2021-22 NBA schedule: 10 must-see matchups on the calendar
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
The NBA has released the schedule for its 75th anniversary season, which opens Oct. 19.
We're still a ways away from any action on the court, but it's never too early to start circling games on your calendar.
Here are our top 10 must-see games for the 2021-22 season.
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets, Oct. 19
This will be fun. The Nets will have to sit through the Bucks' ring ceremony, which should add fuel to this brewing rivalry.
These teams last met in a thrilling Eastern Conference semifinal series, the most fun and exciting matchup of the playoffs, in which the Bucks overcame a 2-0 deficit to knock off the East's superteam. It all came down to Game 7, which the Bucks won 115-111 in overtime, despite Kevin Durant's incredible, 48-point performance.
The Nets struggled with injuries last season, with their Big Three of Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving hardly playing together. That opened up the East for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years.
These teams' series felt like the NBA Finals – and what better way to start the season than by watching the most thrilling matchup from last year play out again?
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2. Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Oct. 19
There are so many storylines here. This will be our first glimpse of LeBron James, who will turn 37 next season and has been on a social media bender of late, threatening that anyone who dismisses him as washed or his team as too old will soon regret their words. This will also be our first glimpse of Russell Westbrook in a Lakers uniform. Will the triple-double king, The King and The Brow be a harmonious match?
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Klay Thompson will make his return on opening night after missing the past two seasons because of a torn left ACL and a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Warriors general manager Bob Myers said in May that he isn't sure if it's "realistic" for Thompson to play in this game, but even if he's out, Thompson will be inching closer and closer to returning to a team that took over the league from 2014 to 2019, making five straight NBA Finals appearances and winning three championships.
4. Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets, Oct. 20
The Nuggets have likely been haunted by images of the Suns sweeping them out of the second round of the playoffs, capped off by the league's reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic, being ejected from Game 4 after taking a wild swing at Cameron Payne. It was a frustration play that Jokic later apologized for, but nonetheless, that was the last image from an otherwise spectacular season that earned him the top individual accolade in the league. He'd undoubtedly like to erase that memory and could do so with a commanding win over the Suns.
4. New York Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors, Nov. 1
The Knicks became relevant last season, just in time for the 75th anniversary of the NBA. Three-quarters of a century ago, the league's first regular-season game was played between the Knicks and the Toronto Huskies on Nov. 1, 1946. These teams will meet again on their anniversary to celebrate all that the league has become. Luckily, just in time, the Knicks have transformed from the laughingstock of the league into a playoff team for the first time in eight years. Fortunately for the league, everything has come together in the Knick of time.
5. Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets, Nov. 10
This game will feature the top two NBA draft picks. The Pistons selected Cade Cunningham at No. 1, and the Rockets chose Jalen Green at No. 2. When they met at Summer League in Las Vegas, Green outplayed Cunningham and went on to say that he thought he should've gone No. 1. The fire between these two players has been fanned before they've played their first regular-season game. You've gotta love a good rivalry.
6. Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Oct. 30
The 76ers are facing a lot of uncertainty around Ben Simmons right now, but this much is for sure: They're still bitter about losing to the Hawks in the second round of the playoffs.
For a while, it seemed like it might finally be the 76ers' year. Simmons and Joel Embiid had chemistry, and everything seemed to be gelling under new coach Doc Rivers, who led the team to the best record in the East, at 49-23.
But Trae Young played the foil, Danny Green got hurt, Simmons fell apart, and things unraveled for the 76ers. They're probably counting down the seconds until they get another go at this team.
7. LA Clippers vs. Utah Jazz, Dec. 15
The Clippers overcame 2-0 series deficits in the first two rounds of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz. For the Jazz, it must've really stung, considering that they finished with the top record in the league (50-22) for the first time in franchise history. The Jazz are going to want to avenge their disappointing collapse, and the Clippers are going to draw a lot of their ire.
8. Lakers vs. Nets, Dec. 25
These teams were *supposed to* meet in the Finals last season. Instead, the Lakers flamed out in the first round against Phoenix, and the Nets lost to Milwaukee in the second round. Both teams were decimated by injuries — and they're both incredibly driven now to fulfill their potential. Hopefully both squads stay healthy enough this time around to give us the matchup we've all been waiting to see on Christmas Day — and beyond.
9. Bucks vs. Suns, Feb. 10
This is the first time these teams will meet since the NBA Finals, in which the Bucks overcame their second 2-0 deficit of the playoffs to win the championship.
It was a hard-fought series between two championship-starved franchises. It was Chris Paul's first NBA Finals appearance, and he desperately tried to lead the Suns to their first title. But Antetokounmpo was unstoppable, finishing with at least 40 points and 12 rebounds in back-to-back games, followed by a 50-point, 14-rebound performance in the Bucks' Game 6 clincher.
The last images we have of these teams are the Suns fighting off tears and the Bucks spraying one another with champagne. This game is sure to be super-charged with emotion.
10. Lakers vs. Clippers, March 3
For the past two seasons, we've hoped to see these teams meet in the playoffs for the first time in NBA history. We're still waiting.
The Hallway Rivalry continues to be anything but a rivalry, with the Lakers holding 17 NBA championships and the Clippers none. Sure, the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time last season, while the Lakers were eliminated in the first round, but Los Angeles is still unquestionably a Lakers town.
Both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have committed to long-term deals with the Clippers and are hoping to finally push their allegedly cursed franchise over the hump. This will be the last time these teams meet before the playoffs, so here's hoping we'll get to see them play again after this game.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
