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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 theyll 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 years Warriors is that we cant put weight in their regular season -- not even after they produced the greatest and possibly most entertaining regular-season performance in league history. We cant even put weight in the first four games of the NBA Finals. Thats why the traditional Christmas Day NBA Finals rematch doesnt 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 gameTheres a good chance four Golden State Warriors make the All-Star game: Durant,?Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Theres just as good a chance that Russell Westbrook wont 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 ThunderWhy so late in the season? Customarily, the Thunder go to Oakland early in the season, and the Warriors head to OKC after the New Year. But customarily, Kevin Durant plays 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 dont 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 that 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 Durants 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 HeatSure, it 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 the giant pictures of Wade in the hallway on the way to the court. Also, should we expect a Wade-Pat Riley public reconciliation on the court before the game, or no?Nov. 4: New York Knicks at Chicago BullsThe big question is how new Knicks guard Derrick Rose?will be introduced before the game. When Michael Jordan came back with the Washington Wizards the first time, he got the full From NORTH Carolina treatment. Will Rose be brought out to the old homeboy from Chicago! or will it be a pedestrian A 6-foot-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 old Bulls standbys?Nov. 30: Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City ThunderScott Brooks is back. Among the many ramifications of the Thunders collapse in the last three games of the Western Conference finals is that it left Brooks the only coach to take the team to the NBA Finals. Brooks had quietly become one of the leagues longest-tenured coaches during his six-plus years with the Thunder. Now he is Washingtons sixth coach since the turn of the century.Dec. 13:?Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago BullsAfter the Thibs Tour that took Tom Thibodeau to practices around the league during his year off, its time to start the Reunion Roundup. First stop: his old Chicago stomping grounds. More importantly, this is 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 the Timberwolves will be worth whatever time or financial investment it takes to catch their games on all available platforms on a regular basis.Feb. 15: Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland CavaliersIf 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 for 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 CelticsLos Angeles at Boston on a nationally televised Sunday afternoon game -- just like back in the 80s! OK, its the Clippers, not the Lakers, and its on ABC, not CBS. But theres no reason the Garden crowd cant break out a Beat L.A.! chant for old times sake. And if Craig Sager can work sideline for an ABC NBA Finals game, why cant Brent Musburger do the intro for this one?Dec. 16:?Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ersAnother matchup that was 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 years. With the possibility of seeing Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Jahlil Okafor, DAngelo Russell and even Joel Embiid on the court, theres plenty of reason besides nostalgia to tune in. Its also a rare eagerly anticipated summer league rematch. Remember the 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 WarriorsFree agencys big spenders vs. free agencys 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 cost the Warriors only a fraction of that to own the offseason by adding Kevin Durant. The biggest news -- and biggest contract -- was the extension for C.J. McCollum, which means we should brace for many, many backcourt supremacy battles pitting him and Damian Lillard?against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.Nov. 9: Dallas Mavericks at Golden State WarriorsOlympic basketball has taken so much of the luster from the former Warriors storyline. Harrison Barnes has already returned to Oracle Arena and greeted Warriors general manager Bob Myers during Team USAs exhibition tour. Barnes, Thompson, Green, Durant and Andrew Bogut?shared the court during the USA-Australia game. There arent 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 RocketsAnother game that should be low on the warm/angry/awkward scale, and thats sad. Theres 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 and joining the Hawks. Among other things, that allowed the Rockets to redo James Hardens contract, providing the Rockets with franchise player stability and Harden with a wealth starter kit. Howard didnt mess up in Houston. The style of play in the NBA -- and the Rockets -- moved away from him. Cheap Jordans From China . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Under Armour Outlet Clearance . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. http://www.outletsneakersclearance.com/fake-air-jordan.html . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Fake Air Max 270 For Sale . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Nike Vapormax Wholesale . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. CHICAGO -- Cubs fans had to wait 108 years to see their team win a World Series and another month to see one of the most famous athletes in the world pay off a bet by wearing the uniform of their team because the Cleveland Indians were the lovable losers this time around.LeBron James arrived to the Cleveland Cavaliers game against the Chicago Bulls in a full Cubs uniform, as promised, to settle a wager with his former teammate Dwyane Wade. From the blue Cubs cap with a red C atop his head to the white pinstriped jersey and baseball pants and all the way down to blue stirrups on his feet, James fulfilled his obligation after the Cubs beat the Indians 8-7 in Game 7 one month ago to the day.Doesnt he look good, everybody? Wade said, as he was flanked by more than 50 media members who parked themselves at the United Center loading dock for hours to await James to get there on the Cavs team bus. Look at him, he looks great.Following the game, a 111-105 Bulls victory, Wade said,?I actually thought he looked good, man. He actually did look like he could play baseball. I would have looked terrible.James made a pouty face as Wade whipped out his phone to take video of the spectacle.This s--- crazy, huh? James said as he made the walk up the ramp through a sea of onlookers -- including the Cubs mascot Clark -- and to the visiting locker room. We off the chain.As Kevin Love made his way behind the throng of people there to see James, the Cavs forward likened the scene to something he had only previously seenn created by Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan.ddddddddddddYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, James said in a video taken on the bus ride over to the arena and posted on Uninterrupted, the multimedia platform he cofounded. So before I walk into the United Center and get bombarded with cameras and everything, yeah, I lost this bet, and this is unfortunate what I have to go into the arena in.At that point of the video, James takes the camera and aims it at his body, showing the different parts of the uniform he has on.Pinstripes all the way down to the shoes, he said. Yeah, I mean, all the way to the World Series patch on the arm. You know, my Indians gave everything they had, and the Cubs came back and they showed what true champions are all about. Meanwhile, Im pinstriped up walking into a nationally televised game in Chicago because of the bet I lost.So, youre all welcome. Youre all welcome.Cubs slugger and reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant got a kick out of James attire.The Indians? Not so much.Wade, though, said the point of it all was to enjoy the moment.It was great. At the end of the day, were here to entertain as well, he said. This is our job and we do take it serious, but moments that you can entertain, from the walk in with the Cubs situation and the bet, even to the moments on the court when you can entertain. We continue to do our job in that space. ' ' '