The champion Warriors and runner-up Cavs will be featured on national television a league-leading 25 times apiece next season. The league announced its schedule Wednesday evening.
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Following close behind will be the high-flying Clippers and star-studded Thunder, who have 24 national appearances each. The Bulls (23) and Spurs (21) are behind them while the Lakers will have just two fewer national television appearances (19) than they did wins in 2015 (21).
All of those teams, except the Spurs, will be featured in the NBA’s Christmas Day lineup. The Cavs will travel to the Warriors, the Clippers and Lakers will square off in Staples Center, while the Thunder and Bulls will match up in Oklahoma City. The Knicks, who will see their national appearances drop from 16 to seven, have had their matchup against the Nets dropped from the Christmas lineup.
The Cavs and Warriors will headline the league’s opening night on Oct 27. The Cavs will face the Bulls in a rematch of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup from last spring while the Warriors will take on the Pelicans in a rematch of their first-round matchup.
