15 Footer 1/18/12: 11 Games. One Jamal Crawford.

A schedule for the early birds – nine of tonight’s games start at 8:00 PM EST or earlier. Hope your clicking finger is ready.

Count the rings to find out how old Tim Duncan is (Spurs at Magic, 7:00 PM EST)

It’s been over a decade now, but the meetings between these two teams will always remind me of how close Tim Duncan was to signing with the Magic and completely changing the landscape of NBA history.

In more recent news, both teams played last night, so don’t be surprised if this one is a sluggish affair. The bright side for the Spurs is that their starters will be decently rested after getting trounced in the second half by the Heat. Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard all sat out the entire fourth quarter, in typical Popovichian fashion.

[Things] just got real (Nuggets at Sixers, 7:00 PM EST)

So it begins for the darlings of the east in Philadelphia. The biggest criticism against the Sixers’ long-term viability as contenders has been their weak schedule to this point. With the Nuggets, Hawks and Heat on the docket for the next three games, some of those questions might be answered. Bagging a win over Denver would be a good first step in proving that Philadelphia isn’t a fluke.

Natural phenomenon > magical people (Thunder at Wizards, 7:00 PM EST)

John Wall has played substantially better of late after early season struggles, but that won’t be enough for the Wizards against the best team in the league. Oklahoma City is looking to get off to their best start since the franchise was in Seattle. One assumes that Washington will offer little resistance.

Depression City (Raptors at Celtics, 7:30 PM EST)

Eight wins. In years past, that’d be the number of victories tallied by Boston already; this year, it’s the combined total between the two teams. A win by the Raptors – which isn’t completely out of the question, with Jose Calderon playing out of his skull – would put them ahead of Boston in winning percentage on the year.

A moment of silence, please, for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

The slow spiral of insanity for Deron Williams (Warriors at Nets, 7:30 PM EST)

Had things gone differently, this could have been an incredibly fun matchup. All it would have taken was a healthy Brook Lopez, a healthy Stephen Curry and Tyson Chandler signing with the Warriors during the offseason.

Instead, we’ve got 4 Williamses and a Monta Ellis-shooting fest. Someone save Deron Williams before he turns into Baron Davis.

Remember the good old days? (Suns at Knicks, 7:30 PM EST)

I’m not sure that this is going to be a basketball game, necessarily; instead, Mike D’Antoni, Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire might meet up in the bowels of Madison Square Garden and cry for hours on end, remembering when they used to win basketball games.

2010 was a good year, but it seems so long ago for the Suns.

CRAWFORD-MANIA (Blazers at Hawks, 8:00 PM EST, ESPN)

Hey, guys, it’s Jamal Crawford’s return to Atlanta! I wonder how he’ll celebrate. 25+ shots, anyone? Anyone? Blazers fans?

Chris Paul isn’t walking through that door (Grizzlies at Hornets, 8:00 PM EST)

Many predicted doom and gloom for the Hornets this season after losing their star in some trade that you might have heard about. When they started the season with two wins in a row, it looked like things might not be quite as bad as some feared.

The Hornets have lost 10 of their past 11 games. They’ve lost five in a row. Things are as bad as most feared. The Grizzlies have missing-star issues of their own without Zach Randolph, but Marc Gasol and company should be plenty to take down a reeling New Orleans team that’s sinking fast.

A tale of an amazing point guard – and Rodney Stuckey (Pistons at Wolves, 8:00 PM EST)

Detroit played last night and got destroyed by the Rockets, as these Pistons are wont to do. The Wolves are fresh, at home and ready to Rubio the Pistons into submission. Should be fun, so long as you’re not a Detroit fan. If you are, pray that Greg Monroe gets back on track after a sub-par game last night.

I won’t blame you if you miss this (Pacers at Kings, 10:00 PM EST)

As the early games wrap up, basketball fans will settle in to watch what has the potential to be an utter brick-fest. The Kings are shooting less than 40% from the field this year, and Indiana isn’t much better. Whoever wins this game (the Pacers), it won’t be pretty (when the Pacers win).

Repeat performances make NBA fans something something… (Mavs at Clippers, 10:30 PM EST, ESPN)

If there’s a God Shammgod, he won’t let Dallas repeat their previous performance in Los Angeles. It’d also be kind of nifty if he lets Chris Paul play, who’s still day-to-day with a strained hamstring. If Paul doesn’t, Lob City quickly devolves into: