issues will make this a must-watch game, considering the star power involved (Harden, Howard and Nowitzki).
Nov. 1, Heat at Nets: Birth of a New Rivalry?
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Viewing information: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
On Nov. 1, we could witness the official birth of a new NBA rivalry, as the Miami Heat travel to Brooklyn to take on the new-look Nets.
There's never been much love lost between the Heat's Big Three and the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett duo, dating back to the latter's time in Boston. Now, with both Pierce and Garnett in Brooklyn, that mutual disdain appears to have transferred over to their new digs.
Garnett and LeBron James traded barbs throughout the preseason, per Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York, as James bashed the former Boston duo for criticizing Ray Allen's Miami defection. In turn, K.G. told LeBron to "worry about Miami."
The two teams battled twice during the 2013 preseason, although both squads were less than full strength in the second meeting. In their first preseason matchup, the Nets sent a "message to the league," per Mazzeo, through a few hard, playoff-caliber fouls.
When both teams take the court on Friday, it's going to feel like a late-April game in November. You'd be crazy not to tune into a potential preview of an Eastern Conference playoffs matchup.
Nov. 2, Cavaliers at Pacers: A Litmus Test for Kyrie and Co.
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Viewing information: 7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
If the Cleveland Cavaliers plan on competing for a playoff spot this season, their Nov. 2 matchup against the Indiana Pacers will serve as an excellent litmus test.
The Pacers pushed the Miami Heat to the brink of defeat in the 2013 playoffs, and, barring injury, should be one of Miami's toughest conference foes this year. Indiana bolstered its bench by acquiring Luis Scola and having Danny Granger return from injury, eliminating its Achilles' heel from this past season.
As long as Paul George continues evolving as one of the game's best young forwards and Roy Hibbert anchors the team's D, the Pacers will be a brutal matchup for any team in the NBA.
Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers could be well suited to knock off the Pacers, though, especially when (if?) Andrew Bynum can get healthy enough to make his season debut. The combination of Bynum, Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson gives Cleveland the size to battle down low against Indiana, while Irving's electric play could be too much for George Hill to handle.
There's no such thing as a make-or-break game in the first week of an NBA season, but the Cavs can use their experience against the Pacers to assess just how far they've come. Seeing two of the NBA's budding superstars in action (George and Irving) should be enough incentive to tune in.
