NBA schedule has Christmas finals rematch, more player rest

The Golden State Warriors will see an old friend on opening night and LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Finals rematch on Christmas, two of the highlight games of their title defense. The NBA released its schedule Wednesday, a more player-friendly model that addresses Commissioner Adam Silver's directive for additional player rest by slashing the times teams have to play four times in five nights to an average of one per team.