2011-2012 NBA Season Schedule: Season Will Kick Off On Christmas Day

 

Nov 28, 2011 - The NBA lockout is over at long last, and the season will get underway less than one month from now, meaning that the Golden State Warriors will begin gearing up and looking forward to the impending season. Details have been released as to the specifics of the shortened season's schedule, via NBA.com.
The season will open on December 25, 2011, and run until April 26, 2012.
The 2011-2012 NBA Playoffs are slated to kick off on April 28, 2012, with a latest possible date for the end of the Finals coming on June 26.
The season, as previously announced, will be 66 games, with each team playing 48 in-conference games and 18 non-conference games. The full breakdown of these games is as follows:

Conference Games: 48
• Play 6 teams 4 times (2 home, 2 away)
• Play 4 teams 3 times (2 home, 1 away)
• Play 4 teams 3 times (1 home, 2 away)
Non-Conference Games: 18
• Play 3 teams 2 times (1 home, 1 away)
• Play 6 teams 1 time at home
• Play 6 teams 1 time away
Back to Back to Backs: All teams with at least 1; no more than 3
Playoff Back to Backs: Possible in second round

The end result could mean a potentially more exciting and hectic NBA season. With only 66 games, each individual game will mean that much more toward the final standings. Who knows? It could even be the key to the Warriors earning a playoff berth. It will also be interesting if the Finals end up pushing toward the thick of the summer.