The NBA schedule for the upcoming season is out! With Christmas Day and opening night on ESPN, we’re looking forward to a lot of great games. Here’s the first week of the season and some of our must-see matchups.
The nba 2021-22 season is a year that will include a lot of interesting games. Opening week and Christmas Day are two dates that we can’t wait to see during the NBA schedule 2021-22.
The NBA announced its schedule of nationally broadcast games for opening week and Christmas Day on Tuesday.
The reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks will open the 2021-22 season on Oct. 19 when they face the Brooklyn Nets, whom they defeated in a Game 7 overtime thriller to advance to the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers will next host the Golden State Warriors to finish off opening night. Russell Westbrook will make his debut.
The league’s finest trios and biggest personalities will perform on Christmas Day.
Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks return to Madison Square Garden at 12:00 ET, where Young put an end to the rising New York Knicks’ season in the first round of the playoffs.
On Christmas Day, the Nets and Lakers, the two betting favorites to win the championship, will face off in primetime at Staples Center. The Lakers retooled this summer, acquiring Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to compete with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
Which player’s first game with his new club should be seen? Which matches are the most memorable? Our NBA experts respond to the most frequently asked questions regarding the forthcoming schedule.
MORE: NBA Schedule 2021-22
1. Which game from the first week of the season are you most looking forward to seeing?
Tim MacMahon: Bringing the Nets to Milwaukee for the season opener — and the Bucks’ ring celebration — doesn’t get much better. It’s more than a repeat of one of the most exciting playoff series in recent memory. It’ll also be the first time the Nets meet Giannis Antetokounmpo since he made a point of talking about how simple it would be to win a title by hopping on the superteam bandwagon during the championship celebration.
André Snellings: I’d want to open the season with the Nets-Bucks game since it matches the defending champions against the team expected to win this year. There’s also the additional personal flavor of the Bucks’ victory against the Nets in a seven-game thriller that many think the Nets would have won if they were healthy. This has all the makings of a new rivalry, where both teams have something to prove and a chip on their shoulders whenever they meet.
Kevin Pelton: Warriors-Lakers, because I’m most curious in how those two teams will appear after their summer makeovers. Klay Thompson, the most important Golden State acquisition, may not be available for opening night. The Warriors, on the other hand, will bolster their bench with Nemanja Bjelica, Andre Iguodala, and Otto Porter Jr. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ lineup will be drastically different after dealing for Westbrook and stockpiling experienced free agents.
Christmas came early this year zrTrKe2yTz pic.twitter.com/zrTrKe2yTz
August 17, 2021 — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)
Warriors-Lakers, according to Marc J. Spears. As the Lakers unveil their new big three, Klay Thompson, who hasn’t played since the 2019 Finals due to ACL surgery, may be back by then, and Russell Westbrook will be playing at home. With two possible Western Conference finals squaring battle inside Staples Center, I don’t believe the NBA could select a better opening-night game.
Friedell, Nick: I’m looking forward to seeing the Suns take on the Lakers. Because of all the intriguing components on the roster, the Lakers are going to be a season-long soap opera, but they also have to feel like they owe the Suns for how the playoffs ended. Is it possible for Phoenix to deliver an opening statement at Staples? I doubt it, but it will be entertaining to watch.
The Suns’ route plan after Chris Paul’s comeback
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0:50
Kemba Walker talks about how happy he is to be joining the Knicks and laughs about playing back-to-back games coming season.
2. Which player’s first game with his new club should be seen?
Pelton: If Ben Simmons isn’t moved between now and then, would it be improper to mention him? In his debut with the New York Knicks, Kemba Walker facing up against the Boston Celtics months after they set him loose in a trade will be a fascinating narrative, particularly if he goes up against fellow free agent Dennis Schroder.
Friedell: In New York, I’d want to see Kemba. I believe he will love playing for head coach Tom Thibodeau and will relish the opportunity to play on the stage at Madison Square Garden every night.
The NBA season 2021-22 begins in October with two star-studded doubleheaders on ESPN.
Wednesday, October 20th, 7:30 p.m. ET, Celtics at. Knicks 10 p.m. ET, Nuggets vs. Suns
Friday, October 22nd, 7:30 p.m. ET, Nets at. 76ers 10 p.m. ET, Suns vs. Lakers
Russell Westbrook’s debut with the Lakers will be must-see television, according to Spears. No one is more energetic or plays harder than Westbrook. Consider how much more swag and fire he’ll bring to the game by wearing his hometown’s name on his jersey. The prospect of witnessing how Westbrook gets along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis adds to the intrigue. On and off the court, watching the charitable Westbrook in Los Angeles will be entertaining. From the minute he walks on the court, Lakers fans will love the local boy.
Russell Westbrook’s debut with the Lakers isn’t simply the obvious answer; it’s also a possibly historic occasion, according to Snellings. Despite all of the tremendous teammates LeBron James has had during his career, he has never been paired with another former MVP who is still in his prime like Westbrook. It will be interesting to see the Lakers create their new dynamic around three mega-stars, two of whom are very ball-dominant. Is LeBron James still the best player in the NBA? Will he be able to share the throne (and the ball) with Westbrook without difficulty? What role does a healthy Anthony Davis play?
MacMahon: I’ll go with Rockets rookie Jalen Green, who combines athleticism, talent, and moxie in a unique way. He’ll be a player to keep an eye on, much as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards was last season. With the Rockets in the midst of a rebuilding process, he steps in as the team’s new face. Houston won’t be excellent this season, but with a 21-and-under core led by Green and Kevin Porter Jr., the team has a clear route back to prominence.
We’d want to see five Ben Simmons deals.
3. Which of the Christmas Day matchups has the most intriguing plot?
Nets against. Lakers, according to Spears. I’m going to change my plans so I can be in Los Angeles for this one. Since 2005, when Shaquille O’Neal returned to face Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in a Miami Heat uniform, I can’t remember a Christmas Day game this thrilling. Put your gifts aside and pay attention to this one: the big three vs. the big three.
Snellings: The Nets-Lakers matchup is unbeatable. Two teams with historically significant huge threes? For the consensus crown, will it be LeBron vs. Durant? Their old trio, KD and Harden vs. Westbrook, are now direct rivals for the title? Is it time for another LeBron vs. Kyrie matchup? This game may feature four or five “juiciest storylines” instead of simply one.
MacMahon: While the Nets-Lakers matchup has the greatest star power — and Westbrook vs. Durant always has the potential for verbal pyrotechnics — I’ll pick Young’s homecoming to Madison Square Garden. In the playoffs against the Knicks, he established himself as one of the NBA’s top showmen, showing a unique mix of talent, a sharp tongue, and some real moxie. It’s only fair to reintroduce him to the MSG stage at the regular season’s most important event.
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Friedell: Suns-Warriors. It’s always entertaining to watch Stephen Curry and Chris Paul go at it, but the key here is that Thompson should be back by now. He’s been itching to return to the stage, and the Christmas stage is the ideal chance to show the rest of the nation exactly how amazing he can still be.
Pelton: Only one of the five games is a rematch from the playoffs, and that’s the opener between the Hawks and the Knicks. After a productive summer in which the backcourt was improved, going up against an Atlanta club that beat them in five games in the first round could be an intriguing litmus test for New York. In the meanwhile, we’ll see whether the crowd on Christmas Day at noon is as rowdy as it was during the playoffs.
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1:24
Jimmy Butler discusses why he chose to re-sign with the Heat and says he’s looking forward to playing alongside the team’s newcomers.
4. Which team isn’t scheduled to play on Christmas Day but should?
Pelton: After acquiring Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker this summer, I’m shocked Miami didn’t make the cut. If things go right, the Heat have a decent possibility of becoming a greater danger in the East to Brooklyn and Milwaukee than the other three teams that will play on Christmas. Since 2015, last year’s Christmas Day performance will be Miami’s last one.
Friedell: I’m in Miami. That group has a place on the Christmas stage. Lowry and Tucker should fit in well this season, thanks to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo’s strong foundation. The Heat have proven that they can rise to the occasion when healthy, and it would have been interesting to see what they might have done in this situation.
Snellings: You’re sure it’s the 76ers. They were the Eastern Conference’s top seed previous season and include Joel Embiid, a captivating talent who recently placed second in the MVP voting. While teams like the Knicks, Hawks, and Celtics are intriguing, with excellent young players and passionate fan bases, the 76ers, who dominated the conference throughout the regular season, have no excuse for not being on the main stage with every other top club on Christmas Day.
Spears is a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. If I were the Clippers, I would be furious. Being a conference finalist the previous season and having to watch their Staples Center neighbors play on Christmas night will be particularly painful. Regardless of Kawhi Leonard’s absence, I believe this is the most egregious exclusion from the Christmas Day schedule I’ve ever seen.
MacMahon: I get that a smaller-market club without its second-best player won’t be a huge TV attraction, but it just doesn’t seem fair that the reigning MVP will be lounging on the sofa on Christmas. As much as I love seeing Nikola Jokic play, it’s difficult to see how his Denver Nuggets could be substituted for any of the teams on the schedule.
Why Kyle Lowry is almost a perfect match for the Heat
5. True or false: On Christmas Day, the Lakers will lead the Western Conference.
MacMahon: It’s a work of fiction. Russell Westbrook and his new colleagues will require some time to adjust to one other, as shown by the previous two seasons. When LeBron James has teamed up with ball-dominant great guards, his teams have gotten off to similar, sluggish beginnings. The Lakers will almost certainly be better in the second half of the season than they were in the first.
The NBA season 2021-22 begins in October with two star-studded doubleheaders on ESPN.
Wednesday, October 20th, 7:30 p.m. ET, Celtics at. Knicks 10 p.m. ET, Nuggets vs. Suns
Friday, October 22nd, 7:30 p.m. ET, Nets at. 76ers 10 p.m. ET, Suns vs. Lakers
Pelton: This is a work of fiction. Although I believe the Lakers are favorites to win the Western Conference heading into the season, there are two reasons to believe they will not be at the top of the rankings. First and foremost, the whole field is almost likely a stronger bet than any one West club. Second, while they integrate all of their new components, the Lakers may start slowly. They performed better than anticipated in that respect in 2019, when they were the West’s leaders at Christmas, but I’m not so sure this time.
Spears is a fictional character. By the time Santa arrives, there are just too many new significant players for their chemistry to be where it needs to be. Getting LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook to agree on anything is a difficult job in and of itself. This may be the case in the second half of the season, but anticipate the Lakers to hit the majority of their speed bumps in the first half.
Friedell: This is a work of fiction. There are just too many new components to believe the roster will be completed in this time frame. Even great teams need time to establish their collective rhythm, particularly early in the season. I still think Russ will make it work with LeBron, but even great teams take time to find their collective flow.
Snellings: I’m going to say fact. This concentration of skill should be too much for their opponents almost every night, provided it’s healthy. While there may be some teething pains, Westbrook’s presence should enable James and Davis to play at a lesser level throughout the season while still putting the Lakers in first place. The Lakers will be eager to make their mark on this season and reassert their supremacy over a crowded group of rivals following their injury-plagued seventh-place finish last season.
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