The 2016-17 NBA regular season schedule has been released. These are the five most watchable games on the New York Knicks schedule.

The NBA officially released the 2016-17 regular season schedule on Thursday, August 11. NBA watchers have begun to evaluate every detail of every game, including the New York Knicks.

The Knicks won 17 games in 2014-15, the lowest total in franchise history, which led to low expectations last season and a terrible public perception.

The addition of big names Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose has made them interesting again, according to the league anyway.

The Knicks are on national TV 22 times this season after only being on 7 times in 2015-16.

NBA fans were captivated by Kristaps Porzingis while he was a rookie, and that will spill over into his sophomore season. Not to mention the tremendous love that’s following Carmelo Anthony right now as he leads Team USA Basketball in the Olympics.

The league wasn’t easy on the Knicks, as 7 of their first 10 games are against playoff teams from last season. The new look team will be tested right away.

Take a look at the complete schedule here. Preseason games start Oct. 4.

The Opener

  • Date: Tuesday, October 25 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Venue: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio

Opening night features another matchup between Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. LBJ’s Cavs crushed Melo’s Knicks last season, winning the season series 4-0.

The Cavaliers will be lowering the first championship banner in franchise history on that night so the crowd will be hot. The visiting Knicks will have to match that intensity which shouldn’t be a problem.

They have playoff aspirations in 2016-17. After spending over $100 million in free agency the Knicks showed they are expecting to win now.

The first game being against the defending champions on national TV gives the Knicks an opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the season.

Will they be a team that can compete with the elite, or another disappointment?

Rose and Noah Return to Chicago

  • Date: Friday, November 4 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Opponent: Chicago Bulls
  • Venue: United Center in Chicago, Illinois

Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are the two most popular Chicago Bulls players since Michael Jordan left.

Their departure in the same offseason was significant. It was an unofficial end to the Tom Thibodeau era in Chicago. Those teams were built around defense and Rose.

For the first time in his career, Rose won’t be the focal point in an offense. He wasn’t good at sharing the spotlight with Jimmy Butler so the Bulls shipped him out.

The possibility of Rose and Butler going one on one will be an intriguing matchup, as there have been talks that they feuded during Rose’s last season in Chicago.

Noah will receive a thunderous ovation in his return. Unlike Rose, Noah never fell out with the fans or the media in Chicago. He was always beloved and it had to have been hard to see him go.

The Knicks are hoping he can leave that kind of impact in New York.

Jeremy Lin is With That Other NYC Team

  • Dates: Wednesday, November 9 at 7 p.m. ET and Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Opponent: Brooklyn Nets
  • Venue: Madison Square Garden

The Brooklyn Nets are going to be bad. Again. Matt Borcas of the Ringer argued that they’d be even worse than the Sixers which is just plain hurtful.

That doesn’t change the fact that the Nets and Knicks share the same city. Until now there hasn’t been much of a rivalry there.

Not until the Nets signed Jeremy Lin anyway. Knicks fans all remember when Lin had an incredible 35 game stretch game stretch back in 2011-12 that was aptly dubbed “Linsanity”.

A familiar face returning back to the Garden in a rival uniform will at least bring some attention to this previously neglected game.

The Knicks should dominate the Nets.

Christmas Day

  • Date: December 25, 2016 at 12 p.m. ET
  • Opponent: Boston Celtics
  • Venue: Madison Square Garden

Playing on Christmas Day is a big deal in the NBA. Only a handful of teams receive that honor. The Knicks weren’t among them last season and it was one of many disappointments.

This isn’t just any Christmas Day game though, the Knicks will be taking on an Atlantic Division foe, the Boston Celtics.

Boston beat New York three out of four times in 2015-16 en route to a 48-win season. They got even better this summer when they added Al Horford in free agency.

If the Knicks want any chance to win the hyper competitive Atlantic Division, then they’ll have to win the matchup against the Celtics.

It’s Russ Against the World

  • Date: Monday, November, 28 at 7:30 P.M.
  • Opponent: Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Venue: Madison Square Garden

In case you’ve been living under a rock this summer, Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for their rival Golden State Warriors and Russell Westbrook isn’t so happy about it.

It’s Westbrook’s team now and many are predicting him to just go off and have a record setting season. He probably won’t average a triple double for the season, but he could set the record for field goal attempts points per game.

Rose struggled mightily on defense last year. He had a DRPM of -3.14 (ranking him 77th of 80 qualified point guards) and a DBPM of -2.21. Wow.

The former MVP was abused in the paint, as opponents were +9.6% from within 6 ft. of the rim.

Going up against one of the best players in the league will be a great early test on him. What can Rose do against the elite? He used to be in that category after all.

Westbrook is the most entertaining athlete in the world. He’s always a must watch.

NEXT: Carmelo Anthony Being ‘Content’ With No Rings Is A Disaster For Fans

Save