Hanifan: 5 teams I'm most excited for Heat to play this season

We are in the dog days of summer, but the NBA is releasing the full 82-game season on Thursday. We already know a pair of Miami Heat games, and we know they will get a crack against every team at least twice.

While we don’t know the dates/times of each game, which teams am I most looking forward to watching the Heat play this season? Here are five:

New York Knicks:

Skinny: New York is coming off its first title in over 50 years, and the Knicks-Heat rivalry dates back to the mid-90s when Pat Riley flew down south to join the Miami Heat — as an executive and head coach. You can’t tell the story of the NBA, let alone the Miami Heat, without Riley. And the longtime president landed his “747” this summer with Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s safe to say the two teams are expected to battle atop the East this year. Both have plenty of athleticism and dynamism on both ends of the floor. The Knicks will get the Heat’s best shot, and vice versa. You couldn’t ask for much more.

Philadelphia 76ers:

Skinny: Even after a 45-win season where they stunned the Boston Celtics in the first round, the 76ers enter the new season far more formidable with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in the mix. Pair those two with Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe and an oft-injured Joel Embiid, something is brewing in Philly. They are going to have to find a way to navigate 1.) Embiid’s health and 2.) a slip defensively. But this group has plenty of punch offensively, although I do think a healthy Heat team stacks up well.

San Antonio Spurs:

Skinny: We already tackled the defending champs — let’s look at last year’s West champs. This appeal stems from one thing: How does the Heat’s new-look frontcourt measure up to Victor Wembanyama? (Not literally … we know how that goes.) The league is drifting bigger, and plenty of teams out West are trying to construct teams to combat the 7-foot-4 superstar, even though he hasn’t won a title or MVP yet. Miami still has a gaping hole in the frontcourt, but it’s way more lethal with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo heading the snake.

Orlando Magic:

Skinny: Excluding the preseason and Summer League (who counts those?), the Magic have won five straight and seven of the last nine meetings against Miami. They swept the rare five-game series last season, where their size and physicality have consistently been too much for the Heat to handle. Orlando may have only finished with two more wins, but they doubled down on their roster, while the Heat overhauled theirs. Thank goodness they are not playing for the 1,807th time on opening night, but I am still excited to see them play nonetheless.

Oklahoma City Thunder:

Skinny: Even though they didn’t win the West last year, the Thunder have been the best team in the West the last three seasons, totaling 57, 68 and 64 wins, respectively. They did get slightly worse this summer by offloading Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, but this team is still expected to be very good. These matchups always provide a little extra juice, so even though there are just two regular season meetings, they’re ones I always circle.