The NBA is back - sort of.

With the tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement in place, fans everywhere wait for the agreement to be completed and ratified. But commissioner David Stern's hope is for a 66-game season that would start on Christmas Day. The full schedule is not available yet but once it is released, NBA.com will post it.

As of now, the season would start on Christmas with it ending on April 26. The playoffs would begin on April 28 with the Finals possibly ending on or around June 26.

Due to the rushed nature of the schedule, players will have to adjust to some scheduling quirks like back-to-back-backs. All teams will have at least one and possibly three. There might even be back-to-backs in the second round of the playoffs.

There will be 48 conference games and 18 non-conference games, which sets up well for the Eastern Conference powerhouses to pad their records. With a shortened season, who you play, when and where could matter more than it has in the past.