As we trudge through the dog days of summer without any pro ball to hoot, holler, or pontificate about, the Basketball Gods finally threw all of us hoop diehards a bone with the NBA’s released 2016-2017 schedule to whet our appetites.
This coming season looks to be jam-packed with some of the most intense narratives and the juiciest storylines we’ve seen in years. While everyone drools over the heavyweights (who WON’T be watching the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Golden State Warriors on Christmas day? Why WOULDN’T you watch Kevin Durant slink back into Chesapeake Energy Arena to face the ire of Thunder fans?), the gang at BBALLBREAKDOWN dug into the schedule to unearth other gems everyone should circle on their calendars.
James Holas: Alright, I love that the schedule makers wasted little time setting up the only rematch that matters. Just 11 games into the season, the Warriors will roll into Boston looking to avenge the whuppin’ Gang Green hung on the Dubs in The Oracle last year.
Golden State’s starting five will be like nothing the NBA has ever seen, and Celtic fans are gonna let Kevin Durant and company hear it.
Boston mighty mite Isaiah Thomas relishes a challenge, so you know he’ll bring his A game to tangle with Steph Curry. Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart will take turns hounding Klay Thompson to every corner of the court. Toss in how irked Jae Crowder is about Durant flirting with Bean Town before joining the the Warriors, and it’s a lock that TD Garden will be a madhouse. Like, this has got to be one of the best Warriors’ showdowns this side of the Cavs, right, Shane?
Shane Young: Contrary to what the win-loss results say, nobody has played the Warriors more competitively in the regular season since 2014 than Doc Rivers’ Clippers. Just last year, their first three meetings were decided by only 14 total points – less than a five-point margin per game.
There’s so much good-natured, fierce intensity when these two clash, and that was without the Kevin Durant element involved. Chris Paul is always viciously out to pour gasoline on the “best point guard” argument when he’s facing Stephen Curry, while the reigning MVP sets it in flames with his mythical shot-creation against LA’s backcourt. This matchup is always my favorite, because we know how much Paul prides himself in being a top defensive hound … and it still never matters.
Adding Durant into the mix makes this the most compelling matchup of the entire West. There’s a legitimate “big four” versus a “big three,” and these two benches are suspect heading into the year. Let’s also never forget that Durant had his own personal history against this Clippers core. With it also being the team he spurned in free agency. Blake Griffin returning from distressing injuries to battle Draymond Green in the post is now a tertiary storyline of the matchup. Wow. Bring it.
Matthew Way: I’m really looking forward to seeing how Toronto and Boston fare against each other this year. The Cavaliers are obviously the best team in the East, but these are the two who have a realistic chance at unseating them.
Boston adding Horford creates an interesting contrast in styles with Toronto and Valanciunas. Lowry and DeRozan are a dynamic backcourt in the regular season, but Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, and Jae Crowder pose a formidable defensive trio. Add in Brad Stevens’ great schemes and things become very interesting for the no. 2 spot in the East.
James, what potential playoff matchup out West interests you the most?
JH: Matt, two words for DeRozan facing the Celts: Lock. Down.
Now, you know I’m Mayor of the Russell Westbrook Stansville, and the addition of Victor Oladipo to Hurricane Westbrook and Steven Adams will have Thunder surprising a lot of folks. I’m also all in on the revamped Utah Jazz squad, hungry to break through and sit at the big boy playoff table.
Utah upgraded at the point (newsflash, Larry Bird: George Hill is a better ballplayer than Jeff Teague), and by adding Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson to Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, and Rodney Hood, the Jazz are long-limbed, versatile, AND deep. Quin Snyder will have his Salt Lake lads gunning for the OKC’s playoff spot, and Westbrook won’t be having it.
You got your eye on any potential playoff previews like this out East, Shane?
SY: After having an acceptable 45-win season in 2015-16, Indiana has revamped their starting lineup with a penetrating point guard (Jeff Teague) who has swingman Paul George feeling more optimistic. With a second or third seed realistically in the forecast, there’s hope that we can have a third LeBron-Paul George Eastern Conference Finals showdown. If the Nate McMillan experiment takes more time to work out the kinks, this could even be a second-round possibility.
Teague has struggled against Cleveland in the past, but it was always fun watching him take on the difficult assignment of Kyrie Irving in the playoffs. The Cavaliers’ second unit isn’t the most impressive defensively during the season, so pair that with Al Jefferson attacking on the low block for a select number of minutes. Oh, and holy hell, Myles Turner could have more of this.
Matt, what’s that matchup that you simply can’t NOT watch?
MW: Anytime Houston and Portland play each other, it’s must-watch basketball for me. Harden and Lillard are two of the truly special offensive creators in the game right now and they rarely disappoint.
Last year, the Rockets and Blazers split the season series with three of the four games, resulting in 100+ point efforts for both teams. Harden got the best of the individual matchup, averaging 39.5 points per game to Lillard’s 24.5 points per game. Harden was far more efficient to boot. But, as anyone who’s watched Lillard knows, he can drop 40 on you at any moment. After losing the individual matchup with Harden last year, Lillard will have some extra motivation to make this year’s games with Houston even better.
I doubt many people marked Houston/Portland on the calendar when the schedule came out. Do you have any other under the radar matchups out West that you like, James?
JH: I dig Rox-vs-Blazers, Matty Ice. Dame really impressed me last year, and Harden? He’s got something to prove THIS year. I’m turning to the future for a couple of potential 2022 powerhouses.
I’m geeked to watch the Phoenix Suns make the Mile High trek to face the Denver Nuggets. Denver big man Nikola Jokic was, no joke, at least a top three rookie last season, and I can’t wait to see how current rookies Marquis Chriss and Dragan Bender match up with him. Rookie Jamal Murray having to guard second-year phenom (and fellow Kentucky alumni Devin Booker) will be fun.
But here’s the main event: Suns alpha dog Eric “Mini LeBron” Bledsoe, back from another knee injury, will be putting young Emmanuel Mudiay through his paces. They’re two bruising, athletic guards who get it done is such different ways, I can’t wait to see this head to head play out.
Shane, talking the stars of tomorrow, which young squad do you want to see prove themselves?
SY: Surprisingly, both Minnesota-based matchups against San Antonio are nationally televised this season. Thank God for that, because we’re blessed with so many veteran versus youth matchups here.
Under the supervision of Tom Thibodeau, we can see early glimpses of how the electric core of Andrew Wiggins, Karl Towns, and Kris Dunn can be defensively. They likely won’t be a top 10 defense right away, but the battles against experienced stars such as Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tony Parker can be used as quality measuring sticks. Not only will these matchups be must-see for fans of the new generation, but we’ll also be able to see older levels of talent (Pau Gasol) go toe-to-toe with a 21-year-old center for cross-generational excitement.
It’ll be a building block for Thibodeau, as he’s facing these top-tier powerhouses on a weekly basis in the midst of fighting for playoff hopes. Minnesota should be able to steal a game or two from San Antonio, and that would shed more light on them on an ESPN or TNT stage.
MW: I’m really excited to see Minnesota take on Denver, in what could be an exciting matchup for years to come.
Both teams are so young and talented. But, the must-see matchup when these two meet is undoubtedly Karl Anthony-Towns versus Nikola Jokic. Towns took the league by storm with his skill and versatility, rightfully winning the Rookie of the Year award. But Jokic showed glimpses of similar offensive skill and versatility, especially in the second half of the year. Both Towns and Jokic have work to do defensively, so we could see some really outstanding offensive performances from the two young big men in this matchup this year.
James, we’ve covered a bunch of inter-conference matchups so far. Do you have any cross-conference games that catch your eye?
JH: And don’t forget Kris Dunn and Mudiay in that Wolves-Nuggets showdown!
The Pacers and the Spurs are my cross conference pick: it’s like some sort of Through The Looking Glass, Bizarro-Ball. Myles Turner and LaMarcus Aldridge engage in the War of Jump Shooting bigs. Tony Parker is going to feel like he’s gazing into the past at himself when Jeff Teague is bearing down on him at light speed. Al Jefferson and Pau Gasol might as well play in Chick Taylor One Stars and work at desk jobs in the off-season, they’re both so old school.
Hell, even new Pacers’ coach Nate McMillan has his sights set on revenge, seeing as Coach Popovich’s Spurs knocked the ‘05 Sonics out of the playoffs with McMillan holding the clipboard. And last but definitely not least, preseason MVP candidates Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will joust for “two way wing” supremacy.
Kawhi put George in shackles last December, holding him to a pathetic 1-for-14 shooting and forcing him into 6 turnovers. George somewhat redeemed himself in March, getting the best of Kawhi as his Pacers upended the Spurs, but it’s always a compelling matchup when Kawhi and Paul George are on the floor.
What’s the big name matchup that’s got you giddy, Shane?
SY: New Orleans taking on Oklahoma City is always something to flip your League Pass channels on, and this year may serve as a stronger reason. Not only are Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook two of the top six players in the league, but they’re probably the two current faces of “freak, young athleticism” the league has to offer. Sprinkle in the side stories of OKC trying to implement Victor Oladipo and Alvin Gentry possibly starting sharp-shooter Buddy Hield off the bat, and you have yourself a fun middle-of-the-pack Western Conference show.
Opposed to the other years — when Durant called OKC his home — this matchup is far more competitive because both teams have one superstar set to average all-time numbers, but not much offensive help. I look for Westbrook and Davis to both explode for 45+ during these matchups.
Matt, are there any East player matchups, or possibly any storylines you’re looking forward to?
[James’ interjection: Whaaaat? Oladipo is “not much help”, just “a defensive tool”!? Victor averaged 16 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg, and 1.6 steals last year, joining Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Steph Curry, Kyle lowry, and John Wall as the only players to post that statline or better last season.]
MW: Can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to see three games between Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard.
You can bet that ESPN will be milking the SVG/Dwight angle during the Jan. 18th game. There was so much drama between Stan and Dwight during their time in Orlando and it ended with Stan losing the battle. Years later, Stan is leading a new, young team to success and Dwight is playing for his fourth team in six years.
Stan found his Dwight replacement in Andre Drummond. Expect some major battles between Drummond and Howard this year when Detroit and Atlanta battle. Those battles are going to have an impact on the East playoff picture: Detroit is looking to improve their playoff position with a young team while Atlanta is desperate to prove they can still compete without Al Horford.
There are an incredible amount of interesting games, narratives, and storylines this NBA season with the craziness that was the 2016 offseason. While there are undoubtedly some great ones that we didn’t even begin to touch on, this should serve as a great starting point for your NBA League Pass and National TV viewing guides. And, hopefully, it gets you as excited for the beginning of the regular season as it does for us. What are your favorite must-see games that we missed?
Tell us below, or yell at us on Twitter, @SnottieDrippen, @YoungNBA, and @WayMatth!
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