Next season's 82-game schedules for all 30 teams are out.
The next natural step is combing through all those schedules to identify the most important and attractive games, those dates which require prompt punching into your space-age calendar of choice.
Luckily for you, we've already done it here. The following is our annual summertime list of standout dates from the new NBA schedule:
Oct. 31: Opening Night
Looks like someone in scheduling is pretty excited about a major (but long dormant) TV market's expected return to prominence. The Chicago Bulls haven't won a playoff series since Michael Jordan left them nearly a decade ago, but Ben Wallace's debut in Bulls colors has been deemed sufficiently worthy to score the lead-off slot on a two-game Halloween Night ... against the defending champs, no less. Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the Miami Heat will be collecting their rings before tipoff, although it remains to be seen whether Pat Riley will be slipping his on as coach or merely as team president.
Jan. 6: Detroit at Chicago
Wow. Didn't see this coming. The first of four Pistons-Bulls games isn't until January, isn't in Detroit and isn't on ESPN or TNT. NBA TV will have Big Ben's first encounter with the team that made him famous.
Feb. 25: Chicago at Detroit
OK. This is more like it. Big Ben's emotional return to Motown is a Sunday lunchtime date on ABC, followed by LeBron vs. D-Wade in Cavs at Heat. Not a bad afternoon.
April 4: Chicago at Detroit
Big Ben's second visit to Motown will be carried by ESPN and comes just a few days after the Bulls play host to the Pistons on TNT on March 29.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2536337
