Roundtable: What’s the best game to go to as a fan this coming season?

With regular season games on sale, one regular site reader wanted to know what we thought were the best games to try to go to as a fan. Everyone has a different thought, so here’s what the Mavs Moneyball team had to say.

Ben: I’m making it a point to see LeBron James vs Luka Doncic this year. The Lakers visit twice, in December and March, so there’s two opportunities to get there in person. Luka and LeBron bring out the best in each other, and their style of play makes for beautiful basketball. If I can only make one game this year, it’s one of these.

Matthew: The Lebron games are a fantastic choice, though I would add that while analytics may not like him, Russell Westbrook’s manic energy is amazing to see live. My choice is December 23rd against the Bucks. Giannis is a freak of nature and the type of athlete that people tell their grandchildren they saw live. Throw in that Porzingis always brings it in this matchup and it is the second game of a back to back for the Bucks but not for the Mavericks, increasing the chances of a Mavericks victory and this is the game to see.

Lauren: I’d say the Clippers, Lakers, Heat, Knicks, and warriors. Some more cheaper options that are always fun because their opposing fans will show up are the Hawks, Celtics, Spurs, and Rockets.

Jeffrey: It’s always great to see LeBron in the building. If the Warriors are good, there’s nothing like seeing Steph Curry light up the gym either. Surely the Clippers games will be fun too with the recent history. Those are the games I would want to go to this season

Tim: Thursday, December 23rd the NBA champs come to town one night before Santa Claus. Put it on your Christmas wish list or buy tickets and make it a family/friend Christmas outing. Giannis vs Luka is peak basketball entertainment.

Also Saturday, January 29th Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers come to Dallas. This will be Rick’s first game coaching on the visitor side in Dallas since 2007. I imagine lots of mixed emotions will be displayed that night. Rick helped lead the Mavs to their lone championship but also seemed to fumble the Luka relationship. I’d want to go to simply see Luka stare at the Pacers bench every time he hits a step back 3.

Kevin: January 20th against Phoenix should be a fun one. Like it or not, the Suns are the Western Conference champs. This game should be a good mid-season measuring stick for Luka, KP, and the Mavs. Luka is going to end up chasing Devin Booker around at some point, and on the other end Chris Paul’s annoying old ass will end up hounding Luka some. Should be fun to see how Luka reacts.

Kristaps Porzingis has made a point that he wants to play center. Good luck. Lining up across from Deandre Ayton is a challenge for any big, and if KP’s lateral movement still looks like it did last year we can probably expect 25 and 15 from Ayton.

This will be the final matchup of the season with Phoenix, after playing the Suns on November 17th and 19th, both in Phoenix. So this third game can be our revenge for whichever of the first two we piss away.

Kirk: I’ve been to a dozen Mavericks games in the last 19 years since I left Dallas, but I haven’t attended a game in person in Dallas since 2002. Now that I’m back, I really want to go to a Spurs game. Lauren’s onto something with the opposing fans. My son REALLY wants to go, so we’ll see how many I get to this year.