Here’s what we know: there will be a 66 game season beginning on December 25, the season will end on April 26, and every team will have to endure at least one back-to-back-to-back scenario.
Thanks to the NBA lockout, the Miami Heat had some extra time to think about the championship rings that got away when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
They won’t have much more time to dwell on it once the season starts. The Heat have three appearances on ABC and four more on ESPN in the first two months of the NBA season, according to the league schedule, released Tuesday.
The 2011-12 NBA schedule, shortened to 66 games by a lockout that threatened to cancel the entire season, starts Christmas Day with five games and runs through April 26.
The Los Angeles Lakers will play games on the first three nights of the NBA season, the first of 42 back-to-back-to-back sets teams will face.
The compacted schedule will require every team to play on three consecutive nights at least once. And it will force every team to navigate demanding stretches that are never seen during a full season, such as the nine games in 12 nights the Atlanta Hawks face starting with their Dec. 27 opener.
Teams will play 48 conference games and 18 against the opposing conference, meaning they play only three nonconference opponents home and away.
Miami will play a combined 16 games on ESPN and ABC, the most appearances of the NBA’s 30 teams on the two networks, giving those who love or dislike the Big Three plenty of opportunities to cheer for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, or for their opponents.
Read more about the schedule at espn.com
