Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

The NBA released it’s 2011-12 season schedule last night and it’s gonna be a crazy packed season!  Fox Sports came up with a top 10 list of games you just can’t miss.  Check the list after the jump…

10. April 21: Mavericks at Bulls
The team with the best record last season (Chicago) vs. the NBA champs (Dallas). These teams were originally scheduled to meet on opening night. Instead, because the lockout wiped out nearly two months of the season, they’ll play just once in the last week.

9. April 25: Clippers at Knicks
It was this matchup in LA last season that really launched Blake Griffin to NBA stardom as he dunked on Knick after Knick. It’s too bad that the two biggest poster boys that night, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov, are now playing for Denver. But Griffin probably won’t mind slamming on Carmelo Anthony if he gets the chance.

8. Dec. 26: Grizzlies at Spurs
Memphis pulled off a shocking upset of San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs, becoming just the second No. 8 seed to oust a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. They’ll face each other to open the season and no one will be surprised if the Grizzlies win again. After all, they’re getting better and the Spurs are getting older.

7. Feb. 23: Lakers at Thunder
The West’s past vs. the West’s future? Maybe so. The Lakers are a little over the hill after winning the conference every year from 2008-2010, while the young Thunder look ready to seize that mantle. But is this the year? The addition of Lakers-hater Kendrick Perkins (pictured) adds the animosity necessary for a real rivalry.

6. March 25: Heat at Thunder
Two-time NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant vs. two-time MVP LeBron James? That’s fun to watch, but this matchup also pits the two teams many expect to meet in the 2012 Finals.

5. Jan. 29: Bulls at Heat
With the Celtics aging and the Magic unraveling, Chicago and Miami may be the East’s top teams for the foreseeable future. Their rivalry was intense last season as the Bulls won all three regular-season matchups but fell to the Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference finals. They’ll also play March 14 in Chicago and April 19 in Miami.

4. Dec. 29: Mavericks at Thunder
The Western Conference finals matched the NBA’s oldest team and its third-youngest. Experience prevailed as Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas overcame Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City in five games. But the Mavs aren’t getting any younger, while the Thunder should only get better. We’ll see if anything’s different when the teams meet in the season’s first week.

3. Jan. 19: Lakers at Heat
At this rate, we may never get that Kobe-LeBron Finals matchup we’ve long anticipated. So we’ll settle for another couple regular-season meetings. (They also play March 4 in LA.) LeBron has dominated Kobe in their head-to-head matchups over the years, but, of course, Bryant still has five more rings.

2. Jan. 16: Mavericks at Lakers
Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs put a shocking end to LA’s reign in the West with a four-game sweep in the conference semifinals. How will Kobe and the Lakers respond? If they have any pride, and we know Kobe does, it will be interesting to watch. The teams also play Feb. 22 and March 21 in Dallas as well as April 15 in LA.

1. Dec. 25: Heat at Mavericks
The NBA’s new opening day, also known as Christmas, gives us the juiciest possible matchup to tip off the season. We’ll pick up where we left off in the 2011 Finals, with LeBron battling Dirk. The Mavs, of course, are the NBA’s reigning kings and the Heat will have to watch them raise the championship banner.

WRITTEN BY Fox Sports & FULL STORY HERE