NBA Season openers unveiled: LAL vs LAC, TOR vs NOP

[CelticsElite]

October 22nd is the expected date of NBA opening night, league sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Opening night fixtures include the Lakers vs. the Clippers, and the Raptors vs. the Pelicans

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1157690998874443781

[ChillyWilly]

Aug and Sept are my least favorite months.  I can't wait for open day!

[Celts Fan 508]

Raptors vs Pelicans, NBA is pushing Zion hard

[Ogaju]

Finally the NBA gets its pet project going. LAL on every major viewing day. I am sure they did all they could to get AD to LAL.

[Birdman]

Lakers will be on TV at least 75% of the time..good news they be on around 10:30 when playing on West coast

[Somebody]

Can't wait for the Clippers to put the second rate team in LA back in their place. It's been this way for 6-7 years

[Moranis]

I actually expect the Lakers to win the opening night game (though think the Clippers will have the better season on the whole).

The Zion hype is immense and the defending champs should get some love, so I understand the rationale behind the game, but it is a weird game to have on opening night.

[bdm860]

The Zion hype is immense and the defending champs should get some love, so I understand the rationale behind the game, but it is a weird game to have on opening night.

Just doing a little digging for rookies who got opening night/Christmas games:

2002 Rookie Yao: none
2003 Rookie LeBron: Christmas
2004 Rookie Howard: none
2005 Rookie Bogut: opening night (non TNT game)
2006 Rookie Bargnani: none
2007 Rookie Oden: opening night and Christmas (vs Durant)
2007 Rookie Durant: Christmas (vs Oden)
2008 Rookie Rose: opening night (non TNT game)
2009 Rookie Griffin: opening night and Christmas (but injured for the year).
2010 Rookie Wall: none
2011 Rookie Irving: none (opening night and Christmas were the same day due to lockout)
2012 Rookie Davis: none
2013 Rookie Bennett: none
2014 Rookie Wiggins: none
2015 Rookie Towns: none
2016 Rookie Simmons: none
2017 Rookie Fultz: Christmas (but also had Simmons rebooted rookie year + Embiid)
2018 Rookie Ayton: none

I remember a lot of hype with Yao and LeBron, surprised they only got 1 game out of 4 between them.

Oden got blessed with both (and played in both) but played poorly.  Only 4 points combined.

Griffin makes sense being in a major market like LA, but boy did that backfire with him missing the season.

Looking back thought Fultz might have the honor (being teamed with Simmons who had yet to play an NBA game + Embiid who had a lot of intrigue with 31 really good games in 3 seasons), but the BOS/CLE matchup TNT went with on opening night made more sense.  Plus there was still a lot of "the process" stink left on the Sixers at this time.

That's what's kind of surprising to me about Zion.  It's one thing in a down year, but there seems like so many good potential games for opening night and Christmas, surprised he got both, something only a select few rookies have gotten, and has yet to turn out good for the NBA. 

Probably helps though that the Pelicans are expected to be good too, and not some 20 win team.

[hwangjini_1]

all i am interested in is the celtics' schedule.

[SHAQATTACK]

all i am interested in is the celtics' schedule.

tp