Five Games To Watch This Week 12/30 - 1/5

F LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers got the best of the
Thunder in their first meeting. 

5. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Friday January 3, 2014 8:30pm

The Mavericks have been better than expected, and the Clippers are expected to contend, so this is a must-watch game. This is the first of a back-to-back for the Clippers in Texas, and this is the easier game. Monta Ellis has blended in very well for the Mavericks so far, so the Clippers should look for the pick-and-roll game between Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki. Chris Paul's pick-and-roll game should always be a point of emphasis for any opponent defensively as well.

4. Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Monday December 30, 2013 10:30pm

This will be Eric Bledsoe's first game against the Clippers since he was included in a three-team deal including the Suns, Clippers and Bucks. Bledsoe has been amazing so far for the Suns, teaming with Goran Dragic in a small but effective backcourt. J.J. Redick's injury has affected the Clippers a little, but they're still winning games. It would be nice to see the Suns get an impressive road win. Bledsoe would love to get it against his former team.

3. Golden State Warriors vs. Miami Heat
Thursday January 2, 2014 7:30pm

The Warriors beat the Heat in Miami last year, so the defending champions will be looking for a little revenge. The Warriors have been up and down so far, but the current collapse from the Nuggets have gotten the Warriors in playoff seeding. The Warriors have what it takes to beat the Heat in their building. Will they do it?

2. Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Saturday January 4, 2013 8:30pm

The Clippers smoked the Spurs the first time these two teams played, but Tony Parker got injured in that game and missed a significant portion of that game. The Spurs have struggled beating the contenders in the NBA, losing to the Thunder and Rockets twice apiece while losing to these Clippers. The Spurs have never been about making statements to the rest of the league, so don't be surprised if they lose this one also. Just look out for them around March and April entering the playoffs.

1. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday December 31, 2013 8pm NBATV

The Trail Blazers beat the Thunder at home earlier this season, but the Trail Blazers could use a marquee road win. Most of their marquee games have been at home, and many people expect them to start losing games at some point. This would be a statement win if they could pull it off, despite the fact Russell Westbrook won't be in action for this one.

Five Games To Watch This Week 12/23 - 12/29

Suns' G Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe has surprisingly led the
charge in the team's good play this year.

5. Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors
Friday December 27, 2013 10:30pm

The Suns are surprising a lot of people, as they currently sit at 16-10 and as the sixth seed in the deep Western Conference. Jeff Hornacek is certainly the early frontrunner for Coach of the Year, and the backcourt of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe has been surprisingly formidable. The Morris twins have added great punch off the bench as well. Games like this, on the road against a good Warriors team, proves exactly where the Suns are in relation to the rest of the conference.

Former teammates Rockets' G James Harden and Thunder's F Kevin Durant
face each other before the New Year's.

4. Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Sunday December 29, 2013 7pm NBATV

James Harden will return to Chesapeake Energy Arena, where he teamed with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to form a young, explosive trio while a member of the Thunder. This is the first of four matchups between these two teams, who faced each other in the first round of last year's playoffs. The Rockets are much better than last year's team, so this should be a good battle. The Rockets will get Jeremy Lin back soon, but Patrick Beverly's absence will make Westbrook feel a little better.

Rockets' C Dwight Howard and the team got the better
of the Spurs in their first matchup.

3. Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday December 25, 2013 8pm ESPN

This is the best game of the five games that will air on Christmas Day. The other matchups were expected to be great matchups, but unexpected poor play from the Nets, Bulls and Knicks leave the first two games as ordinary games. The Heat and Lakers was expected to be decent, especially considering Kobe Bryant was expected to be back from his Achilles injury at this point. He did come back, but a fractured fibula sidelined him for extended period again. The Warriors haven't played as well as people expected so far, so this is the only game where both teams are living up to expectations. It should be a good one.

Trail Blazers' F LaMarcus Aldridge and Clippers' F Blake Griffin
will do battle in a premier matchup on TNT.

2. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Thursday December 26, 2013 10:30pm TNT

The Trail Blazers will have a couple of tests this week, and this is the second toughest test. They have been excellent, but many people are still convinced the Trail Blazers will hit a wall at some point. They have impressive wins over the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets and Pacers. I'm not sure what more they have to do to prove to the league they are for real. A win here probably won't change the minds of many but it'll be a very entertaining one nonetheless.

The Trail Blazers will be looking to celebrate like this at the conclusion
of their game against the Heat.

1. Miami Heat vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Saturday December 28, 2013 10pm

This could be a preview of the NBA Finals. It's too bad people outside of the Miami and Portland markets won't be able to see this game. This is an excellent measuring stick for the Trail Blazers. Chris Bosh was right when he said statements aren't made in December. However, the Trail Blazers haven't been in this position before. They would like to prove to themselves they can play with the best teams in the league. They have proved it already but they would like to prove it once more.

Five Games To Watch This Week 12/16 - 12/22

G Stephen Curry and the Warriors will look to get on track
when the Spurs come into Oracle Arena.

5. San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors
Thursday December 19, 2013 10:30pm TNT

This is the first time the Spurs play in the Oracle Arena since eliminating the Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals last year. The Warriors have been average so far, which probably shows they are missing their prized free-agent acquisition Andre Iguodala. The Spurs will look to get a good road win on their West Coast trip.

Clippers' G Chris Paul and Spurs' G Tony Parker are two
of the best point guards in the NBA.

4. San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Monday December 16, 2013 10:30pm

Don't be surprised if the Clippers win this one. The Clippers are usually impressing the outsiders at this time of the year, but then they stumble in March and April. The Spurs are usually not playing at their best around this time also. Still, both teams would like to win this one. It's still early, but these matchups could eventually end up determining seeding.


Rockets' C Dwight Howard will have his hands full going up
against Pacers' C Roy Hibbert.

3. Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers
Friday December 20, 2013 8pm ESPN

The Rockets average 107 points a game, while the Pacers give up slightly under 90 a game. Someone's unit will have to bend a little, so this matchup is a good one. The Rockets are currently the fifth seed in the West, but expectations for them are higher. If the Rockets can get a win in Indiana, it'll be a win that can carry them from a confidence standpoint through the rest of the season.

G Tony Parker and the Spurs will look to even the score
after the Thunder won the first meeting.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs
Saturday December 21, 2013 8:30pm

The Thunder took the first matchup in Oklahoma City, so the Spurs will look to take this one at home. Even though the Trailblazers own the #1 seed, I believe these two teams will be seeing each other in the Western Conference Finals. No one should sleep on the Trailblazers though. Their lack of experience has been discussed, but they know how to play basketball, and that is all that counts. It'll be an interesting race atop the Western Conference, so the Thunder and Spurs want to win this.

F Lebron James and the Heat will look for revenge after losing
to the Pacers in Indianapolis last week.

1. Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat
Wednesday December 18, 2013 7pm ESPN

The Pacers took care of the Heat in Indianapolis, so it's the Heat's turn to take care of business at home. The way the Eastern Conference is looking right now, I think many people will be shocked if these two teams didn't see each other in the Eastern Conference Finals again. The Heat average the most points in the Eastern Conference, while the Pacers give up the fewest points in the NBA. This will be another excellent battle.

Five Games To Watch This Week 12/9 - 12/15

Grizzlies' F Zach Randolph and Thunder's C Kendrick Perkins
get another opportunity to go to war in the paint against each other.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Wednesday December 11, 2013 8pm

This is a rematch of last season's Western Conference Semifinals series. The Grizzlies were able to win that series rather easily because Russell Westbrook was out due to injury. This time, the Thunder might be able to win this game easily due to Marc Gasol's injury. Nonetheless, anytime Zach Randolph goes up against Kendrick Perkins, it's must-see television.



The Rockets and G James Harden were able to easily handle
the Warriors last week.

4. Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors
Friday December 13, 2013 10:30pm ESPN

These two teams met in Houston, and it was no contest. The Rockets won the game handily, so the Warriors will have revenge on their minds. They haven't played well as of late, most notably falling behind by 27 points at home to the Raptors before making a comeback and winning. For a team as good as the Warriors, it should have never come to that. The Warriors can't afford to not be focused because the Western Conference is stacked. This game is a nice measuring stick.

Mavericks' G Monta Ellis will look to have a great game
against his former team.

3. Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors
Wednesday December 11, 2013 10:30pm ESPN

The Mavericks are currently five games over .500, and they're playing good basketball. They are coming off a road win against the Trailblazers, who are the Western Conference's best team. Monta Ellis has worked well with Dirk Nowitzki, so the Mavericks could be a sleeper team out west. A win in Golden State would be big for them as well.

F LaMarcus Aldridge will look to lead the Trailblazers to victory
against the league's highest scoring team.

2. Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trailblazers
Thursday December 12, 2013 10:30pm TNT

All teams in the Western Conference are chasing the Trailblazers right now, to the surprise of many. This include the Rockets, who are expected to contend for a championship now that they have Dwight Howard to pair with James Harden. Their defense hasn't been as sharp as many people thought it would, but the Rockets are putting up an NBA-high 107.5 points per game. The Trailblazers just so happen to be second in the league, scoring 106.2 points per game. This should have a lot of offense.

In what is already shaping up to be another Eastern Conference
Finals preview, the Heat and Pacers battle for the first time this year.

1. Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
Tuesday December 10, 2013 7pm NBATV

This is a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals, which was a thrilling seven-game series. The Pacers have shot out of the gate this season, surprising some by winning 18 of their first 21 games. They look primed to battle against the Heat again for Eastern Conference supremacy. The Heat struggled in Indianapolis in that series, losing two of the three games there. The Pacers are a perfect 9-0 at home. Let's see if the Heat can hand them their first home loss.

NOTE: I mistakenly left the Pacers/Thunder matchup off of last week's list. Sincere apologies!

Five Games To Watch This Week 12/2 - 12/8

The battle for New York supremacy doesn't seem as intriguing as
it was before the start of the season.

5. New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets
Thursday December 5, 2013 7pm TNT

Both of these teams have been unexpectedly horrible, but the Nets have two wins in the past week that could leave them encouraged. The Knicks, on the other hand, are mired in a nine-game losing streak, and they would love to end that streak with a win in Brooklyn. This game is a must-watch because both teams are desperate. They need a win in the worst way.

Rockets' James Harden and Warriors' Klay Thompson will look
to fill up the stat sheet in this battle.

4. Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets
Friday December 6, 2013 8pm

Both teams love to shoot the three, so this could be a game with a lot of points. They had interesting battles last season, especially when the Rockets dropped a record number of three pointers in one game last season. The Warriors weren't too happy about that, so let's see if that spills into this game.

Trailblazers' Damian Lillard and the Thunder's Russell Westbrook
will do battle in a game of top teams in the West.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trailblazers
Wednesday December 4, 2013 10pm

The start for the Trailblazers has come as a complete surprise for many observers and even those in the NBA. It'll be interesting if the Trailblazers can keep this up for the duration of the season. They have beaten the Spurs already, so they have shown they can get impressive wins. They have a couple of tough home games this week and this is one of them. A couple of wins this week will definitely turn heads.

Pacers' Roy Hibbert almost became a Trailblazer, but the Pacers
were wise to match Portland's offer sheet.

2. Indiana Pacers vs. Portland Trailblazers
Monday December 2, 2013 10pm

I mentioned the Trailblazers have a couple of tough home games this week. This is the toughest of them all. The Pacers currently own the league's best record, while the Trailblazers are tied with the Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference. So, this could be a preview of the NBA Finals. Does the Trailblazers have what it takes to get that far? Only time will tell, but a win against the Pacers will be great for their confidence.

These two big men could be battling in the NBA Finals as well.

1. Indiana Pacers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Saturday December 7, 2013 8:30pm

Even though the previous game could be a preview of the NBA Finals, this seems like more of an NBA Finals preview. The Trailblazers lack experience, but the court is the same length and the basket is the same height for everyone else, so the Trailblazers could get there. However, I'm not sure they're a better team than the Spurs. The Pacers have to get past the defending champions to have a shot. It's possible, as they took the Miami Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. This game should be a great matchup. Both teams would love to win this game.