by Jordan Schultz

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Heat, Jazz, Kings, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Suns, Trail Blazers, Wizards, Eastern, Western, NBA Media Watch, Thunder, NBA Previews, Sports Business and Media

The NBA season doesn’t start until Oct. 26, but it’s never too early to highlight some of the most exciting and critical matchups on tap.

The league opener is sure to be full of drama as the revamped Miami Heat travel to Beantown to play the Celtics and their most recent addition, Shaquille O’Neal, which will tip at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT.

Other notable early season games include a matchup of the Florida teams as Orlando travels to South Beach to play the Heat on Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

In a rematch of the 2009 Western Conference finals, the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers will play in Phoenix against the Amare-less Suns in Game 2 of ESPN’s double-header the night of Oct. 29th.