Mark Your Calendars: Here are the 17 Must-See NBA Games This Upcoming Season
By Rob Perez
17. Thunder @ Rockets, 11/2/15
It’s been a while since James Harden left the Oklahoma City Thunder, but, if this gesture via Harden to Kevin Durant this past weekend at the Drew League Final was any indication…
…there appears to be no love lost between the two. With Durant (hopefully) healthy, it’s not an exaggeration when I say we should expect these two to put on a scoring showcase for the ages on November 2nd…
16. Nets @ Spurs, 10/30/15
Our first look at the Western Conference odds-on-favorite San Antonio Spurs and their acquisition of perennial All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.
With LaMarcus on board, this Spurs team is an absolute freight train from hell — and any opportunity you get to watch them run their now flawless offense, you need to take advantage of it…
15. Mavericks @ Nets, 12/23/15
Oh, man… You thought Jason Kidd got it bad when he returned to Brooklyn as the Bucks’ head coach?
GET READY….
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14. Hawks @ Knicks, 10/29/15
Seeing how the Madison Square Garden crowd reacts to Kristaps Porzingis’ first shot attempt result…
….is nothing short of appointment television. Let’s hope, for Kristaps’ sake, it’s an easy layup. Or, let’s hope for internet meme-ing sake: it’s an airball.
13. Pelicans @ Heat, 12/25/15
Anthony Davis + Christmas Day = Opening presents can wait.
12. Cavaliers @ Bulls, 10/27/15
The Chicago Bulls and any team with LeBron James on it do not like each other. Never have, never will. Mix that into opening night, and you’ve got one hell of an atmosphere.
11. Pelicans @ Warriors, 10/27/15
Need I say anything else?
10. Spurs @ Thunder, 10/28/15
The Return.
9. Timerwolves @ Lakers, 10/28/15
Oh, baby…OH BABY.
2015 #1 Overall Draft Pick Karl-Anthony Towns vs. #2 Overall Draft Pick D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Andrew Wiggins, and of course: the return of ‘The Black Mamba’ — Kobe Bryant. The NBA Superstars of tomorrow, today, and yesterday — all on the same court, opening night at STAPLES Center…
8. Heat @ Cavaliers, 10/30/15
LeBron’s rivalry with his former club hasn’t lost its luster, and this time: the Heat will show up to battle (finally) with their full, star-studded roster of (for now) healthy NBA All-Stars.
7. Clippers @ Lakers, 12/25/15
These games are good for at least 20 different YouTube highlights…
…add in the National TV Christmas Day primetime stage, and you can all but guarantee some fireworks between the two Los Angeles-based rivals…
6. Clippers @ Mavericks, 11/11/15
On a scale of 1-to-Insanely Intense, I imagine the Dallas Mavericks fans are going to be somewhere around “The Orcs as they prepare to charge Helm’s Deep in the second Lord of the Rings Movie”…
…in re: to their attitude when DeAndre Jordan takes the floor.
5. Spurs @ Trail Blazers, 11/11/15
Speaking of un-welcomed returns…
4. Bulls @ Thunder, 12/25/15
As long as everyone is healthy, I can’t think of a more fun match up than Derrick Rose vs. Russell Westbrook on a National TV stage. Oh yeah, Durant, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol, Serge Ibaka — they’ll all be there too…
3. Cavaliers @ Lakers, 3/10/16
Last time that we ever get to see Kobe vs. LeBron? If so, this would probably jump to #1…
2. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 1/18/16
Whether you have the day off from work or not — nothing better than basketball all day on a Winter Monday.
Holy Star Power…
1. Cavaliers @ Warriors, 12/25/15
The Rematch. Christmas Day. Nothing else really needs to be said other than…