10. Spurs at Trail Blazers, Nov. 11

The game itself shouldn't be particularly entertaining, but seeing Aldridge back in Portland in another jersey should bring emotions to the surface. Mostly good ones, you'd hope, with the Trail Blazers and their fans appreciating Aldridge's time in their city while understanding why he was ready to move on.

9. Rockets at Clippers, Nov. 7

Remember when Houston fell behind 3-1 and beat the Clippers anyway? The cores of Los Angeles and Houston are the same (thanks to one major offseason reversal that we'll get to later on), so you know that series is still fresh on the players' minds.

8. Heat at Cavaliers, Oct. 30

This game is interesting for more reasons than just LeBron James against Miami, although that's certainly a large factor here. The Heat have an unknown mismatch of players who could be really good but haven't spent hardly any time together. Against a team fresh off an NBA Finals loss, the Heat get a national television chance to show their potential.

7. Clippers at Warriors, Nov. 4

Is this Golden State's new biggest worry in the Western Conference? The Clippers are better, but so is every other Western Conference contender. It's seriously getting unfair to play basketball past the Mississippi River (no, Sacramento doesn't count) due to an absurd wealth of talent. Regardless, this is just an early season preview of a potentially fabulous playoff series that could be down the line.

6. Spurs at Warriors, Jan. 25

They play four times, but somehow, Golden State and San Antonio don't face each other until late January, more than halfway into the season. By then, Aldridge should be fully integrated into his new silver-and-black digs and Tim Duncanshould be in full take-every-other-game-off swing, but seeing the rejuvenated Spurs take on the reigning champions is a Finals preview that must be seen.

5. Thunder at Wizards, Nov. 10

Surprisingly, this game is only on NBA TV, because let's be honest: this is going to be the Year of Durant. No NBA story this decade has been bigger than LeBron James leaving Cleveland and then returning four years later, and while Durant is not quite the same level of star, he's close. His impending free agency, coupled with his occasional headline-drawing comments and the upcoming NBA salary cap jump, will dominate the NBA news cycle for the entire season. There's nothing like an appearance in his hometown of D.C. to kick off the rumor cycle.

4. Pelicans at Warriors, Oct. 27

Opening day is always a treat and the NBA's newest budding rivalry is no different. The NBA has these two teams matching up against each other twice in the first week of the season and it's no real surprise: Stephen Curry has turned into a bonafide superstar while Anthony Davis is on the doorstep of surpassing LeBron and becoming the NBA's best player. While the first game of the season doesn't actually mean anything, this is a perfect way for basketball to return its beautiful self to our television screens.

3. Cavaliers at Warriors, Christmas Day

There's only a few things on Earth better than an NBA Finals rematch and this is totally legal! As has become customary for the NBA's Christmas Day slate, Golden State, the defending champions, nabbed the prime time slot at 5 p.m. ET. They'll face LeBron, who did his damndest to overcome Cleveland's injuries last June but ultimately fell to the Warriors' brash array of three-pointers and highlight plays. Seeing these two teams go at it again, hopefully with a fully healthy Cleveland roster this time around, is an offer that's irrefutable.

2. Spurs at Thunder, Oct. 28

The saying "the rich get richer" isn't good enough to describe what San Antonio did this summer, because it's not just rich — it's a 20-year dynasty that has the basketball equivalent of an entire country's GDP. Not a small one, either, but France's GDP or something. Seeing Aldridge make his debut next to Duncan and Kawhi Leonard should only exist as a fan fiction, butGregg Popovich somehow pulled it off anyway. Across from the new-look Spurs is our old friend Durant, who only played 27 games last year. If not for Aldridge, the first storyline for this game would be his upcoming 2016 free agency; regardless, this game is full of so many fascinating things that you can't miss it.

1. Clippers at Mavericks, Nov. 11

"Just kidding," Jordan said, five days after verbally agreeing to a contract with the Dallas Mavericks. In his first appearance at the American Airlines Center since the fated "Indecision," Maverick fans will get a chance to reply back, surely in a deafening chorus of boos anytime he so much as breathes. Dallas was screwed by his decision in several ways: it lost a 26-year-old center who it was prepared to turn into a franchise building block and it lost any chance to pursue a secondary target, most of which signed during the brief period that the Mavericks believed Jordan to be in the bag. On the other hand, Los Angeles will be sure to show Jordan exactly why he made the right decision by attempting to crush Dallas. There won't be a game this entire regular season that can match the energy of this one.

4. מציע לקאבס לא להרגיז את לברון

ה-STAND-OFF בין הקאבס וטריסטן ת'ומפסון הופך ליותר ויותר THREATENING. מאיים. מפחיד. המילה האנגלית כוללת את שתי המילים העבריות (אל תדאגו לעברית שלי! החודש בארץ החזיר לי את השפה אם-כי נכדתי דריה – גאונית קטנה ממזרה ההולכת לקורס 8200 בקרוב מאד – מדברת בסמארטפון עם חברותיה, ורבע מהמילים לא שמעתי מעולם) ולכן השתמשתי במילה האנגלית.

המחנה עומד להיפתח בקרוב. לברון בלאס ווגאס עם הנבחרת האמריקאית. הוא רמז לקאבס ש-'מוטב שיהיה הסכם עד שאחזור'.

מחנהו של טריסטן רוצה שהקאבס יעלו את הצעתם למקס. הקאבס רוצה שהוא ייקח משהו שהוא יותר "TEAM FRIENDLY" – משהו שכריס בוש, דירק נוביצקי, דוויין ווייד, ולברון עצמו עשו.

אבל ישנו הבדל קטן. 'קטן' כמו הגראנד קניון ביוטה ואריזוניה (מומי, ספר להם על ה-MULE – הפרד הפסיכי שרכבת עליו עם אוקסנה –  בירידה למעמקי הקניון): כל השמות המוזכרים למעשה עשו את העשרות מיליונים (וגם מאות) לפני 'הויתור הגדול'. טריסטאן הוא טירון ירוק בעולם הפיננסים, אז למה שיוותר? רק בגלל שהקאבס ניכנסה לצרות גדולות מאד עם ה-LUXURY TAX שלה?

ת'ומפסון יודע שישנן 10 קבוצות העומדות בתור להציע לו הרים וגבעות (ז"א מקס) בעונה הבאה אם הקאבס לא תוקעים אותו ביתדות לקבוצתם לשנים הבאות.