NBA Schedule Hits Newstands!

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

The NBA schedule was released Wednesday and a few things instantly popped into my head once I saw it.

First off, Opening Night is going to be must see T.V.

The season opens with the Celtics raising their championship banner before taking on the Cavaliers at the Fleet Center. The last time these two played, LeBron and Paul Pierce put on a show for the ages. You think King James might just want to ruin Boston’s long awaited celebration?

If that’s not enough to tickle your twine, then check out the second half of the doubleheader that night, as the defending Western Conference champion Lakers will open at home against the Portland Trailblazers. The only thing that could possibly steal the spotlight of the Celtics/Cavs game is Kobe Bryant and the NBA debut of Greg Oden.

Merry Christmas from the NBA, as they try and match the delicious tandem that’s become of football and Thanksgiving.

This year, five games will be played on Christmas, either ESPN, TNT or ABC. The entire day is built around the first rematch of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center. The day begins at noon with the New Orleans Hornets performing “Christmas in Disney” when they take on Orlando in a battle of potential title contenders.

We also get treated to San Antonio at Phoenix, but I’m not sure these two will be exchanging any gifts. Washington at Cleveland comes next, followed by Dallas at Portland to end the night with a bang. It will be the most wonderful time of the year.

The next night offers a little more holiday magic, as Miami and Chicago will put their fine rookies on display in their first head to head battle of the year.

Other important games

Oklahoma City will play their first game October 29th against the new look Milwaukee Bucks, who have two first round picks along with new wing man Richard Jefferson this season.

Derrick Rose’s second game will be televised on ESPN when the Bulls are in Boston to take on the defending champs for the first time.

Miami’s Michael Beasley will make his TV debut November 7th in a game at San Antonio, where he’ll likely line up against Tim Duncan once or twice.

November 15th will be the first meeting between Baron Davis and his Clippers and Corey Maggette and his Warriors. This will be the first time the unofficial offseason “trade” will be put to the test.

Jermaine O’Neal will play the Pacers for the first time December 10th in Toronto. A little more than a month later (January 16th), he’ll play in Indiana for the first time since being moved.

Elton Brand, along with his new 76er teammates, will return to Los Angeles on New Years Eve to battle the Clippers and Baron Davis.

Jason Kidd will make his return to New Jersey on December 19th, and Richard Jefferson will return to the Meadowlands on February 3rd.

Unless you have NBA TV or if you live in Tennessee, the only time to catch O.J. Mayo will be January 19th when the Pistons will be walking in Memphis. That’s one more time then fans will get a chance to see Kevin Love and the Timberwolves, who don’t have any nationally televised games this year. This was the talk of draft day, yet millions won’t get to see how these two look. That sucks.

On February 5th, the Lakers and Celtics will hit the court again.

The season ends on April 15th, which shouldn’t be hard to remember, because that’s Tax Day! The final regular season game of the year will be Denver at Portland in a game that could have playoff implications. Other games that could be featuring one or two teams looking to sneak into the playoffs include Golden State at Phoenix, Toronto at Chicago, Miami hosting Detroit and Milwaukee at Indiana.

ABC will run games on Sunday this season, starting at the end of January. It’s all the same teams you’d expect to see: Boston, the Lakers, San Antonio, Cleveland, Detroit, Phoenix and Dallas dominating the landscape.

Of the 16 games scheduled, the only game not featuring a combination of the above teams is on April 12th when the Hornets host Dallas. It’s great that so many games are going to be on national TV. No doubt most of these Sunday games will be great matchups, but how about a little diversity, huh?

Houston, Utah, Golden State, Orlando, Miami, Chicago and Washington all get shut out. There are so many exciting teams this year it’s a shame they won’t all get the primetime Sunday billing.