Top 10 Games to Look Forward to on Suns 2016-17 Schedule

The countdown has ended and a new season of Phoenix Suns basketball is here.

The team's 2016-17 marathon has been divided into 82 legs/games, all of them potentially leading to one of eight playoff spots in the Western Conference. How the Suns handle a pair of six-game road trips, 20-plus games in the season's first month and other potential obstacles will play into their postseason chances.

Individual contests also play a factor. Phoenix missed the playoffs by a single game's margin in 2014, and tiebreakers are always a handy asset to have in one's back pocket.

There is fun value to consider as well. Which matchups are particularly juicy with talent? When does past history come into play?

With that in mind, here are 10 games that are important and/or interesting for varying reasons.

If you'd like to attend to one of these matchups or any other Suns game this season, single-game tickets can be purchased here.

What does a record-breaking team look like after it adds a top-five player? Phoenix will find out in the first week of the season when it hosts a Warriors team that lumped Kevin Durant in with a crew that won 73 games and boasted three All-Stars last year.

From the Suns' perspective, this is a huge opportunity to learn about themselves. Devin Booker has spent the entire offseason hell-bent on making the next leap in his career. Eric Bledsoe has rehabbed like a mad man from the knee injury that sidelined him last December. Ditto for T.J. Warren. Are they ready to resume NBA basketball at its most elite level? They'll find out sooner than later.

Until the late 1980s, the Suns and Lakers clashed six times in the regular season, and the repetitive sight of a division foe produced the rivalry it ultimately became. Sadly, #BeatLA only occurs four times per season now, but it's still a cherished part of any Phoenix campaign.

Also keep in mind that, for one of the few times in their joint history, the Suns and Lakers find themselves in the same place: vying to move up in the West with young and improving talent. Devin Booker vs. D'Angelo Russell could be a preview of the next decade's worth of the rivalry, plus three top-10 picks from this year's draft (Brandon Ingram, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss) will also be on display.

There will be no error in the game program on this night. Tim Duncan is not on the Spurs roster.

Phoenix hasn't seen that since the end of the 1996-97 season, when Kevin Johnson was a starting point guard and John "Hot Rod" Williams manned the middle. Now the Spurs are led by Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, while the Suns are grooming their own next generation.

The NBA understands that at least part of Christmas is about the kids, because this matchup is replete with some of the best and extremely young talent in the league. The Sixers' frontcourt carries a whopping five lottery picks, all selected within the last three years. That group is headlined by this year's No. 1 pick, Ben Simmons, although his status for the season is up in the air after he suffered a broken foot over the summer.

Phoenix counters with the only All-Rookie First Team guard from last season (Booker), the fifth overall pick from 2013 (Alex Len), a lottery pick from 2014 (Warren) and two top-10 picks from this year (Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss).

Youth is served.

The Suns should have a good idea of who they are by this point of the season. Eric Bledsoe will be in midseason form, a fun thing to see against his old mentor and All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Phoenix will also have two big bodies (Tyson Chandler and Len) to throw at Team USA center DeAndre Jordan.

The real fun here is the chippiness that has accompanied recent Suns-Clippers matchups. Blake Griffin never fails to irritate opponents, but Phoenix has its own set of physical competitors in Chandler, Len and P.J. Tucker who love to give push for shove. 

The finally crowned Clevelanders make their first and only visit to Talking Stick Resort Arena, and you can bet the place will be packed. The question is, how will the Cavs look at this point in the season? Will they be roasting opponents or coasting to the finish line?

Either way, it will be interesting to see how they defend a healthy Suns team full of offensive weapons. Warren scorched Cleveland for 23 points last December in a game the Cavs narrowly won, while Tucker helped limit LeBron James to 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

There will be no drop-off in point guard play on this night. The Suns are well-stocked at that position with Bledsoe, Knight and Ulis all available. The Timberwolves have a similar luxury thanks to the tandem of Spanish passing wizard Ricky Rubio and fifth overall pick Kris Dunn.

Like Phoenix, Minnesota has stock-piled young talent in recent years, and both teams are looking to climb up a daunting Western Conference ladder. Fans could see the beginnings of future contenders taking the floor on this particular night.

Few cities embrace their own quite like Chicago, in large part because blossoming in its backyard is no easy task. Tyler Ulis, the Suns' second-round steal from this year's draft, is the Windy City's latest success story. Rest assured that he will have plenty of hometown supporters coming to see him, all of whom will go nuts if he gets the chance to steal the show.

Don't forget that former Miami star Dwyane Wade is now a Bull less than a year after playing against and raving about Booker. Of the Suns' young guard, Wade said he is "one of the future [top] two-guards in this league."

If you like storylines replete with what-if's, tune in for this one. In what many considered a surprise, Celtics GM (and former Suns player/coach) Danny Ainge drafted California forward Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick in this year's draft. That cleared the way for Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough (and former Boston assistant GM) to draft Bender fourth and trade for the eighth pick to select Chriss.

Not enough? OK. Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas used to be a Sun. Leandro Barbosa was once in Boston. Jared Dudley grew up in the area and went to Boston College. Finally, the Celts' prized free agent acquisition (Al Horford) was drafted with a pick that Phoenix nearly owned before it moved up one spot in the 2007 draft.

Enjoy.

Welcome to the Kentucky Wildcats reunion! Had Sacramento kept Rajon Rondo in free agency, there would be nine former members of Big Blue Nation instead of a measly eight. Phoenix carries five of them: Bledsoe, Booker, Ulis, Brandon Knight and Archie Goodwin.

The Kings, meanwhile, will trot out DeMarcus Cousins (played with Bledsoe), Willie Cauley-Stein (played with Booker and Ulis) and Skal Labissiere (played with Ulis). April tournament obligations aside, John Calipari should really be there, shouldn't he?

This article was originally published by former Suns.com contributor Matt Petersen.