My top 10 games to watch on the NBA schedule

Today the NBA released the 2011-12 schedule. The schedule came out despite the NBA owners and players being in a labor dispute. Who knows when the lockout will end? All I know is that it will be nasty and I don’t think the season will start on time, and there are many experts saying that the whole season could be missed. So if the lockout continues many of the scheduled games won’t take place, I have no idea how the NBA will handle the schedule then. So don’t get too excited with the release of the schedule.

I think it’s smart for the NBA to release the schedule now since it creates buzz and the hype machine even though the league is still in a lockout. People will still breakdown all the schedules.

Here are my top 10 games to watch for this upcoming season

1. Heat at Mavericks (Dec. 25th) – This will be a rematch of last year’s NBA finals in which Dallas won. Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki outplayed Miami’s Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. James came up really small especially in the 4th quarter. Wade and James mocked Nowitzki illness, but still Nowitzki got the last laugh as he was named finals MVP.

2. Lakers at Heat (Dec. 8th)- Last year on Christmas Day the Heat got the better of the Lakers. This year there is no question that Kobe Bryant wants to change that. Every time Bryant and LeBron James are on the same court there is a debate to who is the better player. Give me Bryant any day of the week; he’s got the rings to prove it.

3. Celtics at Lakers (Mar. 11th)- Any time these two rivals get together it’s a big deal. Many thought that they would play in a third straight NBA finals , but that didn’t happen. Still though both of these fans and players hate each other, and whenever the two best NBA franchises get together it is must watch TV.

4. Lakers at Knicks (Feb. 10th)- Finally, it looks like the Knicks are back with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. This is great for the NBA; they need the Knicks to be good. This will be a huge game with the NBA’s two biggest markets going head to head. Every time Kobe Bryant plays at the Garden it’s a must watch, he seems to really go off there.

5. Heat at Celtics (Apr. 1st) - There was a lot of trash talk back and forth from both of these teams last year. They were supposed to meet in the Eastern Conference playoffs but that never happened. This year might be the Celtics last long run in the playoffs. This game might decide who will be a higher seed in the playoffs.

6. Bulls at Thunder (Apr. 1st) – This game will feature the two best young stars in the game. The Bulls have Derrick Rose and the Thunder have Kevin Durant. Rose won the MVP of the league last year, and I know Durant will win one in the future.

7. Knicks at Nuggets (Nov. 16th)– Carmelo Anthony returns to Denver after forcing a trade out of Denver last year. Anthony spent seven and a half years playing for the Nuggets. No, this won’t be as bad as LeBron James heading back to Cleveland, but the Nuggets fans will definitely give it to Anthony.

8. Celtics at Spurs (Mar. 25th)- Which team will still have it? Both teams have very talented players but they are all getting old. The Spurs have Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. While the Celtics have Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. Which team will have enough energy to make a playoff run, only time will tell.

9. Magic at Lakers (Dec. 11th)– Even though the Magic and Lakers faced each other in the NBA finals a couple of years ago, this game will be all about Magic star center Dwight Howard. Howard is a free agent after this season, and he has been linked most to be headed to L.A. So Lakers fans could be getting a preview of Howard in a Lakers uniform.

10. Heat at Cavaliers (Nov. 18th) - Yes, I had to put this game on the list. Every time LeBron James goes back to Cleveland it will be a big deal. Will Cavs fans be as loud and nasty as they where last year probably not, but they will still show their displeasure with James. Cavs fans should just be happy the Heat didn’t win the title.

Tags: NBA Schedule