Games To Watch, Week One (10/30-11/4)

Tuesday, October 30th: Celtics @ Heat, 8:00 ET, TNT: It’s Opening night. It’s LeBron James. It’s the ring ceremony. It’s a Conference Finals rematch. It’s Ray Allen. It’s Rajon Rondo. It’s Paul Pierce. It’s Kevin Garnett. It’s Darko Milicic. It’s everything you could possibly ask for in an NBA basketball game, and then some!

Wednesday, October 31st: Nuggets @ Sixers, 7:00 ET, NBALP: The Clippers and Grizzlies are liable to put on a show, but Andre Iguodala’s return to Philadelphia, where he’d spent the entirety of his eight-year NBA career, takes precedent. As they were last season, the Nuggets figure to be one of the league’s most exciting teams, and the Sixers have added a range of new pieces (whether or not they’ll all be in action remains unknown), so you probably had this game on your radar anyway.

Thursday, November 1st: Knicks @ Nets, 7:00 ET, TNT: The first installment of the NBA’s newest territorial rival, and the first regular-season game in the league’s newest venue. A fair bit of trash has been talked, and now it’s time for these two teams to show and prove.

Friday, November 2nd: Clippers @ Lakers, 10:30 ET, ESPN: The Lakers and Clippers are always a treat. Last season’s “Staples Series” went in favor of the Lakers two games to one, but it was a total of just two points that ultimately separated LA’s teams. As if the rivalry hadn’t become thrilling enough, it will be taken to a whole new level by the additions of Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison, Jamal Crawford, and former-Laker-turned-Clipper Matt Barnes. All things considered I’d argue that this is the NBA’s premier regular-season match up. Can any two teams deploy as much talent and athleticism at once?

Saturday, November 3rd: Cavaliers @ Bucks, 8:30 ET, NBALP: Kyrie Irving vs Brandon Jennings is a match up that any dribbling enthusiast ought to cirle on his or her calendar. Being the lover of flashy ball handling that I am, this is a must-watch for me.

Sunday, November 4th: Hawks @ Thunder, 7:00 ET, NBALP: This match up presents a good opportunity for fans to become acquainted with a couple of teams that have made major changes. You’ll be seeing the Hawks, who brought back just five players from last season, and you’ll also catch a glimpse of Kevin Martin, OKC’s new sixth man.