NBA Season Start: Opener Preview; First Game Dates, Schedule

Questions abound as the kickoff for another season of NBA hoops approaches three weeks from today.

Can LeBron James and the Heat repeat? Does the new star-studded lineup in Tinseltown guarantee a 16th NBA title for the Los Angeles Lakers? Can star forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire lead an older New York Knicks team to a strong run in the playoffs? How long can the Chicago Bulls remain competitive before former MVP Derrick Rose makes his return to the Windy City?

The road to the NBA Championship begins on Oct. 30, beginning with a rematch from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, as reigning MVP James and the defending champion Heat do battle against star guard Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics.

The game between these two rivals will feature an added element of drama as former Celtics star and future Hall of Famer Ray Allen makes his debut for the Heat. A former member of Boston's celebrated "Big Three"-stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Piece being the other two-Allen broke many hearts in Beantown when he jettisoned the Celtics during the summer for the lure of South Beach and Miami's own Big Three of James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Another opening night contest will feature the Dallas Mavericks taking on the new look Lakers. The Lakers are coming off a blockbuster summer where they added not only elite point guard Steve Nash-last summer's biggest free agent prize-but pulled off a mega-trade that puts game-changing center Dwight Howard in the ranks of all-time great Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Meanwhile, in the Big Apple, a rejuvenated Anthony, fresh off his Olympic gold medal-winning stint alongside fellow Knick and Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler at the summer games in London, has high hopes for a Knicks championship run this season, despite the loss of last year's surprise star, point guard Jeremy Lin, to the Rockets during the summer.

"Being with the guys I was with this summer, it put it into perspective," Anthony told the New York Daily News of the lessons learned during his Olympic experience. "When guys take shots and they miss, I let them know they're going to make the next one."

With a slew of newly added veteran pieces, including future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, the 'Bockers face their first test against their new neighbors, point guard superstar Deron Williams, incoming star forward Joe Johnson and a rebuilt and reinvigorated Brooklyn-no, not New Jersey anymore-Nets team in their inaugural season at the Barclays Center, just a bridge ride away from historic Madison Square Garden.

All eyes will be on former Kentucky Wildcats star, Olympian and No. 1 draft pick Anthony Davis will make his debut with the New Orleans Hornets on Halloween night Oct. 31, when they meet Tim Duncan and last year's Western Conference finalist San Antonio Spurs.

That same night, the Chicago Bulls, looking to exorcise the demons of last year's disappointing first-round exit, will open the season against last year's Rookie of the Year point guard Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls are still awaiting the highly anticipated return of injured star point guard and former 2010-2011 league MVP Derrick Rose, who tore his ACL during Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.

With no return date yet scheduled for Rose, the Bulls' franchise player told ESPN on Oct. 1 that he would return when ready.

"Everybody has their own opinions," Rose said. "When the time comes, I just have to be ready and prove to the people here that I am ready to play. Who knows when that time is? If it's all year, I might wait the whole year, so what? If I come back at the All-Star (break), so what?"

The Spurs, meanwhile, face another tough test on Nov. 1 when they play the opening game for the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder, led by scorer extraordinaire Kevin Durant and the athletic Russell Westbrook.

And LA Clippers fans will have the whole season to worry about whether their dynamic duo of superstars Blake Griffin and soon-to-be free agent Chris Paul will stay intact past this season, but first, they face a tough challenge Oct. 31 against Rudy Gay and the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Heat are favored 11-5 as the top pick to win the NBA Championship this year, according to odds makers from the online gaming site Bovada.

NBA 2012-13 Complete TV Schedule

For the complete team-by-team NBA 2012-13 schedule, click here for more information (NBA.com Official TV Schedule)

And for a quick look at what could be in store, check out this week's Top 5 NBA plays from the preseason on YouTube.