2013-2014 Official NBA Thread

[Al Bundy]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ey...4-nba-schedule

With the Schedule released today, I figured it would be a good time to start the thread.

The NBA released its 2013-2014 schedule on Tuesday in a televised special on NBATV alongside a release on NBA.com and its team websites.

The season kicks off Tuesday, October 29th as Miami hosts the Chicago Bulls in Derrick Rose's expected return to the court. Then it's the Battle of LA as the Lakers host the Clippers. It could be the return of Kobe Bryant from his Achilles injury he suffered last spring, and will be the regular season debut of Doc Rivers as the Clippers' newest head coach.

It's a massive gamble by the NBA, considering Rose's struggles returning from his ACL injury suffered in the 2012 playoffs and Bryant's more recent Achilles surgery. If those players were to miss the opening night, it's going to make for a very underwhelming opening night of basketball, regardless of the markets involved for ratings.

Opening week continues on Thursday with the Bulls hosting the Knicks in what is likely to be Rose's return to the United Center in the regular season. The Knicks will be on a back to back, opening the season on Wednesday vs. the Bucks. Thursday night the revamped Warriors visit the Clippers, who are clearly the hot team, with two national appearances in the first three days.

Opening week concludes Friday with the Nets' home opener vs. the Heat, followed by another Lakers home game, this time vs. the defending Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs.

On the NBA's biggest regular season day, Christmas Day, starts with the Nets hosting Chicago, followed by the scoring-champ rematch of Carmelo Anthony vs. Kevin Durant as the Thunder visit Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks. Then in the main event, the Heat play the Lakers at Staples Center. Dwight Howard joins the Christmas fun as the Rockets travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs. And in the night cap, the Clippers visit Oracle Arena to take on Steph Curry and the Warriors.

Monday, January 20th continues the NBA's tradition of making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a huge basketball event, with four games on the schedule. Brooklyn travels across the bridge to take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, followed by the Grizzlies hosting the Pelicans, the Lakers taking on the Bulls at the United Center, and the Pacers facing the Warriors in the bay to cap off the night.

The Lakers first meet Dwight Howard on November 13th in Houston, and again on January 14th. They first host Howard at Staples Center on February 19th, and again on April 8th.

The NBA Finals rematches occur on January 26th in Miami and March 6th in San Antonio. Will Gregg Popovich rest his starters? It's not a back to back, as the Spurs face Atlanta on the 24th, but it is in the middle of a three-game road trip.

Despite the departure of Dwight Howard, the Lakers keep the max number of nationally televised (non-NBA TV) games in the league at 25, tied with the Knicks and Heat. The Clippers have 21 nationally televised games, while the defending Western Champs, the Spurs, only have 15. The Bulls jump to 24 national games, with the league banking on Rose's return to carry audiences. The Thunder also feature on national TV 24 times.

Houston, with newly-signed Dwight Howard and James Harden, feature 20 games on national television, a pretty low number given the star power. The Mavericks won the NBA title in 2011, and now have just eight national TV appearances. The Warriors meanwhile jump to 17 games, while Eastern Conference finalist Indiana only appears 10 time next season. To put that in perspective, the Denver Nuggets appear 13 times.

The rest of the schedule is at the link.

[-King-]

Lebron should never not have the ball in late game situations.
Posted via Mobile Device

[O.city]

Pretty good play design, good recovery by hibbert.


Would probably rarer hav lebron shoot a jumper, but designe up a good shot.

Please let us have 7 more of those in may

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by -King-

Lebron should never not have the ball in late game situations.
Posted via Mobile Device

or Wade or Allen. But if you are only down by 1 Lebron needs to take the shot

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

or Wade or Allen. But if you are only down by 1 Lebron needs to take the shot

Why? If you can get a better shot than LeBron taking some low percentage contested jumper, get that instead.

I feel like we have this discussion every year.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by -King-

Good thing Lebron would rather pass to Bosh
Posted via Mobile Device

This shit still? After all his great late game decision making over the past few seasons?

That was the play call. Had a decent look too (Bosh usually hits that), but Hibbert made a good contest.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

This shit still? After all his great late game decision making over the past few seasons?

That was the play call. Had a decent look too (Bosh usually hits that), but Hibbert made a good contest.

Do you disagree? The superstar player should pretty much always get the last shot. Especially when he'd had the kind of day lebron had today.
Posted via Mobile Device

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Why? If you can get a better shot than LeBron taking some low percentage contested jumper, get that instead.

I feel like we have this discussion every year.

I will take my chances with the greatest player in the world taking a shitty shot vs Bosh taking a shitty shot. If I am down 3 I want Allen to take the shot if I am down 1 Lebron has to. He is the best player in the world getting to the rim and creating his own shot. And I understand that the defense will dictate some of this but unless they are triple teaming him he needs to get the ball.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by -King-

Do you disagree?

Yes, obviously. Having your superstar take a contested shot (which it would have been in LeBron's case) is not always the best option. In fact, it's usually more low percentage than what you can get elsewhere.

There was nothing wrong with the play drawn up there. Bosh is a likely HOFer in his own right and has made a career out of hitting those types of shots. Hibbert made a good contest, though, and affected it.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I will take my chances with the greatest player in the world taking a shitty shot vs Bosh taking a shitty shot.

I suspect the idea was for Bosh to be taking a wide open one, not a shitty one. And it nearly was that.

If I am down 3 I want Allen to take the shot if I am down 1 Lebron has to. He is the best player in the world getting to the rim and creating his own shot. And I understand that the defense will dictate some of this but unless they are triple teaming him he needs to get the ball.

If there was just a bit more time or if the game was at home (where they'd be much more likely to get a call than in Indiana), I'd probably agree with LeBron driving and creating for himself or others there. But what they ended up with was fine.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

I suspect the idea was for Bosh to be taking a wide open one, not a shitty one. And it nearly was that.



If there was just a bit more time or if the game was at home (where they'd be much more likely to get a call than in Indiana), I'd probably agree with LeBron driving and creating for himself or others there. But what they ended up with was fine.

The odds aren't high that you are going to get an open shot against the Pacers with 2 seconds left.

Anyway I think you are taking what I say about Lebron as a knock, it isn't. It is a knock on Spolestra and sometimes coaches try to get too cute. Luckily it was just a regular season game. I can't wait for these 2 teams to collide in the EC finals.

[mcaj22]

Them Spurs, still lookin good

[TEX]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Good. **** Miami.. The whole stupid ****ing city and all their players and fans!

This.

The East blows anyway. Put both those teams in the West and this would just be a game between two playoff bound teams. No big deal.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by TEX

This.

The East blows anyway. Put both those teams in the West and this would just be a game between two playoff bound teams. No big deal.

Except that's nonsense. The Heat have won the championship the past two years and the Pacers are clearly just as good as them (as they showed in the series last year and in the regular season this year). If those two aren't the NBA's two best teams, they'd at the very least both be in the top 4.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Except that's nonsense. The Heat have won the championship the past two years and the Pacers are clearly just as good as them (as they showed in the series last year and in the regular season this year). If those two aren't the NBA's two best teams, they'd at the very least both be in the top 4.

Not this season. They each would not be able to feast on the east. Id bet both would be in the 5-8 seeding. The grind of playing a more solid conference top to bottom would effetct them. Thats anything but nonsense.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by TEX

Not this season. They each would not be able to feast on the east. Id bet both would be in the 5-8 seeding. The grind of playing a more solid conference top to bottom would effetct them. Thats anything but nonsense.

I'm still not sure why the fact that the rest of the East sucks means that the Heat/Pacers are somehow worse than they were last year. It's pretty obvious they stand among the league's elite, they've taken no step back.