UPDATE: The report on which this diatribe was based appears to be wrong. The Celtics are likely to face Miami on opening night. My apologies.
Don't be fooled.
The NBA's first and foremost interest is business... not giving the fans what they want.
With the Super Friends all congregating in Miami, thought immediately turned to matchups against two teams: The defending champion Lakers, and the defending Eastern champion Celtics. The Lakers have Kobe, the Celtics have their own Big 3.
But did the fans get what they wanted?
Nope. According to the Sports Business Journal (via ESPN Boston), the NBA will choose to pit Miami against Orlando because Orlando is opening a new arena.
And of course... that's what fans want to see showcased on opening night after the summer we've seen. A building.
As far as I'm concerned, the NBA can shove that up its concourse... because what we fans want to see is THE test... right away. They want to see the best against the best right away.
Look, NBA... we're all trying to make snap judgments that we're going to regret later on in the season (or in the week, depending on how carried away we get). We don't care about the building.
You could have even sent Miami to LA and Boston to Orlando to open the season double header style and given basketball fans more of what they wanted (even though it's not what we Boston fans want). At least that would make a little more sense.
But nope... it's business first. And this business is helping Orlando's ownership put the spotlight on their pretty new building. Whoop-dee-freakin'-doo.
So once again, we're being force-fed something and told to like it. Instead of someone who has a finger on the pulse of what's going on after a wild summer... the NBA is just making its decisions with business as usual in mind.