Chicago Bulls 2012 Schedule: 10 Must-Watch Games for Chicago Fans This Season

The NBA finally returns on Christmas Day after a long and hard lockout, both for the fans and the players. With player movement appearing to have mostly culminated, we can start looking forward to NBA basketball. 

The Chicago Bulls finished with the best record in the NBA last season, and were rewarded with a plethora of marquee matchups, many of them on national television to boot. Out of the 66 games, 10 of the top games are: 

December 25: at Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)

Of course, this game is on the list. After the extended lockout, the Bulls open Christmas Day against the new-look Los Angeles Lakers.

After the long layoff, we will finally start to answer some of the key questions facing the Bulls, and we will see whether Kobe and the Lakers are still one of the elite teams in the NBA. 

December 30: at Los Angeles Clippers (NBATV)

Over the course of the last two seasons, Derrick Rose has, in my opinion, overtaken Deron Williams and Chris Paul as the top point guard in the NBA. However, despite this ascent, the majority of NBA fans would still call Paul the top point guard in the NBA, and have pointed to his poor supporting cast as reason for lack of success.

That excuse is gone. While I wouldn't call the Clippers without Paul better than the Bulls without Rose, they are more than comparable. To add to that, I have made it this far without talking about second-year All-Star Blake Griffin, a player who is, without a doubt, better than any player on Chicago's roster not named Rose.

May the best man win. 

January 1: vs. Memphis Grizzlies (Local CSN)

The home opener for the Chicago Bulls is January 1st against the Memphis Grizzlies, and there are many questions surrounding this game.

The Grizzlies had a great playoff run last season, beating the No. 1 seeded San Antonio Spurs and giving the Thunder all sorts of problems in the second round. With Rudy Gay back, it's time to see whether the Grizzlies can handle the class of the NBA.

January 29: at Miami Heat (ABC)

This is the game we have been waiting for since May 26, 2011, the day that the Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs by the rival Heat. The teams are the same for the most part, but the Bulls swapped Keith Bogans for Richard "Rip" Hamilton, and the Heat swapped Jamaal Magloire for Eddy Curry and Mike Bibby for Shane Battier.

As a general rule, I usually say that replacing Magloire for anyone in the NBA is an upgrade, but Eddy Curry is probably the exception to the rule. Battier over Bibby is an upgrade, but he doesn't really fit a need. Rip Hamilton, however, almost perfectly fills the Bulls' needs, so we'll see which acquisitions make the difference in this Eastern Conference Finals rematch. 

February 16: vs. Boston Celtics (TNT)

Are the Celtics still elite? I doubt it, but it's time to figure out.

Even though the Bulls finished with the best record in the NBA last season, they still only split the four games against Boston, so it's time to see whether Chicago is ready to take that next step and really take its place as a top two team in the East. It also will be interesting to see how hard Boston will be pushing before the playoffs with their aged roster. 

February 29: at San Antonio Spurs (ESPN)

Some may forget it, but the San Antonio Spurs finished with the best overall record in the Western Conference last season before falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

In all likelihood, this will be one of the last times that we get to see Tim Duncan play against the Chicago Bulls, so we should take advantage of it. Also, Rose went off for a then-career-high 42 points the last time these two teams met, so let's hope for some fireworks from Rose. 

April 1: at Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC)

This game is, without a doubt, a matchup of two of the best teams in the league, but really two of the best young superstars in the NBA right now in Rose and Kevin Durant, who I fully expect to be the MVP next season.

Also, many people have claimed that Russell Westbrook is just as good as Rose, but he doesn't get as many shots. Let's see how Russ can hold up going against the MVP of the league, this upcoming season. All in all, this should be a fun matchup.

April 19: at Miami Heat (TNT)

I tried to refrain from using the same team twice, but there is no getting around that the Chicago Bulls' No. 1 target this season is the Miami Heat. This game will be a crucial game in terms of playoff seeding, as this game occurs only four games before the start of the playoffs for the Bulls.

We don't know how the East will have shaken up, but you have to imagine that the Heat and Bulls will both be fighting for playoff position, so this will be one to watch. 

April 21: vs. Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)

Sure, the Dallas Mavericks are not the same team that won the title last year, but it's always fun to see Dirk play. Also, this is the only time all season that we will see the Mavericks, so it will be fun to see whether the Bulls can get over the moral hurdle of defeating the defending champions and build on it, similar to what they did against the Lakers last year on December 10.

The Bulls came into that game on pace for 49 wins, and played on pace for 66 wins after that game last season. Let's see if this game can have that effect against heading into the playoffs.