Monday, January 9th: Pacers @ Sixers, 7:00 ET, NBALP: As of right now, this is a match up of the third and fourth best teams in the East that pits the top dogs in the Atlantic against the Central’s second in command. This is a new year, folks, and Indiana at Philly has become a battle worth tuning in for. If the Pacers can come away with a W they’ll become the first team to beat the Sixers in Philadelphia this season.
Tuesday, January 10th: Clippers @ Blazers, 10:00 ET, NBALP: The Blazers have fallen one game behind the Thunder here in the early going, but they’ll be looking to take back the number one spot in both their division and the Western Conference as they play their first of four games this week. Portland was able to control the tempo when these teams met on the 1st of the month, but the Clippers have been playing much better since then. LaMarcus Aldridge vs Blake Griffin is a match up of two of the finest power forwards in the league, although they go about their work in very different ways.
Wednesday, January 11th: Heat @ Clippers, 10:30 ET, ESPN: You can watch the game, or you can go to sleep and catch Sportscenter’s top 10 in the morning. Aside from the obligatory inclusion of a little hockey or some sh!t, the entire thing will probably be comprised of highlights from this match up.
Thursday, January 12th: Knicks @ Grizzlies, 8:00 ET, TNT: A couple of underachieving squads right here, but there’s not a whole hell of a lot to choose from. I expect an overdose of isolation play along with some poor shot selection, but at least Rudy Gay and Carmelo Anthony are capable of putting on a show in that kind of contest.
Friday, January 13th: Heat @ Nuggets, 10:30 ET, ESPN: Miami better not sleep on the Nuggets, who are capable of running anyone off of their home floor. Hopefully Denver can control the tempo and turn this into a high-scoring, up-and-down thriller.
Saturday, January 14th: Lakers @ Clippers, 10:30 ET, NBALP: The battle of Los Angeles finally figures to be an actual battle! Seriously, when’s the last time these two teams played and there wasn’t a clear favorite? The latter part of the Elton Brand era, maybe? It’s been a long time coming, that’s for sure. My personal hope is for results similar to the ones turned out in those two preseason contests.
Sunday, January 15th: Jazz @ Nuggets, 8:00 ET, NBALP: These Northwestern Division rivals have been surprisingly successful thus far and should be able to put on a pretty good show in Denver… much better than the snooze-fest ESPN has apparently decided to televise. Phoenix at San Antonio? Apparently “the worldwide leader in sports” isn’t aware that that’s not a good game anymore.
