With the 2022-2023 NBA Schedule being released today, the association is implementing a “Rivals Week” from January 24-28th, jam-packed with eleven high-intensity matchups. While including some classic rivalries, such as Celtics v. Lakers, Rivals Week also has thrown in some recently developed rivalries, two of the most exciting being the Celtics v. Heat and Grizzlies v. Warriors.
Although we’re more likely to see Draymond Green pull someone’s shorts down (pause) over actual fisticuffs, I’m still extremely excited to see some of these matchups play out. Since the addition of the Play-In Tournament, every regular season game could have a significant impact on a team’s position come playoff time, so I’m confident these matchups won’t just be good on paper but will actually deliver some of the best basketball during this upcoming season.
Looking at the schedule, I genuinely could care less about this mediocre Lakers team, who will probably be without Anthony Davis due to yet another injury. I mean, the only reason they even have two games during Rivals Week is because of LeBron (hence the near $100 million extension). With the star power that Luka Dončić and Devin Booker provide in the Mavericks v. Suns matchup, I’m predicting that game to be the most heated and gritty during this Rivals Week, hopefully not becoming a repeat of last season’s game seven between the two.
