It’s not official yet (and may not be for a couple weeks) but we have a pretty good idea what the new NBA opening day will look like.
Which is exactly what the old Christmas Day schedule looked like.
That slate of games was to and most likely will start where the NBA labor talks were settled — New York City — where the Knicks will host the Boston Celtics. Two marquee franchises looking to challenge the Heat and Bulls for supremacy in the East.
That will be followed by a rematch of the NBA finals, with the Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks hosting the Miami Heat. Dirk Nowitzki vs. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade again. That game would be broadcast on ABC.
Finally, the Chicago Bulls and MVP Derrick Rose will travel to Los Angeles to take on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. That game also was to be on ABC.
After that the schedule is anybody’s guess. To cram 66 games into the amount of time left will mean a more condensed schedule than the 50-game one we saw after the 1999 lockout. It’s going to produce some tired legs and sloppy games. And we have no idea which direction this season will go.
But pretty much know how it will start.