2011-2012 NBA Schedule Finally Released to the Public

The schedule for the NBA's shortened 2011-2012 season has finally been structured and released to the public. This new 66-game schedule will feature 529 back-to-back and 42 back-to-back-to-back games, and is set to begin on Christmas Day with headline games such as the Heat vs. Mavericks, Lakers vs. Bulls and Thunder vs. Magic.

The biggest adjustments and differences from previous NBA seasons lie in the fact that each team will have at least one back-to-back-to-back stretch, and not every team will play each other twice. The Lakers will be the first team to experience the three-day tripleheader, starting with the Bulls on Christmas Day and ending with the Jazz on the 27th.

The league had the difficulty of contouring the schedule to the preference of fans while also meeting network and contractual obligations, but has made an effort to matchup major title contenders as often as possible. This was obviously done in the interest of retaining interest and support that may have been lost as a result of the lockout.

It is hard to say what the impact of the compacted and revamped NBA calendar will be, but older teams such as the Spurs, Celtics and Lakers could prove to be the victims, while more youthful teams such as the Thunder, Bulls and Heat could benefit extensively, but only time will tell. 

The cyber world will most likely be overflowing with an influx of news regarding training, mini-camps, free-agent signings, trades and the like over the coming weeks before preseason ball tips off. Talks of trades involving big names such as Dwight Howard and Chris Paul have already begun surfacing and swirling around the basketball world. 

The most important thing to remember, focus on and be grateful for, though, is that basketball is back.

Santa has never come down the chimney with a better gift than that of the NBA season.