NBA Schedule 2014-15: TV Info, Live Stream and Predictions for Opening Week
Highlighted by an assortment of tremendous matchups, the 2014-15 NBA season will tip off in style this week.
Fresh off securing the franchise's fifth NBA championship, the San Antonio Spurs will begin their season against the Dallas Mavericks, who took them to seven games during the champs' toughest challenge last postseason.
While the West features most of the top clubs, the two squads expecting to clamor for a Finals bid in the East will meet days into the season. After years of dealing with the pesky Chicago Bulls in Miami, LeBron James will do so once again in an old uniform and with a new batch of teammates.
The results won't hold much importance for the postseason, but NBA fans should sit back and enjoy the show anyway. Here's a look at this week's full TV schedule, with the full list of games available on ESPN.com.
| Tuesday, Oct. 28 | Dallas Mavericks | San Antonio Spurs | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Houston Rockets | Los Angeles Lakers | 10:30 p.m. | TNT | |
| Wednesday, Oct. 29 | Chicago Bulls | New York Knicks | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Portland Trailblazers | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | |
| Thursday, Oct. 30 | New York Knicks | Cleveland Cavaliers | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30 p.m. | TNT | |
| Friday, Oct. 31 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Chicago Bulls | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | |
| Sat., Nov. 1 | Chicago Bulls | Minnesota Timberwolves | 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Golden State Warriors | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV | |
| Sun., Nov. 2 | Charlotte Bobcats | New York Knicks | 7:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
Live Streams: ESPN.go, TNT Overtime, NBA League Pass (subscription required)
Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs
Once the Spurs navigated past the first round, they enjoyed smooth sailing to their first title since 2007. Yet it's easy to forget how close the Mavericks came to ending their playoff journey right as it begun.
While San Antonio cruised past its Texas rival in Game 7, the foes delivered six evenly matched games in a classic first-round slate. Five of those six contests were determined by six points or less, totaling for a plus-one margin in the Spurs' favor.
After getting spurred by the Spurs, the Mavericks reloaded during the offseason, sniping Chandler Parsons from the Houston Rockets and bringing back Tyson Chandler from the New York Knicks.
NBA.com's John Schuhmann surveyed the league's general mangers, who labeled Chandler the offseason's most underrated acquisition. If the former Defensive Player of the Year who locked down the paint during Dallas' title run resurfaces, they're right. That's no certainly, however, as the 32-year-old missed 27 games last year with a fractured right fibula.
A year after ranking No. 22 in points allowed per possession, according to Basketball-Reference.com, Dallas made its mission to improve on that end, even at the expense of losing floor general Jose Calderon.
The Spurs, meanwhile, stayed pat besides stealing Kyle Anderson in the NBA draft. They're looking to win at least 50 games for an unprecedented 16th straight season, which is all the more impressive given it includes the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign.
And don't worry, it's too early for Gregg Popovich to give his veteran stars a day off. Don't expect these guys to suffer a championship hangover that has plagued less savvy teams in the past. In a showdown of the West's best-coached teams, look for the Spurs to show why they're once again the team to beat.
Prediction: Spurs 95, Mavericks 91
Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
No candy procured on Halloween can match the treat of LeBron James playing his second game back with the Cleveland Cavaliers against the returning Derrick Rose's Chicago Bulls.
Each Eastern Conference contender will begin the season against the New York Knicks, who made a gaudy front-office hiring in Phil Jackson but could not match those reinforcements for the roster. Rather than fixate over James' first game back in Cleveland, Kevin Love's Cavs debut or Rose's inaugural game since last November, let's skip forward to their head-to-head clash.
As captivating as it is to see a probable Eastern Conference Finals preview so early, neither side will play at close to optimal capacity. How will James, Love and Kyrie Irving mesh early on in their formation? Love, a superstar in his own right, can't get lost in the shuffle the way Chris Bosh occasionally became an ancillary player for the Heat.
ESPN Stats & Info shows how special of a talent Love is.
He admitted to the Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes that he felt out of sorts during some preseason games, as he's no longer his team's top option to establish in the post.
"My entire life I've played the game from inside-out. So the more touches I can get inside to get myself going, the better. I'm not accustomed to starting out a game shooting a three, so it's just something that I see.
I'm 26-years-old and I've been playing basketball for quite a long time. Just finding ways to mix it up. If anything, keeping it around the basket a little bit more and the offense will allow me to get offensive rebounds. That will be tough for teams with Andy [Varejao] and myself and Tristan [Thompson] in there.
"
They have plenty of time to hammer down the offense. James, Love and Irving are way too good to not figure it out. Whether James' running mates will commit defensively remains the bigger issue.
On the other side, Rose has averaged 16.5 points per game during the preseason, shooting 48.4 percent while touting range with 13 three-pointers. After diving back into competition during the FIBA World Cup, Rose is feeling good heading into the season.
"I've been preparing for this moment for a long time," Rose told the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "I'm just ready."
During last year's brief stint of health, he displayed a cloud of rust while shooting 35.4 percent through 10 games. Given his explosive nature and eagerness to constantly attack the rim, he's not a player who can get by at 75 percent.
If he's the Rose of old, look out. The Bulls finally added some offense to the mix, signing Pau Gasol and drafting NCAA-leading scorer Doug McDermott. This matchup presents them the perfect opportunity to pounce while James works out the kinks with his new star teammates.
Prediction: Bulls 98, Cavs 94
