NBA Season's Top 10: Games 6 to 10

The NBA pre-season officially started this week and the games that count commence less than three weeks away on Oct. 27. In the final season before the summer free-agent bonanza, this year's match-ups are bubbling over with dramatic subplots and intrigue. To help kick off the season, Tonic compiled a Top 10 list of the must-see games (with apologies for Kobe and LeBron's inevitable multiple entries). Games 6 to 10 are listed below with the top five games posting on Wednesday.

10. The Orlando Magic at home against the Toronto Raptors, Dec. 16 – These two teams will have already played twice in Toronto, but the key game will be Hedo Turkoglu's return to Mickey Mouse city. Last season, the reigning Most Improved Player helped his team get to the NBA Finals, but the Toronto Raptors lured him away over the summer. Better yet, the Magic replaced him with former Raptors star Vince Carter, who's gotten more mileage out of a Slam Dunk Championship than most any player in history. Carter and Turkoglu will both be motivated to beat their former teams, and each other.

9. The Dallas Mavericks at home vs. the San Antonio Spurs, Nov. 11 – There are two general constants in the Western Conference: the Spurs will make it to the semi or conference finals and they'll beat the Mavericks in a series (save for the year Dallas went to the NBA Finals). That's why fans were surprised last spring when the lower seed Mavs knocked out their Lone Star neighbors in five games -- the first Tim Duncan-led team ever to make a first-round exit. With a healthy Manu Ginobili and the addition of Richard Jefferson, the Spurs are reloaded and ready for payback when Dirk & Co. visit rodeo city. To make things interesting, the two teams play again exactly one week later in Cowboys country.

8. New York Knicks at home vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, Nov. 6 – I suspect LeBron James will stay put in the Rock Hall of Fame city next season, but most sportswriters place him at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks are a storied championship franchise in one of the biggest media markets, and between LBJ's Yankees cap and the "I LeBron New York" shirts, the synergy is there. Plus, No. 23 loves to have big games in the Big Apple, as evidenced by last February's 52-point, 9-rebounds, 11-assist basketball symphony. And that's why the NBA scheduled LBJ's lone Madison Square Garden appearance for a national Friday night audience on ESPN. Still, when it comes to the LeBron free-agent lottery, don't discount the New Jersey Nets (where the Cavs visit Jan. 2), especially since his BFF Jay-Z has a small ownership stake in the soon-to-be Brooklyn team.

7. The Memphis Grizzlies at home vs. the Detroit Pistons, Oct. 28 – Typically I would say the Allen Iverson game-to-watch would be in Philly, but he recently asserted that the Pistons' (now former) coach "lied" to him about his role on that team. Brilliantly, the Griz and the Pistons start their regular seasons playing each other. Considering A.I.'s ego and toughness, this should a grudge match. I'm guessing you'll even see No. 3 play some defense on Rick Hamilton, who might want to reinforce that faceguard. At least for this game, the Answer will be back!

6. The Houston Rockets at home vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, Nov. 4 – "It's on," exclaimed Ron Artest about his former team in Big Oil city. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady out, it was Artest who stepped up for the Rockets and helped take the Lakers to their only game seven last spring. The volatile star, who apparently rode the bus to that game in his underwear, claims the Rockets messed up his "bird rights" in his contract and that he's pissed. The plot thickens with Artest coming to L.A. and the Lakers breakout star Trevor Ariza jumping ship to Houston. Both players will have something to prove when they meet at Staples Center, and since they play the same position, they might even face each other on the court. Well, Trevor, here's your chance to earn that big paycheck you landed.

That's games 10 through 6. Check back on Wednesday for the top five.

LBJ images by hnnssy25, A.I. image by ebot courtesy of Flickr.