After another busy offseason in which one power move in particular completely changed the outlook of the NBA, the only thing remaining is to the actual games and to see how things play out. Kevin Durant’s move to the Golden State Warriors created a major shake up throughout the association and will play a significant role in two games that fans can’t wait to see. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference is also represented on this list with a couple of key games circled on the calendar. Here is a look at the four NBA games that we can’t wait to see next season.
Golden State Warriors @ Oklahoma City Thunder
February 11th
No one game will be more highly anticipated than Durant’s return to Oklahoma City. It’ll be his return to face his former team as a member of the Warriors on February 11th. Durant spent his first eight seasons with the Thunder, leading Oklahoma City to a pair of NBA Finals and earning MVP honors in 2014. It will be very interesting to see how the fans receiver Durant when he makes his return. And we’ll see whether or not his unexpected offseason departure is enough to erase the years of good he did for the franchise in their minds. The Thunder still has the talent to be a playoff team in 2016-17 and we are looking forward to seeing how they match up versus Golden State. Expect to hear some boos as not many fans were happy with how things went down this offseason.
Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers
December 25th
Even before the Warriors make their trip to Oklahoma City in February, Kevin Durant and company will travel to Cleveland for a date with the defending NBA champion Cavaliers. Golden State blew a 3-1 series lead in last year’s NBA Finals but they certainly addressed that collapse with the offseason addition of Durant. Now the Warriors will travel to Cleveland on Christmas Day with a special present in mind for the Cavaliers. Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will have had a couple of months to develop their chemistry by the time this game rolls around and it will be interesting to see how Cleveland matches up against their new-look roster. The Warriors will clearly be looking for some revenge but the regular season meetings might not matter so much. Remember that Golden State dominated the regular season series last year before falling just short in the finals.
Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat
November 10th
Durant isn’t the only star player that will play his former team this season. Dwyane Wade was among the biggest names that switched allegiances in the offseason. Wade and the Bulls will visit Miami in early November in what should be an emotional game for both Wade and Pat Riley. It still feels like Wade didn’t really want to leave Miami but the Bulls gave him an offer that he couldn’t refuse, and the Heat simply didn’t give him much of an offer to keep him.
Ultimately, it will be all business once the tipoff happens but the fans in Miami should give him a warm welcome. After shaking up their roster in the offseason, it will be interesting to see how Chicago fares with the expectation being that they can make a return to the playoffs in 2016-17.
Los Angeles Clippers @ Boston Celtics
February 5th
There are some that think that by the time the Clippers visit Boston in early February, Blake Griffin will be wearing Celtics green. There have been persistent rumors that Los Angeles will trade Griffin at some point this season and Boston would certainly makes sense as a team that has been searching desperately to add a superstar. Regardless of how things play out from a trade perspective, we will still get to hear Celtics fans chant “Beat LA!” in a nationally televised Sunday game that features what should be two of the better playoff teams in their respective conferences. It’s not exactly the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, but the Lakers are beaten down these days. This rivalry could take precedence in 2017.
