Hope Springs Eternal. It is a feeling that despite what has transpired in the past, there is always cause for optimism and a new leaf. On Wednesday, the NBA turned a new leaf when the schedule for the 2022-2023 were released. The much-anticipated regular season is less than two months away with training camp starting in only a month. In this article, we discuss five quirk observations from the schedule release.
1. Opening with a bang-the NBA know how start a party with the season starting with the two teams that played in the Finals last season. The Chase Center crowd will be on fire to cheer on the defending champions on ring night when they face off against Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It will be a rematch of last season’s opener that was played in L.A. In the other matchup, the defending Easter Conference Champion Boston Celtics will host the Philadelphia Sixers. It will be an early litmus test of two elite teams that are likely to see each other in the postseason.
2. Big Mistake in having the Knicks and Nuggets on Christmas Day-the NBA usually know how to give the fans what they want in terms of the schedule. However, they made a mistake in giving the Knicks the chance to host the Sixers on Christmas Day. The teams that should been considered for the spot includes the Miami Heat who just went the Eastern Conference Finals or the young and exciting Minnesota Timberwolves. Another mistake was the decision to pick the Nuggets for the matchup against the Suns. Nikola Jokic is the reigning two-time MVP but I would have preferred to see the Suns against the Mavericks after that embarrassing loss in Game 7. Alternatively, the Clippers could have sneaked their way into the slate with a loaded roster.
3. The Rivals Week –College football have embraced an entire week for rivalries during the season. Apparently, the NBA liked the idea and now have adopted it in this upcoming schedule. Rivalry week will fall in the week of January 24 to 28 and will feature 11 nationally televised games. It will include classic rivalries like the Nets versus Knicks, and the Lakers playing Celtics. Also, new buddying rivalries like the Warriors versus the Grizzlies. It should be fun!
4. Play in tournaments is a keep sake- in the offseason, the NBA Board of Governors voted to make the play-in tournament an ongoing fixture of the schedule. Therefore, it means that the tournament will return for the third consecutive season. The play-in has placed more intrigue on the regular season with the addition of two teams and the emphasis of the top teams to get higher seeds to avoid the elimination style tournament. We expect the last few games to matter because of the ingenious tournament.
5. Top Games to mark on your calendar- the top three games to mark your calendar for includes Grizzlies visit to the Warriors on Christmas Day. Last season, proved these teams have a healthy rivalry and they wanted each on other on the NBA’s biggest day. Another big game occurs on Jan 19 when the NBA Finals rematch takes place in the TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics have improved their bench and will be out for revenge after Golden State celebrated on the parquet floor. The top game to watch is actually to be determined. Weird huh? That is because in the 2023 Lebron Raymone James is projected to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the upcoming season.
Yes, this schedule release has gotten us excited and ready for the best basketball season ever. Let’s hope I am right!
What do you think about the schedule of your favorite team? What are you looking forward to most this season? Let me know in the comments section.