NBA Preseason 2014: Complete Schedule and Top Showdowns to Watch
The NBA may have taken a temporary backseat to football and the baseball playoffs in the sports news cycle, but we are fresh off of one of the most exciting offseasons in recent memory. That means there will be plenty of buzz once again after the preseason begins.
With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule for some key preseason showdowns before we dig a bit deeper on some of the best games. An entire preseason schedule can be found here, courtesy of CBS Sports.
| Oct. 5 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Oct. 7 | Houston Rockets | Dallas Mavericks |
| Oct. 7 | Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Oct. 9 | Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Oct. 11 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Miami Heat |
| Oct. 14 | Memphis Grizzlies | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Oct. 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Oct. 18 | Miami Heat | San Antonio Spurs |
| Oct. 20 | Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat, Oct. 11 (in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
That’s right. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t even waiting until the regular season to battle LeBron James' old team.
This will be James’ first official showdown with the Miami Heat since he chose to take his talents back to Ohio, and there will likely be a much more noticeable buzz than there typically is for preseason games. Sure, James won two rings in Miami and left there on better terms than when he first left Cleveland, but the reaction of any Miami fans that are in Brazil will be interesting.
Will there be boos? Muffled cheers? A combination of the two?
Realistically, the crowd in Brazil will likely be thrilled to see James and company take the floor. It will be an exhibition in every sense of the word and a show for the international fans.
The real game to watch will be on Christmas Day when the Cavaliers come back to Miami in the regular season, but this will serve as a solid appetizer. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng and company will look to feed off the crowd in December and set the tone early in what could be a new Eastern Conference rivalry.
Milwaukee Bucks at Minnesota Timberwolves, Oct. 17
This showdown may not move the needle for some NBA fans, but it is on here because the top-two picks will get an early look at each other, even if it is not the matchup we originally assumed it would be on draft day.
Andrew Wiggins went No. 1 to the Cavaliers, and Jabari Parker went No. 2 to the Milwaukee Bucks, but Wiggins was shipped to Minnesota in the league-shifting Kevin Love trade.
Wiggins is arguably the biggest name on a youth movement in Minnesota, as point guard Ricky Rubio will dish it to Zach LaVine, Thaddeus Young, Anthony Bennett and Glenn Robinson III, among others.
As for Parker, he discussed going No. 2 in the draft, via Michael Lee of The Washington Post:
“It’s just been real humbling to get anybody who just wants you. I’m so glad and so grateful. I’m trying to be a throwback player and only stick with one team. This might bite me in the butt years from now, but right now, I want to stick with whoever’s rolling with me.”
Clearly, a preseason game will not tell us who will ultimately be the better NBA player or who was the better pick, but it will be thrilling for fans looking for some October excitement to see them both on the court at the same time.
It could be the first glimpse of a career-long rivalry between two budding superstars.
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers, Oct. 20
It is easy to just assume that the Cavaliers are going to reach the Finals after adding Kevin Love and James to go along with Kyrie Irving, but the Chicago Bulls could be a serious roadblock.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders certainly seemed to think so:
"With one of the best defenses in the league, incredible depth, a size advantage and of course the leadership of a former MVP and one of the best coaches in the league, the Bulls have to be considered serious title contenders on par with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Will they ultimately beat them? It’s hard to tell this early, but could they beat them? Absolutely.
"
Chicago added Pau Gasol, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic in the offseason, but they will be complementary pieces around Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler. That may mean less of an adjustment period than Cleveland, which is bringing in a new coach and a couple of superstars who have the ball in their hands a lot.
Brigham also goes on to suggest that the Bulls will be by far the superior defensive team in this potential Eastern Conference showdown, thanks to the presence of Noah, Gibson and Butler. Chicago could also have a deeper bench with Gibson, Mirotic, Mike Dunleavy, Kirk Hinrich, Tony Snell and McDermott.
This preseason showdown will provide something of an early indication as to how these teams will approach each other. Nobody is going to show their hand before the season starts, but there will likely be some added intensity in this one.
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