Monday, December 13th: Pacers @ Bulls, 8:00 ET, NBATV
Watch two of the best young big men in the East, Roy Hibbert and Joakim Noah, go head to head in a matchup of the Central Division’s two best teams. Damn, I feel like I work for ESPN with that line. This one will be televised on NBAtv, so if you haven’t seen Derrick Rose yet this season, take this opportunity to watch him play. The addition of a three-point shot to his arsenal has made him a legitimate MVP candidate.
Tuesday, December 14th: Timberwolves @ Warriors, 10:30 ET, FSNO CSBA
You probably don’t watch the Wolves often, so change it up a bit and tune in as Beasley and Love play in a game that their team may actually win. It’ll be an uptempo gun-fest, expect big individual numbers and a final score in the 100s. I’ll bet anyone reading this 10 bucks that Kevin Love will put up 20/20. The T-Wolves aren’t exactly a defensive force themselves… Monta Ellis could have a huge night.
Wednesday, December 15th: Celtics @ Knicks, 7:00 ET, ESPN
I used to watch the Cs play the Knicks because it was almost certain that Quentin Richardson and Paul Pierce would get in a fight… and listenting to Tommy Heinsohn spend the majority of the game ragging on Eddy Curry was rather entertaining. I miss those days… but I’m excited about the matchup for a different reason now. This is a duel bewteen two of the East’s top five teams. The Garden crowd is going to be crazy as this will be the biggest game the Knicks have been involved in since… a really long time ago. If the Knicks win this one it’ll be hard to say they’re not for real.
Thursday, December 16th: Spurs @ Nuggets, 10:30 ET, TNT
It’s either this or Atlanta at Boston. I have little faith in ATL’s ability to compete with a good team, so I’m rolling with the late game. The Spurs are the hottest team in the league, but they’ve played a pretty weak schedule. Denver’s got enough talent to compete with anyone for 48 minutes. Hopefully they show up.
Friday, December 17th: Heat @ Knicks, 7:00 ET, TNT
These are probably my two favorite Eastern Conference teams to watch. Hopefully the Heat get sucked into playing NY’s style… I want to see LeBron and Wade pushing the ball up the court. They’ve been doing that a little more lately anyway. Miami’s up to 9th in the league in fastbreak points (15.2 per game), and over the last three games they’ve been averaging an additional six.
Saturday, December 18th: Clippers @ Bulls, 8:00 ET, FSW WGN
Get your weekly dose of Blake Griffin along with a free bonus helping of Derrick Rose. Omer Asik, back-up center for Chicago, has a lot in common with Timofey Mozgov. Both players stand seven feet tall, come from Europe, and aren’t particularly athletic. Watch your back, Omer.
Sunday, December 19th: Suns @ Thunder, 7:00 ET, MY45 FSOK
This will be the first Nash/Westbrook duel of the 2010/11 season. Westbrook has already put 29/10 on CP3′s Hornets, dropped 28/10 on D-Rose and the Bulls, and and scored 31 in a win over Rajon Rondo’s Celtics. He seems to bring his A game against other great PGs, so I’m curious to see what he has in store for Steve Nash. He scored just 8 points on 4-16 when they faced off last April, but Westbrook is a much improved player (a top five PG in my opinion), so I expect a better game than that.
