Robert Mayer – USA TODAY Sports
The 2013-14 NBA schedule was released to the public around 5:00 p.m. last night. It was announced that the Miami Heat will face off against the Chicago Bulls on opening night in South Beach. This is probably the most intriguing game for either team all season, as both teams have an extremely strong distaste for one another and every player will be sure to leave it all on the floor. Not to mention the fact that the Bulls put an end to the Heat’s 27-game winning streak last season, it will be the return of Derrick Rose, who recently stated he is the best player in the NBA over two-time-defending-regular-season MVP LeBron James. The hype of this game is almost too much to handle, but on Oct. 29, all of our excitement will be released as these two juggernauts collide.
Shortly thereafter, on Nov. 1, the Heat are set to play against the new faces of the Brooklyn Nets‘ franchise at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. This is the first time Miami will get a look at the Nets’ new roster that includes the likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, all of whom used to be former Boston Celtics.
Nov. 27 is another day to mark on the calendar, as LeBron and company will travel back to Cleveland to play his former Cleveland Cavaliers. In most cases, this game would be a blowout victory for the visitors, but as the Cavs have recently acquired Andrew Bynum, and with the rise of young stars like Kyrie Irving, it could be much a closer game than some might think.
Another two games of interest fall on Dec. 10 and 18, when the Heat will have a showdown with the Indiana Pacers, away and home, respectively. This is an extremely important match-up, as Miami was almost beaten by this squad a few months prior, being taken to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
And then, of course, we have the Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers. But as the Lakers have recently lost Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets, and Steve Nash is on the brink of turning 40, I feel that the Heat will easily handle their opponents.
However, the game I am most looking forward to falls on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 1:00 p.m. ET on ABC, as the Heat will face off against the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals. This will be a true testament as to who is the superior team in the NBA.
So many games to look forward in the upcoming NBA season. Oct. 29 can’t come soon enough.
