2018-19 NBA Schedule: 5 marquee Lakers games to watch out for

When LeBron James signed with the Lakers, all 82 games of their regular season became instantly more interesting. L.A. was already building something fun, coming off a nine-win improvement with a talented young core growing steadily, and cap space to add a max level talent.

LeBron, of course, IS that max level talent. The first time he’ll be repping the Purple and Gold in a game of consequence is their regular season opener against the Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on 18th October. Lawrence Tanter will announce his name for the first time at the Staples Center 2 days later.

There are a number of interesting questions that the season's schedule poses to onlookers before the start of the season. How will the Western Conference's gruelling travel schedule impact LeBron? How do this season’s back to back games impact the 2016 and 2017 #2 draft picks Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, who're both coming off injury-plagued seasons?

Will Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart continue to improve at the same rate that they did in their rookie seasons? What can Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley offer off the bench? How much will Rajon Rondo’s attention to detail rub off on the Lakers' young players and help them maximize their output through 82 games?

The following are 5 of the biggest marquee matchups of this season for the Lakers:

#5 Lakers at the Cavaliers, 21st November 2018

Miami Heat v Cleveland Cavaliers — LeBron overcame a torrid reception the last time he returned to Cleveland after switching franchises

Now, does anyone remember what they were doing at 8 PM, Eastern Time on 2nd December, 2010? I do, cuz I remember watching LeBron quieten down whatever the frankly vitriolic Cleveland crowd had to throw at him en route to tallying a 38 point, 8 assist, 5 rebound performance that has become par for the course through his career.

His 'Decision 3.0' was much better managed this time around than when he decided to inform the basketball world of his decision to take his talents to South Beach in 2010 on national television. There is no doubt that the reception he receives this time will be much better than all the finger salutes and jeers he heard when he got back to the Quicken Loans Arena for the first time in the #6 Miami Heat jersey.

Note: They also play each other at the Staples Center on 13th January, 2019

#4 Lakers host the Sixers, 29th January 2019

Cleveland Cavaliers v Philadelphia 76ers

Last season, particularly after the All-Star break, the games played between the Sixers and the Cavaliers enticed a lot of attention from casual fans. That was because LeBron had declared Ben Simmons as his heir apparent, referring to the Australian as a 'young King' due to the various similarities in their playing styles.

It's not that a Lakers vs Sixers matchup needed any more hyping up, for the season series between the two storied franchises in 2017-18 was quite well-contested, and the two franchises split it for a game each. If Embiid does anything close to his 46 point, 15 rebound, 7 block game in the franchises' first faceoff last season, even LeBron will not have much to reply to the Sixers with.

It is worth mentioning, though, that the Lakers struck back last season with a game-winning 3-pointer scored by Brandon Ingram in their other matchup. Adding LeBron to this intriguing young-ins' battle can only serve for increased delicacy in the basketball that fans like me get to witness.

Note: The Sixers and the Lakers also face off at the Wells Fargo Center on 10th February 2019.

#3 Lakers host the Rockets, 20th October 2018

It was abundantly clear to anybody with a brain that the Houston Rockets were a far and away better team than the Cleveland Cavaliers through the 2017-18 season. It's only geographical location that made for the Rockets' elimination in the Western Conference Finals and the Cavs' loss in the NBA Finals - the Rockets took the series to 7 games while the Cavs got swept.

That is a part of the reason why LeBron was considering joining forces with banana boat mate CP3 in H-Town before eventually deciding to play with the Lakers this season. Surrounded by a much better supporting cast in Los Angeles than he was in Cleveland (after Kyrie's departure, that is) last season, it remains to be seen which of these two teams will take the mantle of 'Best Warriors competitors in the West'.

The teams meet each other 3 times over the course of next season, and these games might just be enough to swing the Conference standings one way or the other.

Note: The Lakers also play the Rockets at the Toyota Center on 13th December and 19th January, and at the Staples Center on 21st February

#2 Lakers at Warriors, 25th December 2018

Big-time rivalries have headed back to Cali! The Lakers with LeBron James, Brandon Ingram and a number of talented role players will now throw the gauntlet down on the Warriors, who have made it to each of the last 4 Finals series and won 3 of them.

For what it's worth, contests between the greatest player on the planet and the greatest team of all time will be seen more often from the 2018-19 season - 4 times a season at the bare minimum as both teams are in the Pacific division.

It will be fascinating to see how the Lakers measure up against the team they hope to topple, even if the Warriors are more heavily stacked against the rest of the league than ever. A team with LeBron on it will always stand a chance in any basketball game.

Note: The Lakers also play the Warriors on 21st January and 4th April at the Staples Center, while the Warriors will host the Lakers on 2nd February at the Oracle Arena.

#1 Lakers at Celtics, 7th February 2019

While most other people would call it a rivalry on the basis that LeBron gets a chance to go toe-to-toe with Kyrie Irving, in my book, the newest iteration of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is more of a battle between two great young cores than anything else.

The likes of Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma going at Rozier, Brown and Tatum in the Finals is probably a pipe dream to be kept on cold storage for at least one season just because the Warriors exist and are practically unbeatable, but watching them develop, grow and mature in front of our very eyes is going to be an unmissable sight.

Right now, the Celtics hold the veteran advantage with Irving, Hayward and Horford on their side in comparison to LeBron and Rondo repping the Lakers. But the contests between the two teams will be more mouthwatering than anything we've witnessed in the past 6 seasons.

Note: The Lakers host the Celtics at the Staples Center on 9th March.