Written by Demetri Inembolidis

---

The NBA officially announced the 2012-2013 schedule on Thursday night.  Snippets of the schedule were announced through various media channels in the past week or so.  This is always an exciting time for fans because it makes the impending season feel more real.  Considering that there was a lockout, last year's embarrassing NBA schedule presentation on NBA TV is the exception to that rule. 

An interesting note to the Cavs' schedule is that they will tip-off the entire NBA season.  Most fans will probably be more interested in the Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics double-header on TNT that night, but seeing the Cavs take on the Washington Wizards is going to be very intriguing.  The fact that John Wall and Kyrie Irving are both point guards taken first overall and that Bradley Beal and Dion Waiters are shooting guards taken with top four picks should be enough to get many League Pass fanatics interested in the game.  There are worse ways to start off a season than two young teams with promising talents going head-to-head.

The Cavaliers will play eleven of their first sixteen games on the road.  Ten of those games will be against playoff teams from a year ago.  The Cavs will take on the Chicago Bulls on ESPN on December 5th.  This is their only game on ESPN, TNT or ABC.  That game will also be the first game that the Cavs will play on national TV since LeBron James' return to Cleveland in 2010.  They will play the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic on NBA TV.  The longest road trip is six games and runs from November third until November thirteenth.  The longest homestand is seven games and goes from February second until February twentieth.  The Cavs will play four sets of four games in five nights.  Overall, the schedule seems like it will be a tough one for the young team.  Chris Grant better get busy and sign a bunch of veterans with leadership.  

The full schedule can be viewed at Cavs.com.