The 2011-12 National Basketball Association season kicks off on Christmas Day with the New York Knicks playing host to traditional Eastern Conference rival Boston Celtics.
NY fans are excited to see their beloved Knicks back on the court as this is the first time that All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will start the season together.
Anthony joined the Knicks towards the end of last season after parting ways with the Denver Nuggets.
"We've been waiting for a long time. We had a long offseason, a short preseason, we should be ready," Anthony told Yahoo Sports' Kelly Dwyer.
Anthony averaged 26.3 points in a Knick uniform last season while Stoudemire posted averages of 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
Anthony has a reason to be excited. After all, the Knicks acquired veteran point guard Mike Bibby from the Miami Heat versatile big man Tyson Chandler from defending champion Dallas Mavericks.
"You've got a player like myself coming in trying to learn a whole new defense and a whole new offense. We have to get the other guys to ... understand how to play with me and I have to understand how to play with them," said Chandler when asked how will he able to adjust to Mike D'Antoni's system.
Other new acquisitions for the Knicks are Baron Davis, Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan while Toney Douglas, Jared Jeffries, Landry Fields and Renaldo Balkman return this season.
The Knicks finished sixth in the Eastern Conference last season with a 42-40 record. They were swept by the Celtics in the first round.
Speaking of Boston, the team will once again lean on its ageing Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The same troika led the Celtics to their 17th league title in 2008 but age and injuries seemed to have taken its toll on the players over the past few seasons.
Adding to the team's worries is the league's hectic schedule in the shortened season.
"We're all figuring it out. It's going to be a period where everybody's adjusting," Garnett said in an interview with the Associated Press.
"This year will test everybody's endurance and their willingness. This will be more mental than physical."
Back for another tour of duty are Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal, another player in his 30s.
"It's not going to come down to age, but who's mentally tougher," O'Neal said.
"Who's going to stay mentally tough from the get-go? And also health is a big part of it. You’ve got to take care of your body. My goal is to stay healthy. I just don't want to be hurt."
The Celtics made new acquisitions in the offseason, bringing in Brandon Bass, Keyon Dooling, Chris Wilcox and rookies E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson.
Gone from last season's line-up are Glen Davis and Shaquille O'Neal, who has retired.
