The 2011-2012 NBA schedule was released Tuesday, with the campaign slated to tip off on November 1 as the Dallas Mavericks host the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center. The reigning NBA champion Mavericks will receive their championship rings before the game, per tradition.
Mavericks-Bulls will be Game 1 of an opening night double-header on TNT, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, in their first game after Phil Jackson's retirement, to follow. The Houston Rockets will also visit the Utah Jazz on opening night.
The Miami Heat, who lost to the Mavericks in the 2010 NBA Finals, begin their season at the New York Knicks on November 2. Thirteen games are scheduled for that Wednesday, with Heat-Knicks being followed by the Golden State Warriors vs. Lakers in an ESPN double-header.
The schedule release is to be taken with a hefty dose of salt, considering that NBA franchise owners have locked out the players and no negotiating sessions have been so much as scheduled since the stoppage began July 1. In 1998, the last time the NBA locked out its players, the season was shortened to 50 games, with cross-conference games suffering highest casualties.
You can view the full 2011-2012 NBA schedule on NBA.com.