Superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are currently preparing for a shot at winning a second consecutive gold medal under Coach Mike Krzyzewski for Team USA in the 2012 Olympics. As of right now, the Americans are the favorites to come out on top with Spain and Argentina being their toughest challenges along the way.

In the meantime, the NBA has released the schedule for the 2012-13 season with some intriguing matchups on the horizon.

As usual, the marquee matchups in the NBA will be played on Christmas Day after nearly two months of competition in which the fans and the league get a good sense of the way the season will pan out.

This time around, the Christmas Day will showcase the majority of the new-look teams:

Christmas Day (Dec. 25)

Boston Celtics @ Brooklyn Nets 12 p.m. ET

New York Knicks @ Los Angeles Lakers 3 p.m. ET

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat 5:30 p.m. ET (NBA Finals rematch)

Houston Rockets @ Chicago Bulls 8 p.m. ET

Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Clippers 10:30 p.m. ET

The most anticipated matchup on Christmas Day will almost certainly be the NBA Finals rematch between the Heat and Thunder. The Celtics taking on the Nets and the Knicks battling the Lakers will also intrigue many NBA fans around the country.

Other highly anticipated matchups throughout the season include:

November

Miami Heat @ New York Knicks and L.A. Lakers @ L.A. Clippers Nov. 2 8 p.m. ET

December

Dallas Mavericks @ L.A. Clippers Dec. 5 10:30 p.m. ET

L.A. Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder Dec. 7 9:30 p.m. ET

N.Y. Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets Dec. 11 7 p.m. ET

January

L.A. Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 9 8 p.m. ET

Miami Heat @ Brooklyn Nets Jan. 30 8 p.m. ET

L.A. Lakers @ Phoenix Suns Jan. 30 10:30 p.m. ET (Steve Nash’s return to Phoenix)

February

L.A. Clippers @ Miami Heat Feb. 8 8 p.m. ET

L.A. Lakers @ Miami Heat Feb. 10 3:30 p.m. ET

San Antonio Spurs @ Brooklyn Nets Feb. 10 8 p.m. ET

Boston Celtics @ L.A. Lakers Feb. 20 10:30 p.m. ET

March

Dallas Mavericks @ Brooklyn Nets March 1 8 p.m. ET

Miami Heat @ N.Y. Knicks March 3 1 p.m. ET

Oklahoma City Thunder @ L.A. Clippers March 3 3:30 p.m. ET

Chicago Bulls @ San Antonio Spurs March 6 9 p.m. ET

Boston Celtics @ Oklahoma City Thunder March 10 1 p.m. ET

N.Y. Knicks @ Denver Nuggets March 13 10:30 p.m. ET

Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics March 18 9 p.m. ET

April

N.Y. Knicks @ Oklahoma City Thunder April 7 1 p.m. ET

L.A. Lakers @ L.A. Clippers April 7 3:30 p.m. ET

Brooklyn Nets @ Boston Celtics April 10 8 p.m. ET

Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat April 14 1 p.m. ET

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