NBA schedule 2016-2017: Season opener and all the key dates you should know
Finally, the regular season is about to begin
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2 min read
Mercifully, the preseason is over, which means actual NBA games are right around the corner. With opening night coming up Tuesday, here are some key dates to mark on your calendar. And yes, many of these involve the Golden State Warriors. How could they not?
Oct. 25: Opening night. It all starts with the Knicks visiting the defending champion Cavaliers, and it continues with the Warriors playing host to the Spurs. For the die-hards, there's also Trail Blazers-Jazz on NBA League Pass.
Nov. 1: Are the Jazz for real? There's a lot of hype about them, and they have an early season test against the Spurs.
Nov. 3: Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant, for the first time. You can call this the cupcake bowl. Also, the Cavaliers visit the Celtics, which is a nice litmus test for the team that many observers are calling Cleveland's biggest challenger in the East.
Nov. 10: Dwyane Wade's return to Miami. The NBA isn't making the newest member of the Bulls wait long before paying the Heat a visit.
Nov. 23: The Pelicans play host to the Timberwolves, which means Anthony Davis will go up against Karl-Anthony Towns. You can't call this a rivalry, but these are the league's two most promising young stars.
Dec. 7: Marreese Speights revenge game? OK, that's not most people's primary reason for watching the Clippers play the Warriors, but it's a reason. This is a genuine rivalry, even though the Warriors swept the season series last year. And the Staples Center crowd will be ready to boo Golden State like crazy.
Dec. 11: The Warriors visit The Future. In Minneapolis, Towns' Timberwolves will welcome Golden State. Let's not forget that the young pups gave the Warriors problems last season.
Dec. 25: Christmas! That means cool uniforms, a rematch of last year's NBA Finals in Cleveland, plus these four games: Knicks vs. Celtics, Spurs vs. Bulls, Thunder vs. Timberwolves and Lakers vs. Clippers. (Honestly, not the matchups I would have chosen, but you know you're not going to miss the battle of the superteams.)
Jan. 16: Cavs-Warriors II. This is the marquee matchup of the NBA's Martin Luther King Day schedule.
Feb. 11: Durant's return to OKC. This will be as hostile an environment as the league has ever seen for a regular-season game. Must-watch.
Feb. 17-19: All-Star weekend. Let's hope Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon have come up with some new stuff to do in the air by then.
April 10: Warriors-Jazz. Golden State could be trying to make history again, and Utah might have established itself as one of the best in the West by then. There's a chance both teams are resting players, but there's also a chance that this is extremely interesting.
April 12: Last day of the regular season, with 14 games on the schedule. Maybe Toronto and Cleveland will be playing for the Eastern Conference crown. Maybe the Mavs and Grizzlies will be playing for a playoff spot. There are a bunch of other fascinating games here when it comes to playoff positioning, including Rockets vs. Timberwolves and Jazz vs. Spurs.
April 15: Playoffs begin.
May 16: Conference finals begin. (They could be moved up to the 14th or 15th.)
June 1: NBA Finals begin.
June 22: 2017 NBA Draft.
