December 25 – Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat
In what is probably the most anticipated regular season game in the NBA this year, LeBron James makes his Miami return after spurning the Heat to go back home to Cleveland, and it takes place on Christmas Day of course. The NBA packed the holiday with some great match-ups, including Thunder-Spurs and Clippers-Warriors, but this one takes the cake. And it’s not close.
LeBron visits the city he made home for four season (or college as he put it), took to to four NBA Finals, won two MVP’s for and won two NBA titles with. Awaiting him is former-teammate/best bud Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as well as his replacement in former All-Star Luol Deng. Despite losing James, the Heat are no slouches as they expect to still contend out East with a revamped roster.
This match-up should be interesting because by mid-Decemeber we should know plenty about both teams. Are the Heat really a contender out East, or will a declining D-Wade sink the team? Are LeBron, Kyrie (and again, probably Love) gelling as a unit or will they be struggling similar to the Heat’s Big Three back in 2010? And just how will the Miami crowd react to James return? Will they applaud the man that made them the center of attention in the NBA for four seasons, or will he get a reaction reminiscent of the one he received in Cleveland four years ago? Will Heat fans even show up on time? So many questions!
January 9 – Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks
Enough with the title favorites and playoff contenders for a second, let’s show some love to the much-heralded 2014 rookie class. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker went 1-2 in the Draft this June, and fans expect the two to battle for NBA dominance for the next 10-15 years. While this specific game is of course contingent on the proposed Kevin Love-Andrew Wiggins trade going down on August 23rd, it’s safe to say that fans will eagerly be tuning into a Bucks or Wolves basketball game in January for the first time in years.
While this won’t be the first match-up between the two rookies, it will take place smackdab in the middle of their first NBA season. By January both Parker and Wiggins should be better acclimated to the NBA game and ready to put on a fun individual battle. Parker is expected to carry the scoring load for the Bucks from day one, while Wiggins is expected to lock his man down on defense while his offense develops. It will be interesting to see which rookie gets the better of their second and final match-up this season.
FLIP THE PAGES FOR A PLAYOFF REMATCH AND LEBRON TAKING ON THE CHAMPS…