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Part II of the LeBron James era in Cleveland will begin October 30 at home against the Knicks and get a dose of drama Christmas Day, when James makes his return to Miami.
Those were among the highlights when the league officially revealed its schedule Wednesday evening.
You can look at the whole schedule at NBA.com.
The Cavs Will Play the Heat on Christmas
Merry Christmas! The #NBASchedule has a quintuple-header on Dec. 25, including @KingJames‘ return to Miami. pic.twitter.com/PSIPJ8bdI6
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 13, 2014
Not only will LeBron be facing off against his former team in Miami, but the two teams are scheduled to meet three other times this season too. According to the calendar, they will be playing each other on February 11, March 16 and April 2, 2015.
Barry Watson of the Miami Herald reported on Tuesday that the matchup would take place:
Barring an unexpected change of heart by the NBA, Christmas in Miami will feature LeBron James’ much-anticipated return to Miami in an opposing uniform. Though the NBA’s schedule will not be finalized and released until mid-August, an unofficial internal schedule of select gameshas Cleveland playing the Heat in Miami on Christmas on ABC, according to a person familiar with the situation.”
The other Christmas Day matchups feature the Knicks and Wizards, Bulls and Lakers, Thunder and Spurs and Warriors and Clippers.
The Spurs Open Their Title Defense Against the Mavs
We will be hosting the @dallasmavs for opening night! #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/BRxgIYRJWE
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 13, 2014
One of the most intriguing opening night matchups will feature two of the past four NBA champions. The defending champion Spurs will play the Dallas Mavericks to open the season October 28.
The Mavs and Spurs both beat the LeBron-led Heat in the finals: Dallas in 2010 and San Antonio last year.
The game will also be the first featuring a full-time female assistant coach, with Becky Hammon on the Spurs’ bench as a member of Gregg Popovich’s staff.
LeBron & Carmelo Will Square Off Early on National TV
First glance at your opening week on @NBAonTNT match-ups! pic.twitter.com/TF2ZHcVyE3
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 13, 2014
When James suits up in a Cavs uniform for the first time since the spring of 2010, he’ll be facing a long-time adversary: Carmelo Anthony, whose Knicks will be in Cleveland for an 8 p.m. game on TNT.
Carmelo and Co. will be playing the second end of back-to-back games against Eastern Conference rivals. The Knicks open the Derek Fisher era on October 29 against the Bulls at Madison Square Garden.
The Warriors-Clippers Rivalry is Back
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The nightcap on Christmas day should be a treat. The Clippers and Warriors are known for their vicious rivalry which will definitely stand out this year now that the Indiana-Miami rivalry has partly diminished.
The Clippers’ Blake Griffin is constantly at odds with every and any player on the Warriors while Stephen Curry and Chris Paul go back and forth all game slamming the backboards while keeping the crowd wildly entertained. Many of the players on both the Warriors and Clipper are back on their respective teams and itching for a brawl.
Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose Will Be Back
Soon to be 36 years old, the legendary Kobe Bryant will be joining the Lakers once again for another season with hopefully at lest another after that. As of recently he has been compared and analyzed thoroughly with the conclusion that he is extremely similar to Michael Jordan which can be seen in the video above.
We don’t know how well this season will go for him as he is on the tail end of his career at this point, but it is always enjoyable to watch him play. Bryant is the clear best player on the team before Jeremy Lin which doesn’t help him out much, but he can either tear it up or go down in the slumps with the Lakers.
Lucky for the Chicago Bulls, point guard Derrick Rose isn’t at Kobe’s ripe age but should be at his prime at the young age of 26. USA coach Mike Kryzewski told ESPN that Rose is back in prime condition after his ACL injury in 2012.
Krzyzewski said in regards to Rose’s recovery after so much time off the court:
It takes an exceptional person, which is why we’re talking about Derrick. I think he’s exceptional in every way. He went right at it. The first defensive exchange in the camp, he was all over the ball handler, moving his feet, attacking him. There was a buzz right away because it was basically his saying, ‘Look, I’m not just back. I’m back at a level that’s elite.'”
The Bulls schedule should be an interesting one with Rose back at it.
