Tony Dejak/Associated Press
The NBA will reportedly release the schedule for the 2017-18 season Monday at 6 p.m. ET, according to an announcement from the league.
At that time, hoops fans across the world will be on the edge of their seats in anticipation of circling the biggest games on this year's calendar.
Below you can find a rundown of when and where to watch the schedule release, along with an overview of several key storylines to watch following a frenzied offseason.
Viewing Information
Date: Monday, Aug. 14
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Boston Aims for a Breakthrough as Cleveland Attempts to Avoid a 2010 Redux
Winslow Townson/Associated Press
Don't look now, but the Cleveland Cavaliers could soon flirt with an implosion.
Yes, they're the Eastern Conference champions three years running. And yes, they celebrated a seven-game triumph over the Golden State Warriors with a parade just over a year ago.
But times have changed—quickly.
Kyrie Irving has requested a trade as he seeks a split from LeBron James, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, and that's not the only issue.
Rumblings have also started to surface about James possibly bolting for a new team next summer, just as he did in 2010.
"Not only is there no guarantee he's coming back, I'm not sure there's an expectation he's re-signing there," ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski said in June (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman). "I think they feel, I think within Cleveland and around the league, they feel that he's very much in play to leave again and likely head out West to one of the two L.A. teams. The Lakers could very well be a target."
Whether James ultimately winds up leaving or not, the possibility of another departure will be a black cloud that hovers over the Cavs all season long.
Should the stress get to Cleveland, the Boston Celtics—who sent James packing in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals before he left for the Miami Heat—will be ready to pounce on the Eastern Conference throne.
Because while the Cavs' roster could be undergoing major changes in the near future, Boston's is looking rather rock solid for the foreseeable future.
As if a core comprised of Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Jae Crowder and Jaylen Brown wasn't strong enough, the Celtics went out and inked Gordon Hayward to a max contract shortly after selecting Jayson Tatum third overall in June's draft.
With a diverse and robust complement of scorers and defenders, the Celtics have the talented arsenal necessary to capture the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed for the second year in a row.
And if they do repeat, it's safe to say the Celtics will be far more prepared to combat the Cavaliers and defend home court as they aim for their first Finals berth in eight years.
Will the Houston Rockets Threaten the Golden State Warriors' Reign?
Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
Like the Cavaliers, the Warriors have had a viselike grip on the top spot in their respective conference for the last three years.
The difference is the Warriors don't appear to be at a major risk of relinquishing that status after re-signing all of their key free agents, including Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston.
The odds bare that out.
According to OddsShark, the Warriors are whopping -380 favorites (bet $100 to win $26.32) to make a fourth straight NBA finals appearance.
The second-closest team? That would be the Houston Rockets at +400.
But despite that chasm, the Rockets can't be cast aside.
Although they're a clear No. 2 to the Warriors entering the 2017-18 season, adding Chris Paul alongside MVP runner-up James Harden gives the Rockets a playmaking tandem that—if successful—could legitimately push the Warriors come playoff time.
"It's a weapons race in the NBA, and you're either in the weapons race or on the sidelines," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in June, per Sporting News' Sacha Pisani.
"We felt with Harden in his prime, Chris Paul in his prime, this gives us a real shot to chase the juggernaut teams that are out there and puts us right there with them."
Fine-tuning the new-look backcourt will require lots of time and patience, but if Harden and Paul can hit their stride come springtime, the Rockets will have the resources necessary to make the defending champions squirm.
OKC Debuts a New Star Duo
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
A season ago, Russell Westbrook willed the Oklahoma City Thunder to 47 wins on the back of his triple-double stylings.
This year, reinforcements will provide some much-needed relief as Westbrook looks to (moderately) scale back his workload and stay fresh for a long postseason run.
Paul George isn't your run-of-the-mill offseason addition, though.
Rather, he's a two-way wrecking ball who should transform the complexion of an evolving Thunder attack.
Beyond the fact that he's an ace perimeter defender who will form an imposing wing tandem alongside Andre Roberson, George is the kind of inside-out scorer who should operate seamlessly off the ball while Westbrook aims to collapse opposing defenses and open up the floor for his new running mate.
"He shot at a near-40-percent clip from beyond the arc, and routinely took the opposing team's best perimeter player and put him in his back pocket," The Ringer's Chris Ryan wrote. "He should especially enjoy Westbrook's drive-and-kick passing — George's catch-and-shoot peers are Steph Curry and Bradley Beal. He scored 7.4 points per game off catch-and-shoot attempts last season. He is Andre Roberson, if Andre Roberson were Spider-Man."
At the very least, that duo should make OKC early Northwest Division favorites as the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz all aim to discover their new identities following a slew of summer changes.
And if Westbrook and George can somehow exceed expectations en route to Western Conference title contention, OKC could wind up emerging as the front-runner for his services when free agency begins in July 2018.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference.