Feb 10, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) shoots over Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The official NBA schedule isn’t supposed to come out until sometime next week — reportedly Tuesday — but that didn’t stop two Lakers games being leaked. So, who will the Lakers face in the opening week and on Christmas day? Lets find out.
According to the great Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are set to face…Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets in the first few games of the season. Surprising, I know. Most people figured this battle was going to be on Christmas day because of Dwight Howard, but we were wrong.
Y! Sports: After a summer of battling, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will meet Dwight Howard and the Rockets on Nov. 7. http://t.co/KrYKODouDg
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2013
Now that we know the Lakers are set to face off against the Rockets earlier than expected, who will they play on Christmas? None other then LeBron James and the Miami Heat, according to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.
"“The Miami Heat will be getting their 2013 NBA championship rings in front of the Chicago Bulls. Their fans then will get to enjoy their Christmas dinner watching the Heat from afar, against the Los Angeles Lakers.”"
It’s a surprise the Heat aren’t going to play either the Indiana Pacers, or the San Antonio Spurs, especially since the Lakers aren’t going to be near as good as those teams. However, the Lakers always draw a huge audience, and so do the Heat, so a battle between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will surely bring in huge ratings — no matter how bad the Lakers are.
What do YOU think of the schedule? Was it a good idea to have the Lakers play the Heat on Christmas instead of the Rockets? Let us know down below!