Countdown to tipoff: 8 games to watch if and when the NBA returns

So much of the NBA's planned July return remains up in the air.

The rosters of the 22 teams still playing in the 2019-20 season won't be finalized until July 1. Getting those teams - and everyone else involved in the league's Orlando bubble - to Disney World free of the virus, and then protecting the integrity of that environment, is a monumental, perhaps impossible task.

Even if the league manages to accomplish that feat, how out of touch would the NBA seem if it's playing in a fortified safe zone while a virus currently spreading throughout Florida brings the world directly outside that bubble to its knees?

There's clearly a lot to figure out over the next month, but now we know what the league's schedule will look like if games do tipoff as planned in late July.

The 88 seeding games will take place between July 30 and August 14, with at least two contests per day - and no more than seven - being played on three courts between noon and 9 p.m. ET.

Essentially, after 141 days without the NBA - a layoff longer than a traditional offseason - the league will return with an almost March Madness-like feel for two weeks. Then comes a potential play-in for each conference's final playoff berth (if the 9-seed is within four games of the eighth), and the traditional four-round postseason to determine a champion.

If it can be pulled off safely, and if players and teams use the platform provided to them to continue the push for social justice and equality, fans will welcome the NBA back with open arms.

On that note, here are eight games to watch during what we all hope will be an entertaining summer:

Pelicans vs. Jazz

July 30, 6:30 p.m. ET

Many felt the NBA's decision to include teams currently outside the 16 playoff spots was merely the league ensuring Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson could be featured when the season resumes.

If you already subscribed to that theory, Williamson's Pelicans being spotlighted in the opening bubble game won't do much to convince you otherwise.

But who cares about all that? Williamson is a transcendent, generational talent, and every hoops fan should want to watch him, especially after much of his rookie season was already lost due to injury.

The 19-year-old averaged 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in less than 30 minutes per game over his first 19 appearances as a pro, with New Orleans going 10-9 in those contests compared to 18-27 when Williamson was inactive.

With all due respect to a solid, yet disappointing Jazz team, and to the rest of a fun, young Pelicans squad, most fans tuning into the first game of the restart want to see Zion. Here's to hoping he puts on a show.

Lakers vs. Clippers

July 30, 9:00 p.m. ET

The Lakers' 5.5-game cushion atop the Western Conference standings will not be threatened in the eight-game conclusion to the season, and if this matchup came later in the restart or as part of a back-to-back set for either team, I'd be concerned about load management.

But it'll occur during the opening night of the NBA's return, and be the last matchup between the league's two most star-studded squads before what everyone assumes will be a Western Conference finals clash in September. Like any meeting between LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, you don't want to miss it.

Rockets vs. Mavericks

July 31, 9:00 p.m. ET

Whether you marvel at James Harden's offensive talents or thumb your nose at his 3-point heavy, foul-baiting antics, the fact of the matter is The Beard knows how to put on a show.

And some have mocked him for, shall we say, a rather pedestrian body and a penchant for having a good time. Now what might be in store for helpless defenders with Harden looking like a ripped version of Moses after stumbling upon a burning bush?

Adding to the excitement, Harden, Russell Westbrook, and the Rockets will open their Disney schedule against Luka Doncic - whose Harden-esque game is a thrill ride in its own right - Kristaps Porzingis, and the Mavericks.

Wizards vs. Nets

Aug. 2, 2:00 p.m. ET

I'm well aware how out of place this game - featuring two lowly teams in the middle of the East's pathetic playoff "race" - seems among otherwise mouth-watering matchups, but just hear me out.

The Wizards need to make up a game-and-a-half on the Magic or two games on the Nets to qualify for the eighth-place play-in, and this is Washington's only game against either team. It also comes early enough in the restart to ensure the Wizards will still feel like they have a chance.

Bradley Beal averaged 37.5 points on 47-48-85 shooting over his last 10 games before the hiatus, so you know he's going to be in kill mode for a game the Wizards absolutely need, and that's reason enough to watch this Sunday matinee.

Sure, Washington's reward if it completes an unlikely push for eighth place would be a first-round demolition at the hands of Milwaukee. But a playoff chase is a playoff chase, and this game might be the closest thing the Eastern Conference gets to one.

Pelicans vs. Grizzlies

Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET

The league's two best rookies, the league's two most exciting young teams, and a game with potentially massive playoff implications. Pels vs. Grizzlies is a matchup fans have had circled since March, when the shutdown robbed us of a home-and-home series between the two teams set for later that month.

While Williamson was sidelined, Ja Morant exploded onto the scene, essentially running away with the Rookie of the Year Award while showing off a combination of electricity and poise rarely found in young guards. For Zion to be crowned the NBA's best freshman, he needs to post prodigious numbers in Orlando while helping the Pelicans snatch the West's final playoff spot from Morant's Grizzlies.

New Orleans is 3.5 games back of Memphis, but so is Portland and Sacramento. The Pelicans' schedule is the easiest of any team in Orlando, and the only schedule with an average opponents' winning percentage below .500. However, beating the Grizzlies will be the key to their journey.

Bucks vs. Heat

Aug. 6, 4:00 p.m. ET

Who's up for a little Thursday afternoon basketball?

While the Bucks steamrolled their way to a 53-12 record, no team gave Milwaukee more trouble this season than Miami. The Heat won both regular-season meetings between the two clubs, including a thrilling comeback victory in the Bucks' home opener, and a 16-point beatdown at home in March.

Miami might not be as complete as fellow East contenders like Toronto and Boston, but the team's success against Milwaukee is no fluke. The Heat have the goods to bother the Bucks in the playoffs. They're long, they're bruising, they guard the 3-point line well, and they're the league's top 3-point shooting team on the other end. Jimmy Butler is the type of individual shot-creator needed against Milwaukee's defense, and Bam Adebayo is almost the prototype for the kind of player you'd want to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.

A seeding game may not mean much in the grand scheme of things. But after a long layoff, it'll be fascinating to see if the Heat look like the same potential matchup nightmare for the Bucks as they appeared to be a few months ago. Remember, too, that if Miami maintains its current place in the East standings, the two teams could meet in the second round.

Raptors vs. Celtics

Aug. 7, 9:00 p.m. ET

The difference between second and third place may not mean as much as it did when home-court advantage in a potential second-round matchup was on the line, but it's still worth fighting for in the East.

A second-place finish means drawing Orlando, Brooklyn, or Washington in the first round, and essentially coasting to the conference semis. A third-place finish will lead to a first-round slugfest against the 76ers, Heat, or Pacers.

The Raptors had built a three-game cushion over the Celtics when play was suspended, but this race is far from over. Toronto faces the East's toughest remaining schedule, while Boston gets one of the league's easiest. If the Celtics can take advantage of that scheduling break and beat the Raptors in their lone remaining matchup, the conference's second seed is still within the team's grasp.

76ers vs. Raptors

Aug. 12, 6:30 p.m. ET

Philadelphia is perhaps the league's most fascinating case study inside the Disney bubble. With no true home-court advantage, do the Sixers default to being the fraudulent contenders who went an embarrassing 10-24 on the road? Or with no true road disadvantage for any team, does Philly look more like the loaded squad that went 29-2 at home?

While the Sixers will deal with their roster construction and offensive makeup issues, few teams can match Philly's raw collection of talent and size. With Ben Simmons back in the lineup and 22 teams playing in a neutral environment, Philadelphia may be the NBA's most dangerous, under-the-radar contender.

The problem for those curious about how the Sixers will measure up in Orlando is they won't play many of the league's top teams in their seeding schedule. That's why a matchup with the division-rival Raptors serves as Philly's ultimate litmus test.

And if none of that piques your interest, then at least watch to see whether Marc Gasol's defensive brilliance and endearing dad strength continues to be Joel Embiid's kryptonite.