2013-14 NBA schedule released

This is an annual thing that I usually do for the NHL’s schedule, but I figured, why not transfer it over to basketball now that this site is a little more general sports based?

What follows is each team’s schedule of appearances on ABC, ESPN and TNT throughout the 2013-14 season, in alphabetical order.

That ranks as the 12th-most appearances in the league -- 12th! -- for a team that would by any rights receive a hypothetical third-place medal, if the NBA awarded such a thing.

Indeed, Roy. And we’ll continue not watching the Pacers -- or not being able to as much as their play merits.

The NBA announced its schedule for the 2013-14 season on Tuesday and, as expected, there are several games that will be must-see television for any NBA fan.

With so many intriguing storylines taking place during the offseason, it’s safe to assume that much of the summer’s drama will carry over into the season. That’s good news for everyone when it comes to entertainment value.

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Although no teams openly admit to “tanking,” the art of losing games en masse to position oneself for better draft picks, it’s pretty clear that a handful of NBA teams this year deliberately made themselves worse in the short term for the hope of a better future.

Utah Jazz at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 8

Orlando Magic at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 22

Orlando Magic at Charlotte Bobcats, 7 p.m. ET, Friday, April 4

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Bobcats, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 12

Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday April 16

Last year’s NBA Finals featured some of the best basketball the league’s biggest stage has ever seen. It’s no surprise that the league decided to prominently feature both of the rematches between the two Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs in the 2013-2014 season.

The first matchup between the two comes on one of the NBA’s biggest days, for marketing purposes: Sunday, Jan. 26, the first Sunday when there’s no NFL game preventing hoops from being the biggest show. (Unless you count the Pro Bowl.) The Heat host the Spurs that day at 1 p.m., a day which also features Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks facing Kobe Bryant and the Lakers as well as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett return to Boston to play the Celtics with their new team, the Brooklyn Nets.

Of course, those two games will pale in comparison to what will transpire Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10:30 p.m. ET, when Howard and the Rockets grace the Staples Center for the first time in the season. No matter how bad the Lakers may be, the arena will be sold out and the boos that rain down on Howard during team introductions figure to be nothing less than earsplitting. That game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Finally, the last regular season game between the two teams is also in Staples Center right before the end of the season, Tuesday, April 8, also at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s the entire back-to-back counts for all 30 teams.

Charlotte Bobcats: 22

The NBA has released its schedule for the 2013-14 season, with ABC, ESPN and TNT combining to air 142 games from late October until mid-April.

TNT gets first crack, as is customary, with a rematch of a second round playoff series from last season as the Bulls visit the Heat. Turner will also provide coverage of the Heat’s ring ceremony and banner raising, commemorating their second consecutive NBA Championship. The doubleheader is capped off with the L.A. showdown, as the Lakers play “host” to the Clippers.

The Celtics released Rivers from his contract this offseason and allowed him to sign with Los Angeles.

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It’s a new era in Houston, Dwight Howard’s first official game in Rockets red will come at home Wednesday, Oct. 30, as his new team’s first game of the year comes at the Toyota Center.

By landing this year’s most coveted free agent, the Rockets went from a decent crew led by James Harden to a team many think can contend in the Western Conference. It’ll probably be tough to gauge how good they are by one night in October against the Bobcats, but it will be a memorable evening in Houston as they welcome Howard.

The 2013-2014 NBA schedule was released Tuesday night, and the world will get its first look at some of the teams that have gone through major roster upheavals.

Click here for the full NBA schedule.

Five games including 10 of the most question-laden teams will compose the Christmas day NBA schedule. It starts with a first-round classic from a year ago, a match-up between the NBA’s two most popular players and finishes with a Western Conference showdown.

The San Antonio Spurs will play the Houston Rockets, who, after signing free agent Dwight Howard, are on paper the biggest threat to the Spurs’ top spot in the Western Conference.

The games were announced on NBATV, and the full schedule can now be found on NBA.com.

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New York City, naturally, will be buzzing on Dec. 25.

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