Denver Nuggets: Top 5 Games Of 2013-14 Schedule

With the schedule released Tuesday, there are now dates to refer to when looking ahead at what games are expected to be huge for the Denver Nuggets.

Coming off a franchise-record 57 wins last season, Denver didn’t exactly capitalize on that success and improve. While they lost their head coach, general manager and a key starter, there is now big anticipation to see how they bounce back from this summer and perform with these new faces.

Here a few games that can garner nationwide attention for the Nuggets:

After years on the sidelines with the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers, Brian Shaw finally has his head coaching opportunity. (Photo courtesy of The White House Office of the Press Secretary via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brian_Shaw.jpg#file)

Oct. 30 at Sacramento Kings: Opening night is always one of, if not the, biggest nights of the NBA season. With as many changes as Denver went through over the summer, it’ll be interesting to see them in regular season action for the first time and evaluate the chemistry the new players and new coach

were able to make leading up to the season opener. A few questions that can be cleared up by then are what to do with the point-guard logjam of

,

and

, who wins the starting shooting guard position that seems to be between

and

currently and how

and

fit into the frontcourt.

“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” What may have gone through the mind of new Golden State Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala this summer. Photo Credit: NBA.com

Dec. 23 vs. Golden State Warriors: Drama has built up quite a bit between these two teams since the playoffs. Some wrote off the Warriors after losing

to injury, but they still managed to beat the Nuggets in six games to send them into a less than favorable offseason. Not only that, but it’s easy to imagine some Nuggets players wanting to beat Golden State because of

leaving the team to join the Warriors. This matchup will be the first of four over the season, with two coming near the end of the season that can have big playoff implications.

Shaw will have his chance to upset the Indiana crowd and former coworker Frank Vogel in February. Photo: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule

Feb. 10 at Indiana Pacers: After parting ways with coach

after a long contract dispute, the Nuggets went out and nabbed top Indiana assistant Brian Shaw to guide the team. After looking interviewing for head coaching positions the past few years, Shaw finally got a gig in Denver. There’s no bad blood between Shaw and the Pacers, but he’ll have the chance to show how successful of a coach he can be against his old team that was one game shy of the NBA Finals.

Robinson is looking to stand out among the Denver point guards and show Chicago what they’re missing. (NBA.com photo)

Feb. 21 at Chicago Bulls: This is one matchup that is flying under the radar that should be receiving more attention because of Nate Robinson. He clearly had a career year with the absence of

and stepped up even more in the playoffs. Though he didn’t get the payday he was looking for, he can still provide veteran experience to Denver and will have the opportunity to show Chicago what they missed out on when opting to move past him this offseason.

When they face the Utah Jazz in April, will Danilo Gallinari be back to being one of, if not the, top contributors on the team? (Photo by Matthew D. Britt/Flickr.com)

April 12 vs. Utah Jazz: Coming down to the end of the season, mid-April is when teams are shuffling playoff seeds on a near daily basis. This Jazz game is the third-to-last game of the season, but with Utah expected to put up a fight for the postseason and being in the same division as Denver, this game can be a huge variable for not only these two teams but others that will be in the hunt. Right now, the Nuggets are more expected to be fighting for a playoff spot rather than come close to repeating their 57-win season last year.