Sometimes the most memorable games are the ones with a lot of talk before the game, like home wins last season against the Warriors and Cavaliers, or the Giannis triple-double against the Lakers in Kobe’s final Milwaukee visit.
More often, though, the best games just come along randomly, like the Grizzlies/John Henson/Matt Barnes game on St. Patrick’s Day last season, or the Khris Middleton buzzer-beater against the Heat the season before (or the Middleton buzzer-beater against the Suns earlier in 2014-15), or Antetokounmpomania on a Monday night in February against the Knicks the year before that.
So these are 10 games to watch. Which is not to say you should not watch the Bucks play the Jazz on Groundhog Day Eve. The Jazz are young and deep and they may be a playoff team. Inexplicably, I also left off the Timberwolves, Celtics and Spurs. Also, games start in like 10 weeks.
Could also go with the rematch two days later in Milwaukee, an ESPN game. This, though, at Madison Square Garden, is the first game against the new-look (also: old-look) Knicks. Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings and Carmelo Anthony all were better in 2011 than 2015, and this will be 2017. Kristaps Porzingis is a real hooper on the rise, though.
The Kings drafted two centers in the first round this season, and best player available is normally a sound strategy, but perhaps not when you have DeMarcus Cousins as your center. And they have Kosta Koufos for three more years as his backup. Anyway, this offseason the Kings also signed Matt Barnes, sometimes-pal of John Henson. The Kings.
The two Warriors games last season were the two most memorable games of the season to me. And no matter who they play, how can you not watch the Warriors this season. For the Bucks, this could be rough though: It will be the second night of a back-to-back and the fourth game of a six-game road trip, their longest since 2010.
Russell Westbrook is the odds-on favorite to win the MVP right now. He will have more triple-doubles than Giannis this season. He might be the only one, though.
For the sake of competitiveness in the West against the Warriors, hopefully Blake Griffin returns to 2014-15 Playoffs Blake Griffin this season. Regardless, any team Chris Paul plays on will be on this list (even a team with a bench like this Clippers bench), as long as he somehow remains in his prime, which is going on 10 years now.
Day game! Day games are fun. Weekday day games are additionally-fun. This matinee is part of the traditional day of NBA on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This is just about the midpoint of the season (game 40 for the Bucks), and it is the first visit from the 76ers, who should not be very good, so the Bucks should win, which is typically enjoyable. And though the 76ers will not win much this season, they do have three of the most intriguing guys to who have not yet played in the NBA, in Dario Saric, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
This is the first Milwaukee-visit from the Bulls of the season. And it is the first night of a home-and-home. And it is on TNT. And curiously, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo now play for the Bulls.
Two seasons ago, in the Milwaukee matchup, Giannis (29/5/4/3/3) and Anthony Davis (43/10/6) went back and forth, giving us dreams of a future Bucks/Pelicans Finals. Both teams fell out of the playoffs last season, but both players confirmed they are among the top handful or two most exciting to watch.
LeBron is going down as one of the five (maybe two, depending on where things go from here) greatest players in history. He is coming off one of the greatest NBA Finals performances in history. Actually, he is coming off two of the greatest NBA Finals performances in history. The craziest thing I have ever seen in person on a basketball court is when LeBron scored 22 points in 3:12 in Milwaukee back in 2009. Last season, LeBron went for 37 in a double-overtime Bucks win. He does well.
Seven years ago (seven years ago!), Brandon Jennings dropped 55 points on the Warriors in Milwaukee. Last year, the Bucks beat the 24-0 Warriors in Milwaukee. This year, the Warriors may just be 12-0 entering the game. The best regular season team ever just added one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The Warriors will be playing in Milwaukee for the first time (and only) time this season. So yeah, this one might be worth circling on the calendar.
