Other quirks of the schedule include:

* Toronto plays a franchise-record 19 games in 31 days in January, including five games in six days from Jan 9-14.

* Cleveland has its longest homestand ever, nine games from Feb 8-28 - including a visit from LeBron James and the Heat on Feb 17.

* Philadelphia plays its first five games on the road, its longest season-opening trip ever.

* Miami will appear on ABC or ESPN 16 times, the most allowable, followed by 15 appearances apiece for the Lakers and Bulls. The Lakers and Celtics each appear a league-high 10 times on TNT.

* The Nets' final game in New Jersey after 35 years before heading to Brooklyn will be April 23 against Philadelphia. The Kings could play their finale in Sacramento on April 26 against the Lakers without a plan for a new arena.

* The regular season is scheduled to conclude April 26 and the playoffs will open two nights later. The last possible date of the NBA Finals is June 26.

China Daily