REPORT: Mavs Snubbed on NBA Opening Night Schedule

Slotting Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic on any primetime NBA schedule bodes well for viewership. Moreover, adding the Mavericks to the opening night schedule is a no-brainer decision, especially considering the magical run to the 2024 Finals, right?

Well, apparently the NBA schedule-makers thought otherwise.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, on the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season, the New York Knicks will face the Boston Celtics, and the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Celtics vs. Knicks match makes sense, as they theoretically embody the upper ranks of the Eastern Conference. However, for the latter matchup, the Lakers vs. Timberwolves game appears as a way to shoehorn LeBron James into the schedule, which makes sense for marketing.

Still, marketing aside, the Lakers didn't do anything of note in the 2024 NBA playoffs, as the Denver Nuggets eliminated them in the first round as part of a gentleman's sweep.

The NBA's decision to exclude the reigning Western Conference Finals champions from opening night festivities speaks volumes about what the league officials think about such an accomplishment. Dallas made the NBA Finals as a five-seed, which isn't the lowest seed to do so, but the journey included the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Timberwolves; that's quite the gauntlet of opponents.

Following a Dallas offseason, which included acquiring Klay Thompson, you'd expect the NBA to promote the second-most successful team in the league to commence the season.

Although the Mavericks play the Timberwolves on Christmas, it feels wrong not to see Doncic and Kyrie Irving on opening night.