NBA Schedule : Top 10 games in November

The NBA released the 2011-12 schedule a couple of days ago. 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.  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.

So don’t get too excited with the release of the schedule espically these November games, but anyways here are my top 10 games in the month of Novermber.

1. 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.

2. 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 were 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.

3. Bulls at Mavericks (Nov. 1st) - This is a great match up for opening night; the Mavericks will get to watch their championship banner get raised in the arena. This will be a great moment for Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki. The Bulls hope to be in the Mavs shoes next year raising a banner; they have the talent to do so with Derrick Rose.

4.Thunder at Lakers (Nov. 1st) - This game is all about the old and the new. The Lakers have been the team to beat in the west for a while now, but they are getting old; Kobe Bryant’s knees are wearing down. The Thunder look to be the team  in the future; with superstar Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

5. Knicks at Lakers (Nov. 17th) - 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. Kobe Bryant will be up for the challenge.

6. Grizzlies at Thunder (Nov. 25th) - This is a rematch of an exciting western conference semifinal that went 7 games last year. The Grizzlies could have went up 3-1 in the series, but the Thunder beat them in a triple overtime game.

7.Heat at Knicks (Nov. 2nd) - Wow, this game will feature a ton of star players and will be a must watch game. You got LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh of the Heat, and Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire of the Knicks. Which superstar will steal the show?

8. Mavericks at Spurs (Nov. 4th) - For years the Mavericks couldn’t get past the Spurs in order to reach the NBA finals. Now that the Mavs won the championship last year, they look like the team to make another run at the title. The Mavs may be old, but the Spurs are older.

9.Thunder at Bulls (Nov. 10th) - 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.

10.Cavaliers at Celtics (Nov. 2nd) – The Cavaliers 1st round draft pick Kyrie Irving will play his first game as a pro and it won’t be easy. Irving will go head to head with one of the best point guards in the league in the Celtics Rajon Rondo. We will see if Irving is really for real.