The 2016-17 NBA schedule has been released and as expected, it's full of games and individual matchups that we're already dying to see. Free agents are visiting their former teams, we have rookie showdowns happening and we'll get to see rematches of last season's multiple great playoff series.
Here are the top scheduled games to get excited about on your calendar:
Warriors vs. 
Thunder
FEB. 11: The showdown we've all been waiting for: Zaza Pachulia vs. Steven Adams. Or maybe it's the return of Kevin Durant to Oklahoma City for the first time as a member of the Warriors that is piquing our interest. All of the storylines you know. The Thunder will want to show Durant he was wrong. The potential new rivalry with Russell Westbrook is going to be cooking. Russ may even try to put up some insane 50-20-20 stat line to make everybody's face melt. This will probably be more highly anticipated than Warriors-Cavs.
Cavaliers vs. Warriors
JAN. 16: Sure, the Christmas Day game in Cleveland is great, but when the Cavs return to the scene of the Game 7 crime, that's when we'll see the Oracle crowd as restless as ever and Kevin Durant's new team hoping to show it was the injuries and suspensions that led to a fluky Finals loss. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith left the visitors' locker room stinking of shirtless NBA players and champagne. It was the perfect revenge for having the 2015 Finals close out in their home. This prime-time game is going to have an insane atmosphere.
76ers vs. 
Lakers
DEC. 16: OK, this isn't the most compelling team matchup we've ever seen, even if we squint our eyes and down a couple of drinks to trick us into thinking this is a contentious rematch from the '80s. But we are getting the No. 1 pick and the No. 2 pick facing off against each other. We know Ben Simmons is being given the keys to the franchise for Philly. We hope Brandon Ingram is good enough to force Luke Walton's hand and start him right away. Either way, these two forwards attack in a different way and we may even see a very lower management version of LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony when they were rookies. Or maybe we end up watching Marcelo Huertas go at T.J. McConnell for 30 minutes.
Timberwolves vs. 
Bulls
DEC. 13: Tom Thibodeau returns to bark defensive instructions in the United Center! The ugly breakup between Bulls management and Thibodeau in 2015 left a lot of rumors and a lot of accusations out in the ether. Thibodeau took a year off, watched the Bulls struggle without him and the players pine for a tougher coach, and then he went to the Wolves to run them and coach them so he doesn't have to deal with a front office situation like that again. The Wolves had an early-season win in Chicago last year that was led by Andrew Wiggins. This is a very different Bulls team now and should be a better, more mature Wolves team. It'll be interesting to find out if Thibodeau or Fred Hoiberg receive a bigger pregame ovation.
Hawks vs. 
Rockets
FEB. 2: Dwight Howard returns to Houston, where he was last seen bickering with and politicking against Rockets star James Harden. After teaming up in 2013, the relationship soured severely and we eventually saw an ugly Rockets season unfold that led to big changes throughout. From a stylistic standpoint, the methodical approach of the Hawks contrasting with the Seven Seconds or Less method of Mike D'Antoni will be fascinating. From a soap opera angle, we get to see if Howard tries to foul Harden with a message after he gets into foul trouble with the Beard brilliantly drawing fouls against his former teammate.
Celtics vs. Hawks
JAN. 13: Al Horford returns to the Atlanta Hawks and faces off against his old team's new center. Dwight Howard went home to Atlanta for the next stage of his career, and Horford gave Danny Ainge his first big splash in free agency. Not to mention, these teams have a bit of a brewing rivalry over the last couple years as they've been a pretty compelling matchup. The Hawks took out the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs last season. Now the Celtics get to show they're maybe the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, which the Hawks appeared to be a year ago.
Cavaliers vs. Celtics
MARCH 1: LeBron James in the Garden is always entertaining, but this time around the Celtics are trying to prove they're on their way to challenging the Cavs in the East. The Celtics are still probably one star away from thinking about upsetting the Cavs should they meet in the playoffs, but they've really taken on the challenge of going after LeBron's team since he went back to Cleveland. Plus, you get a chance to hear Tommy Heinsohn yell about LeBron and Kyrie Irving in the most endearing way possible.
Bulls vs. 
Heat
NOV. 10: It's kind of hard to believe Dwyane Wade won't be in a Miami Heat uniform this season. It really becomes weird when Wade and his Chicago Bulls head to South Beach to battle the Heat at American Airlines Arena. The tribute to Wade and the ovation from the crowd will be insane.
We may even need to time it and if we're betting over/under on how long it goes, set a number and give me the over. Then the battle between the Bulls and Heat should be very good. If the Heat are healthy, they're still a tough defensive team that can make life miserable for poor shooting teams. The Bulls might not have a good shooting starting lineup. Things could get tense here.
Clippers vs. 
Blazers
OCT. 27: We don't have to wait very long for this matchup.
Once again, the Los Angeles Clippers had an unfortunate/weird playoff exit and this time it was to the Portland Trail Blazers. Terry Stotts' crew led by Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum bucked expectations and made the second round of the playoffs after Chris Paul broke his hand and Blake Griffin's leg wouldn't let him play anymore. Maybe that was good luck for the Blazers or maybe it was just accelerating the inevitable postseason dismissal of the Clippers.
Either way, this could be a great showdown between the two teams. The Clippers will want to prove that first-round defeat was a fluke and the Blazers aren't there yet. The Blazers, loaded up after an expensive offseason, will want to prove they've arrived and they're a problem moving forward. Lillard vs. CP3. Blake and DeAndre Jordan dunking. C.J. McCollum's sick handle confusing the defense. JJ Redick maybe even gives us another buzzer beater.
Pacers vs. 
Raptors
MARCH 19: Remember that seven-game first-round series between the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors? Essentially, the Pacers ran out of offense in Toronto and the Raptors finally broke through the first round. It was a near upset for the Pacers and a big step forward for the Raptors, who had their best season and postseason in franchise history.
This time, the Pacers will have a new coach (Nate McMillan), new weapons inside (Thaddeus Young and Al Jefferson) and a new point guard (Jeff Teague). The Raptors are coming back mostly the same team, but more experienced and seasoned as they try to show they're still the second-best team in the East. The Pacers think they have put enough weapons around Paul George to make it work this season. This is a good test for both of them.
Pistons vs. Cavaliers
NOV. 18: Things got a bit chippy between the Pistons and Cavs in their first-round series in 2016. Rookie Stanley Johnson wanted to go toe-to-toe with LeBron James and wanted everybody to know he wasn't afraid. The Pistons wanted to show they were more than just a poor No. 8 seed in the East. And the Cavs were on their way to marching into history with their first NBA championship.
This time, the Cavs are looking to swat away all challengers and the Pistons are looking to show they're a real issue in the East. Stan Van Gundy has a roster he's committed to, and one more year in their system will allow them to truly grow as a threat in the East. If this Pistons team can make jumpers, it will put up a huge fight against the Cavs. Either way, we may see some words exchanged.
Cavaliers vs. 
Bucks
NOV. 29: After his final couple of months in 2015-16, Bucks fans are wondering if Giannis Antetokounmpo can be LeBron James lite or maybe even the Assistant to the Regional Manager version of Magic Johnson as a giant point guard. Regardless, he was pretty good against the Cleveland Cavaliers last year and LeBron will always be the matchup we want to see him prove himself in the most.
Antetokounmpo had a 33-point game, a 24-point game and a near triple-double against the Cavs last season. All of them were losses. Funny enough, his worst game (16 points on 18 shots, 11 rebounds) was a win for the Bucks against Cleveland. This could be a really fun individual matchup over the next three years.
Clippers vs. 
Grizzlies
NOV. 16: This is one of the better rivalries in the NBA, but it's the Grizzlies and the Clippers so nobody cares. But we care! They've met a couple times in the playoffs and it has been contentious. Neither team really likes the other.
This Clippers team is up against a wall it can't seem to break through and the Grizzlies have risen from the dead of their injuries last season and regrouped by spending a ton of money this past summer. Both of these teams could be the No. 2 seed in the West. These teams could end up facing each other again. Both of these teams want to embarrass the other. And it's in the Grind House.
Celtics vs. 76ers
DEC. 3: Maybe it's a little optimistic to think the Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics rivalry can ramp up again this season, but there could be an individual rivalry brewing with No. 1 pick Ben Simmons and No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown. The Celtics rookie definitely talked this summer like he wanted to prove himself against the rest of the top picks and Simmons is happy to attack this Celtics defense to try to dissect them.
The real cherry on top for this matchup could be a (dare I say) healthy Joel Embiid battling a veteran big man like Al Horford. We don't need punches thrown or chokeholds but a competitive game between these two could go a long way for renewing the fireworks. Most likely, the Celtics are just too good for them.
Timberwolves vs. Warriors
NOV. 16: The biggest win of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2015-16 season, outside of the emotional first game following Flip Saunders' death, came at Oracle Arena in April when they denied the Warriors their 70th win (they would go on to win 73). It was an amazing game in which the Wolves actually did a good job against the best team in regular-season history. Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins all showed up on that night.
But now, the Wolves under Tom Thibodeau have to prove they're moving in the right direction against a Warriors team that added Kevin Durant. This is probably biting off more than the young Wolves can chew but that was the case last season too. At worst, we get a fun game from one of these teams. Not to mention, Towns is one of the few players last season that Draymond Green was glowing about after he played against him.
Jazz vs. 
Spurs
NOV. 1: The Utah Jazz could be a powerhouse in the Western Conference. After just missing the playoffs a year ago, the Jazz loaded up with George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw. Those two former Spurs (Hill and Diaw) facing off against the current San Antonio Spurs should make for a great game, and it's a chance right away for Utah to announce its arrival in the West.
The Spurs mostly worked the Jazz over last season, but always spoke highly of the change of pace and execution they forced the Spurs to have. The Spurs have lost a bit with Tm Duncan's retirement, but they'll still be close to a team that won 67 games a year ago. This could even end up being a second-round preview for the playoffs.
Knicks vs. Bulls
NOV. 4: Derrick Rose's first game in Chicago on a team that isn't the Bulls. This one could have all the feels, a nice tribute video from the Bulls' organization and an incredible ovation for the hometown point guard. At the same time, you have a Bulls team looking to establish itself as a real power in the East and the Knicks trying to get back to being a playoff team.
Carmelo Anthony against Dwyane Wade, who torches the Knicks. Derrick Rose against Rajon Rondo, as both point guards try to prove they can still bring it. Jimmy Butler being a monster on the wing and hopefully Kristaps Porzingis being a monster everywhere in his second season.
Wizards vs. 
Hornets
JAN. 23: Maybe it's a little surprising to see this on the list, but this was a good regular-season series in '15-16. The home team won all four games, and we saw the team we thought would challenge to take over the division with the Washington Wizards with the Charlotte Hornets, who took the division by swarm. John Wall vs. Kemba Walker becomes pretty compelling.
Scott Brooks' new team trying to crack the coaching code against Steve Clifford, who is one of the top coaches in the NBA, is intriguing. Wall is 8-6 in his career against Walker, but they almost always play each other fairly close.
Warriors vs. Knicks
MARCH 5: Not only will this be a Kevin Durant and Steph Curry game at Madison Square Garden, but we also have the two super-teams in the NBA squaring off at the Mecca. While the super-team joke will certainly be hammered with the Knicks this season, it is a bit of a fun test if both teams are healthy.
Either you're in it for the comedy of the Knicks (or Derrick Rose, specifically) getting roasted by the Warriors on their home floor or we get the Knicks hanging with the Warriors and maybe even beating them and the roasting of the Warriors that would ensue. Either way, this is definitely a game to bring the marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate. Do people still make s'mores?
Pelicans vs. 
Kings
NOV. 8: DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are probably the two best big men in the league. Karl-Anthony Towns may force himself into that conversation soon enough and Marc Gasol should be right there when healthy, but Davis and Cousins are ridiculous specimens in their own right. And the former Kentucky products seem to enjoy playing against each other too. Two years ago, Cousins has a monster 39 and 20 game against Davis in a loss. Last season, Cousins put up 40, 16 and 4 in a loss to Davis, who put up 31 and 10. This is a sneaky West Coast treasure every season. Plus, the Kings will be in a new building.
