5 Games You Can’t Miss at Verizon Center:
Jan 1: Boston at Washington
The Celtics come to town New Year’s Day as two of the quickest point guards in the league, Rajon Rondo and John Wall, will go toe-to-toe in a must-see matchup. The Wizards played these Celtics tough last year, splitting the season series (2-2). This one surely will not disappoint!
Jan 6: New York at Washington
The Wizards will show off their new road uniform to their home crowd in this Eastern Conference battle with the Knicks. The Knicks have reloaded their roster with two of the most dynamic offensive players in the league; Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. This will be the duo’s first trip together to Verizon Center.
Jan 30: Chicago at Washington
Both #1 picks, both played one season of college ball for John Calipari, both players are nearly impossible to stop in transition. The similarities are striking between the Bulls’ Derrick Rose and the Wizards’ John Wall. The two will face-off at Verizon Center on this Monday night in what will likely be a heavyweight thriller.
Feb 10: Miami at Washington
Miami’s ‘Big 3’ make the trip up the coast and stop in our nation’s capital on this Friday night in mid-February. Love them or hate them, they are the defending Eastern Conference champions and are sure to put on a show. The Wizards will need to be at their best to take down one of the league’s best bunches.
Mar 7: L.A. Lakers at Washington
Kobe Bryant and the Lake show come to town in March this year in a game most fans will schedule on their calendar. The Wizards length will be put to a test as Odom, Gasol, and Bynum are also one of the longest frontcourts in the NBA.
Other Notes
New Traditions: The Wizards will open the season at home this season as they host the New Jersey Nets to kick off the 2011-12 campaign. A fitting team to play for the Wizards, as they will be wearing their new jerseys for the first time ever in a regular season game. It will also be the first regular season game on the new red, white, and blue court. New traditions will be underway!
Friday Night Lights: The Wizards will play at home four times on Friday night with two of the games being ‘Top 5 Games You Can’t Miss.’ The Verizon Center will be rocking with some of the biggest names in the game taking the stage underneath the Friday Night Lights!
Friday Night Lights
Workin on the Weekend: If you are too busy to come out to Verizon Center during the week, take a look at the array of games being played on the weekend this season:
Weekend Slate
Back-to-Back-to-Back- For the first time in twelve years, teams will be forced to play back-to-back-to-back games at least once and no more than three times during the season. The Wizards are right in the middle, and will have to endure this difficult scheduling twice this year. First in March, they will play home vs. Atlanta on the 24th, travel to Boston on the 25th, and then come back home for Detroit on the 26th. Then in April they will host Indiana on the 4th before traveling to Detroit and New Jersey on the 5th and 6th respectively.
Three in a row
Life on the Road: The Wizards will have two long road trips during the ’11-’12 season. The first comes in February when they take to the road for a five city-nine day trip that will include stops in Detroit (Feb 12), Portland (Feb 14), Los Angeles (Clippers) (Feb 15), Utah (Feb 17), and Phoenix (Feb 20).
Road Trip
The next big trip comes a month later in March when the team hits the road for a six city-ten day trip with stops in San Antonio (Mar 12), Dallas (Mar 13), New Orleans (Mar 15), Atlanta (Mar 16), Memphis (Mar 18), and New Jersey (Mar 21)
Star power: There will be plenty of stars coming into Verizon Center this season, and it won’t be limited to the ‘Top 5 Games You Can’t Miss.’ These are the games with some real star power:
Jan 18 - Oklahoma City… DMV native Kevin Durant returns to the area with his new and improved Oklahoma City Thunder.
Feb 4-Los Angeles Clippers… Last season’s top 2 rookies, Blake Griffin and John Wall, will be featured in this early February dual.
Feb 29 - Apr 10 Orlando Magic… The Magic will visit Verizon Center twice which means double the fun for NBA Slam Dunk contestant Javale McGee who will have the task of stopping All-Star center Dwight Howard.
Home and Home- The Wizards will play two home-and-home series this year, both of them coming right at the beginning of the season. First, they will play home vs. Boston on January 1st and then travel to Boston on January 2nd. Then, they will play at Philadelphia on January 13th before hosting them the next night at Verizon Center on January 14th. With two games against the Sixers in the preseason, the Wizards will see their northern neighbors four times in less than a month.