1. Nov. 2, Washington at Boston: The new-look Celts finally take the court to begin their season. I've always wondered what it would take for Brian Scalabrine to be a starter in the NBA.

2. Nov. 14, Charlotte at Atlanta: A game we Hawks fans can finally look forward to, considering the Hawks begin the season playing against six consecutive probable playoff teams. I guess The Sternbot has no love for Atlanta.

3. January 31, San Antonio at Phoenix: Robert Horry visits Phoenix for the first time this season after hip-checking Steve Nash into the scorer's table during last year's Playoffs. Hopefully the Suns players will have learned how not to run off the bench if any trouble occurs.

4. March 19, Denver at Philadelphia: It's easy to forget, but Allen Iverson still hasn't played in Philadelphia since the Sixers traded him to Denver last year. Tonight marks his return in what should be a wild atmosphere. Hope you have NBA League Pass -- ESPN isn't showing the game.

5. March 29, Phoenix at New Jersey: Strange things happen when the Suns come to Jersey. Two years ago, Phoenix came to The Swamp and lost by about 40 points. Last year, the two teams went to double overtime and combined to score well over 300 points. This year ... who knows? Maybe it will be strangest of all Meadowlands occurrences: a sell-out.