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NEW YORK (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant will spend another Christmas together.
The former teammates will meet on Dec. 25 for the third straight season, as the NBA champion Miami Heat host the Los Angeles Lakers in the lone game on the holiday.
That was one of the highlights of the 2006-07 NBA schedule, released by the league Tuesday.
The season opens on Oct. 31 with two games, both rematches of thrilling first-round series from last season's playoffs: Chicago at Miami and Phoenix at the Lakers.
The Bulls -- who will debut new big man Ben Wallace that night -- pushed the Heat to six games in their matchup. The Suns overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Lakers.
Wallace returns to Detroit for the first time on Feb. 25.
The first full day of games comes on Nov. 1 and will feature the Clippers at Phoenix. The Suns needed seven games to oust the improved Clippers in last season's Western Conference semifinals.
The following night, rivals San Antonio and Dallas meet for the first time since they also went seven games in the same round. The Mavericks beat the Spurs on the road in overtime to win that series on the way to their first NBA finals appearance.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-08-01-06 1241MDT
