The Miami Heat's post-LeBron era got off to a poor start, but a deeper roster (including a healthy Chris Bosh) this upcoming season lends itself to a handful of highlight games, kicking off at home against Charlotte on Oct. 28 for a matchup of the ninth (Frank Kaminsky) and 10th picks (Justise Winslow) in June’s draft.
The Heat take their only visit to Cleveland on Oct. 30, then take on their old teammate on Dec. 5 and March 19 in Miami, where the Heat won both meetings against James and the Cavs last season.
Miami could fatten its win total by taking advantage of a home-heavy November schedule (10 of 14 at home), with 10 of those 14 games coming against teams that didn't make the playoffs last season (and one of those four that did reach the postseason is Boston).
The continued emergence of Hassan Whiteside should make for more intriguing big-man matchups for Miami, including a Christmas Day lid-lifter against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans in Miami.
Easily the most treacherous portion of the Heat’s schedule comes in January, when Miami plays 12 of its 17 games on the road, including a six-game trip that features matchups with the Warriors, Clippers, Thunder and Goran Dragic's first game back in Phoenix since getting traded in February.
Super Bowl Sunday features a Clippers-Heat matinee in Miami (2 p.m. ET), and the defending champion Warriors make their lone visit to Miami on Feb. 24. If you like watching Steph Curry play, mark this game. In his past two visits to Miami, Curry has a combined 16 3-pointers and 76 points.
Including NBA TV, the Heat are scheduled for 20 national television appearances despite coming off a 37-win season.
