Last year was a memorable year in the NBA. While the Lakers winning the crown was the obvious highlight there were many other subplots that transpired that are worth mention such as the early Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade, the emergence of rookie Derrick Rose, the always heated playoff race out West, as well as the rise and fall of several prominent franchises.
 
Since the season ended on June 14th fans across the globe began talking about everything that the title meant to the Lakers as well as keeping their eyes open towards next season. With a plethora of off-season moves taking place in the form of trades and free agent signings the league has an even more complex look as teams like the aforementioned Lakers, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics and others all made dramatic moves towards keeping pace towards their title hopes. 
 
The 2009-2010 season figures to be one to keep an eye on and the buzz is already high on what to expect. This past Tuesday, August 4th, the official 2009-2010 schedule was released and we have highlighted some key showdowns and random matchups to keep an eye on throughout the regular season.

Tuesday, October 27th
Boston vs. Cleveland

A key storyline to follow last season was the continued rise of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as many suspecting the demise of then defending champion Boston Celtics. The two teams seemed destined for a collision course in the Eastern Conference Finals but both teams ended up being ousted by the Orlando Magic in shocking fashion.
 
Coming into the new season both teams have reloaded their guns and gone big, with Cleveland trading for Shaquille O’Neal and Boston picking up always enigmatic Rasheed Wallace via free agency. Both teams once again figure to be Eastern Conference power players and this opening night tip off figures to be full of drama and excitement.

Friday, October 30th
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics

For all of the memories produced by these past playoffs, no series stood out as being more compelling that the opening round clash between the veteran Celtics and the upstart Bulls. With an abundance of overtimes and last minute heroics we got to see the best of both teams as Boston was pushed to the limit before walking away the victor in seven heated games.

The two teams meet again fresh into the new season and if their first season meeting is half as good as their recent playoff encounter it figures to be can’t-miss television.

Wednesday, November 11th
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic

Cleveland ended the regular season proud owners of a league best 66-16 mark and also laid claim to the regular season MVP in Lebron James. The hopes were very high and many deemed it to be inevitable that a showdown with Los Angeles in the Finals was looming. The playoffs started well for Cleveland, as they swept through their first eight games, but danger was just around the corner in the form of the Orlando Magic.
 
Causing serious matchup problems from the outset, Orlando erased a double digit first half deficit and ended up stealing game one at Cleveland, setting the tone for the series. Despite Lebron James averaging 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists for the series Orlando was able to take control with a clutch series from big man Dwight Howard as well as other key moments from Rafer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis. 
 
It was no secret that Cleveland acquired O’Neal to help deal with Howard on the inside and on November 11th we’ll get to see how the experiment plays itself out.

Dallas at San Antonio

Despite suffering some heartbreaking playoff losses over recent years the Dallas Mavericks are still full of talent and made some moves this off-season to seemingly get even better, at least on paper. They lock horns with division rival San Antonio early in the season and the encounter should give us a glimpse of how the Southwest race will play itself out.

San Antonio itself made a big splash in recently signing multi-talented forward Richard Jefferson to their roster but there are lingering questions still surrounding the Spurs. Despite having obvious championship pedigree and unquestionable talent the Spurs are one of the oldest teams in the league and have seen season injuries slow down both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli in recent playoff outings.
 
Anyone questioning whether or not the Spurs and Mavericks can hook up for some good basketball should look no further to their memorable 2006 playoff showdown, which Dallas won in seven games after beating the then defending champions on their home floor in overtime.

Thursday, November 12th
Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat

The league has always been built around star power and two of the leagues premier talents and good friends happen to be Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. It’s always interesting when the two teams meet up, not just because of the game itself, but just as much because of the potential showcase opportunity that each man is presented with.
 
The respect between Wade and James is obvious, as Lebron played a big role towards helping Wade get ready in the off-season, and you can tell they both relished winning a Gold Medal together recently in Beijing. When the Heat and Cavaliers meet up on November 12th friendship will be pushed to the side, for 48 minutes at least, as the two teams go head to head.

Saturday, December 5th
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs

Another Western Conference pairing that figures to answer some questions will be when the Nuggets visit the Spurs for the first time in the season. Bolstered by the trade of Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, Denver compiled a 54-28 and showed newfound team chemistry based off of Billups’ leadership, Carmelo Anthony’s all around talents, and an overall team effort. The Nuggets went on to have a successful playoff run as well before losing to the Lakers in the Conference Finals.
 
As good as Denver looks to be again, the Spurs are still the Spurs and every year they push hard for the championship. If they can find a way to stay healthy they figure to again be serious contenders and their first encounter with the rejuvenated Nuggets should produce some quality basketball.

Monday, December 21st
Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns

Another surprising storyline of last season was Shaquille O’Neal’s ability to turn back the clock in producing stellar numbers, as he averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds on 61% shooting while staying healthy enough to play in 75 of the scheduled 82 games in the season.
 
While O’Neal seemed to tap into the fountain of youth there was much turmoil going on with his team at the time, the Phoenix Suns. Ever since Steve Kerr took over the reigns as GM there has seemed to be more questions than answers in the desert and the team has gone from serious contenders to the lottery in just a matter of a few years. The trade that sent O’Neal to the Suns for Shawn Marion made several question Kerr’s logic and despite O’Neal still showing plenty of worth as a player there were rumors that he had locker room issues with some of his teammates.
 
With O’Neal being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers it’s safe to say that neither he nor the Suns were able to accomplish what they wanted when he was in town and you have to wonder how he will be greeted when he returns to the US Airways Center this coming season.

Friday, December 25th
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic

Christmas Day is highlighted by five regular season showdowns. The first standout game of the day takes place when Boston pays the Orlando Magic a visit.  Despite being the team to beat heading into last season, Boston was no doubt affected by the loss of Kevin Garnett late in their campaign and there’s no denying that during their recent playoff run to the Finals the Magic showed a toughness and maturity that they had lacked in years past. With Boston having a key core of aging veterans and the Magic being much younger one might say that the two teams seem to be heading in opposite directions.
 
What Boston fans will say, and perhaps they do have a right, is that the Magic wouldn’t have been able to dethrone them had Kevin Garnett been fully healthy. Even without Garnett Boston was able to push their playoff series with the Magic to seven games and with KG in the picture everything changes dramatically. Hopefully we get some answers on Christmas Day.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers

The second big game to watch for on Christmas Day, and the one that many have been eyeing for quite some time, is the first encounter between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. With names like O’Neal, Bryant, James, and Gasol being thrown into the mix the star power is undeniable and you have to wonder how this matchup will play itself out.
 
The Kobe vs. Lebron chatter will of course still be relevant throughout all next season but what will ultimately determine how a Cleveland-L.A. showdown plays out will be based on the production from each star’s supporting cast. Either way this looks to be a can’t-miss clash between two of the league’s championship contenders.

January 8th
Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trailblazers

For the past couple of years Portland fans have had much to be excited about. The Blazers have continually gotten better each season and the emergence of Brandon Roy as one of the games’ best guards has further bolstered the confidence of Blazer fans across the country. The Blazers finished last season with a 54-28 mark before being eliminated by the Houston Rockets in the first round and outside of Roy they have a lineup full of youth and talent in the likes of LaMarcus Aldrige, Greg Oden, Joel Pryzbilla, and others. The addition of veteran point guard Andre Miller only adds to the Blazers’ intrigue.
 
While some are eyeing Portland as the team of the future there is no disputing that he Lakers are the team of the present. There two could possibly be duking it out in the Western Conference for years to come and their January showdown should give us a glimpse of whether or not the Lakers are still the team to beat and just how far Portland has still to go.

January 12th
Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs

Ever since the turn of the century the Lakers and Spurs have engaged in some memorable playoff series with both teams setting the standard for excellence this past decade. Nearly ten years later both clubs are still very much relevant and it will be interesting seeing how they match up with one another.
 
While San Antonio made a push to take their game to another level with the Jefferson acquisition, Los Angeles also surprised many with the signing of Ron Artest to a multi-year deal and they have had the Spurs’ number in recent years. Regardless of San Antonio’s great coaching in Greg Popovich and their strong team fundamentals, the Spurs still seem to have a big mountain to climb if they are to overcome Los Angeles this year.

January 18th
Orlando Magic at Los Angeles Lakers

On Martin Luther King Day we get our first glimpse of a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals when the Magic visit the Lakers. Despite a frenzy of trades and free agent signings taking place in the off-season, both the Lakers and Magic are regarded as two of the top teams in the league.
 
Despite losing in the Finals 4 games to 1, the Magic still showed a lot of quality throughout the series. Their main problem was during the home stretch of certain games, where their inexperience and lack of clutch play cost them dearly. Now a season removed the Magic will look to show they have learned from their previous mistakes. Perhaps the addition of still dangerous Vince Carter as well as a healthy Jameer Nelson will give the Magic the spark that they are looking for.


(Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger)

Sunday, February 28th
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers

As mentioned earlier in this piece, the Denver Nuggets emerged as one of the top teams in the league last year and followed up their regular season success with a strong playoff push, as they handily defeated both the New Orleans Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks in five games. That lead to a Western Conference Finals showdown with Los Angeles and despite being the heavy underdog, Denver showed much promise throughout the series.
 
Carmelo Anthony broke through with 39 and 34 points in the first two games of the series as Denver managed to even things up at a game apiece. Eventually Los Angeles would figure the Nuggets out as they closed the series in six with a dominant 119-92 win in Denver but there was no denying that the Nuggets made great strides this past season. When the two teams link up on February 28th many will be watching with a close eye.

Monday, March 8th
San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers

In the 2007 NBA Finals the San Antonio Spurs had their way with the Cavaliers, sweeping the Eastern Conference Champions in one of the more forgettable Finals in recent years. At the time Lebron James was just a 22 year old pup in the league and since then Cleveland has made move after move in order to satisfy the championship goals of their leader. 
 
While Cleveland is noticeably improved San Antonio still remains very formidable and gut feeling here says that when they meet on March 8th the two teams will make for far more entertaining basketball than they did in the 2007 Finals.

For a full listing of the televised 2009-2010 NBA Schedule, please visit http://www.nba.com/schedules/national_tv_schedule/index.html

Chris Robinson is a freelance writer for www.24HourHipHop.com and www.8CountNews.com. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.Myspace.com/BoxingHarmony