NBA viewer's guide: Warriors, Thunder highlight must-watch list

— -- Can we nominate the Oklahoma City Thunder as the most interesting least interesting team in the NBA?? Kevin Durant left to join the Golden State Warriors in July, and no other franchise that took such a dramatic step backward this offseason will be as intriguing to watch this year as OKC.

Even though I doubt they'll be anywhere near each other in the Western Conference standings, the Thunder and the Warriors could be equally captivating in 2016-17.

The unfortunate lesson from last year's Warriors is that we can't put weight in their regular season -- not even after they produced the greatest and possibly most entertaining regular-season performance in league history. We can't even put weight in the first four games of the NBA Finals. That's why the traditional Christmas Day NBA Finals rematch doesn't excite me enough to make this list. The only significant storyline with the Warriors is whether they can reach the finish line that they fell short of last season.

As for everyone else? Play on!

Feb. 19: NBA All-Star game

There's a good chance four Golden State Warriors could make the All-Star game: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. And there's just as good a chance that Russell Westbrook won't pass to any of them. Add the inevitable discussion about the game moving from Charlotte,?and it could be a fascinating weekend.

Feb. 11: Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder

Why so late in the season? Yeah, customarily the Thunder go to Oakland early in the season and the Warriors head to OKC after the New Year. But customarily, Kevin Durant played for the Thunder. Durant turned so much upside down by joining the Warriors that the scheduling of the Warriors-Thunder games should have flipped with it.

Another scheduling oddity: the Warriors don't have a home game on ESPN until Jan. 4, against Portland. ESPN set up shop in Oakland in Week 2 last season and seemingly never left.?

By February, some of the shock of seeing Durant in a new uniform will have worn off. Has any player made a jersey to the extent Durant made the Thunder jersey? The design always seemed like something a team in an after-school special would wear, yet Durant brought it legitimacy. The Thunder still have to retire No. 35 when Durant's career is over, right? But, on Feb. 11, it will feel like the opposite of a nostalgic ceremony for OKC fans.

Nov. 10: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat

Sure, this will be strange for Dwyane Wade to dress in the visitors' locker room in American Airlines Arena. I bet it will be just as jarring for the Heat players to walk past all of those giant pictures of Wade in the hallway on the way to the court. Also, a Wade-Pat Riley public reconciliation on the court before the game, or nah?

Nov. 4: New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls

The big question is how will new Knicks guard Derrick Rose be introduced before the game? When Michael Jordan came back with the Washington Wizards the first time he got the full "From NORTH Car-olina..." treatment. Will Rose be brought out to the old homeboy "From Chicago!" or will it be a pedestrian "A 6-3 guard in his eighth year out of Memphis..."?

It will be interesting to see how the reception for Rose compares to that of Joakim Noah, who also left Chicago for the Big Apple this summer. Also: How will the reception for this new, oddly constructed Bulls team compare to the Knicks squad featuring a couple of old Bulls standbys?

Nov. 30: Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder

Scott Brooks is back. Among the many ramifications of the Thunder's collapse in the last three games of the Western Conference finals is that it left Brooks as the only coach to take the team to the NBA Finals. Brooks had quietly become one of the league's longest-tenured coaches during his 6-plus years with the Thunder. Now he is Washington's sixth coach since the turn of the century.

Dec. 13:? Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls

After the Thibs Tour that took Tom Thibodeau to practices around the league during his year off, it's time to start the Reunion Roundup. First stop: his old Chicago stomping grounds. More importantly, it's one of six ESPN games -- and four TNT games -- for the Timberwolves. In other words, this is one of the easier chances for those outside Minnesota to catch Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, rookie Kris Dunn and the crew. But they'll be worth whatever time/financial investment it takes to catch their games on all available platforms on a regular basis.

Feb. 15: Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

If Paul George can get back to playing at a LeBron-like level the way he did in those great Pacers-Heat playoff battles then maybe, possibly, there could be a challenge to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Jeff Teague gives the Pacers a better point guard to combat Kyrie Irving, so this date in February could tell us if there will be anything to see here in May.

Feb. 5: Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics

Los Angeles at Boston on a nationally televised Sunday afternoon game, just like back in the 80s! Okay, so it's the Clippers, not the Lakers. And it's on ABC, not CBS. There's no reason the Garden crowd can't break out a "Beat L.A.!" chant for old time's sake. And if Craig Sager can work sidelines for an ABC NBA Finals game, why can't Brent Musburger do the intro for this one?

Dec. 16:? Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ers

Another matchup that used to be a Sunday fixture in the 80s. In this case, a Friday night meeting on ESPN represents a nice step forward for two teams that have been at the bottom of the league the past couple of years. With the possibility of seeing Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Jahlil Okafor, D'Angelo Russell and even Joel Embiid on the court, there's plenty of reason besides nostalgia to tune in. It's also a rare eagerly anticipated summer league rematch. Remember their game in a packed house in Las Vegas that was decided by a Russell 3-pointer? (I sure remember the interview afterward).

Jan. 4:? Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors

Free agency's big spenders vs. free agency's big winners. The Blazers headed toward $400 million in salary commitments this summer, primarily to keep their 2015-16 squad intact (and poach Festus Ezeli from the Warriors), while it only cost the Warriors a fraction of that to own the off-season by adding Kevin Durant. The biggest news -- and biggest contract -- was for the extension for C.J. McCollum, which means we should brace for many, many backcourt supremacy battles between he and Damian Lillard vs. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Nov. 9: Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors

Olympic basketball has taken so much of the luster from the former Warrior's storyline. Harrison Barnes has already returned to Oracle Arena and greeted Warriors general manager Bob Myers during Team USA's exhibition tour. Barnes, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and Andrew Bogut all shared the court during the USA-Australia game. Not a whole lot of warm, angry or awkward moments left for these individuals. And warm, angry or awkward moments are the best part of schedule-perusing.

Feb. 2: Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets

Another game that should be low on the warm/angry/awkward scale, and that's actually sad. There's nowhere near as much angst left behind by Dwight Howard in Houston as there was when he left Orlando and Los Angeles. If anything, Howard did the Rockets a favor by opting out of his contract with the Rockets and joining the Hawks. Among other things, it allowed the Rockets to redo James Harden's contract, providing the Rockets with franchise player stability and Harden with a wealth starter kit. Howard didn't mess up in Houston. The style of play in the NBA -- and the Rockets -- moved away from him.