The NBA released its 2016-17 regular-season schedule?Thursday. As Washington Wizards fans peruse their teams schedule, here are the five games they should circle on their calendar:Oct. 27: Wizards at Atlanta HawksFollowing last years disappointing 41-41 season, the team and its fans hope the opener against the Hawks will be the beginning of an exciting season in Washington that leads the Wizards back to the playoffs. With Bradley Beal re-signing on a five-year, $128 million contract and 29-year-old free-agent center Ian Mahinmi joining the Wizards this offseason, the expectations for this years team will be playoffs or bust.?Nov. 11: Wizards vs. Cleveland CavaliersThe Wizards went 2-2 last year against the defending NBA champions, and the matchup between John Wall and Kyrie Irving will be one of the best point guard battles all season.?Nov. 30: Wizards at Oklahoma City ThunderThis will be Brooks first trip to Oklahoma City since he was fired after the 2015 season. Brooks led the team to the 2012 NBA Finals.?Dec. 19: Wizards at?Indiana PacersThis will be the first matchup for center Mahinmi since he signed a four-year, $64 million deal with the Wizards this past offseason. Mahinmi spent the last four years with the Pacers and averaged a career-high 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds last season.?Feb. 28: Wizards vs. Golden State WarriorsIt will be Kevin Durants first visit to D.C. since he signed with the Golden State Warriors. It will also be Durants first game playing against Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who spent seven seasons coaching the superstar in Oklahoma City.? Basketball Jerseys China . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.cheapbasketballjerseysauthentic.com/ .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Stitched Basketball Jerseys . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. CHICAGO -- Kyle Schwarber signed a baseball for Campbell Faulkner, and Faulkner gave Schwarber a green wristband. Twin acts of kindness, and a friendship was born.The slugger with the big Ohio heart, and the sunny boy with a life-threatening illness. A bond that made each of them better.Some 1,700 miles away from Wrigley Field, Faulkner and his family are soaking up every moment of Schwarbers comeback from a major knee injury. The 10-year-old Faulkner -- If you ask him, hes two hands, his mother Carrie says -- stays up to watch his buddy in the World Series, and Schwarber proudly wears his Campbells Crew wristband while he tries to help the Chicago Cubs to their first championship since 1908.Hes a kid who can always put a smile on my face, Schwarber said.Faulkner has a rare mitochondrial disease. His body doesnt know how to use food and oxygen properly.Doctors knew something was wrong with Faulkner just days after he was born. The youngest of Carrie and Shane Faulkners four children never cried and was never hungry.On Day 4, he was labeled failure to thrive, Carrie Faulkner said. He got his first feeding tube in his stomach when he was 4, and a second tube at 7.On the outside he looks perfect, Carrie Faulkner told The Associated Press in a phone interview. On the inside, its just a train wreck, its a disaster in there.So when Carrie Faulkner heard about what Schwarber said after one of the biggest games of his life, she just lost it. Moments after Schwarber hit two RBI singles in Chicagos 5-1 victory over Cleveland in Game 2 on Wednesday night, he was asked about his green wristband, and the son of a retired Ohio police chief jumped on the question like a belt-high fastball.Yeah, Campbell Faulkner, hes a kid that I met down in Arizona. Hes got a rare genetic disease, and I met him my first spring training, Schwarber said. Really young, smart kid, and hes just always got a big smile on his face.Schwarber kept right on going.We stay in contact through email. Hes a smart kid, man, he said. The kids, I think, got an IQ of like a college kid for being so young. That tells you how smart he is. And thats a person you want to look up to right there.A day later, Carrie Faulkner was still floored.I dont even have words, she said Thursday. I have tears. ... Oh my heavens what an amazing man to think of my son at that moment.For Campbell, it was no big deal. After all, theyre friends. It made me feel good, and I knew that he was thinking of me, he said.Faulkner and Schwarber met last year during spring training. Faulkner was a guest of an organization called Steves Dream, which provides tickets to Cubs spring training games to families.ddddddddddddThe Faulkners were tailgating when Schwarber stopped and signed a ball for Campbell, who returned the favor with the wristband that made Schwarber a member of Campbells Crew -- a support group for Faulkner with its own Facebook page and Twitter feed .Schwarber promised to wear the green band, and the connection only grew from there. Schwarber got Faulkner his own Dinger Bat. They exchanged autographed pictures and started emailing each other.Hell just give me, like, support, and hell say hes praying for me, Faulkner said.Faulkner was at Chase Field in April when Schwarber got hurt in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler, spraining his ankle and tearing two ligaments in his left knee. He was ruled out for the year, just three games into the season.A crestfallen Faulkner was quiet when he got home. He took his hat off, put it in his lap and prayed. Then he sent an email to Schwarber pointing out he had a lot of doctors and offering to help the slugger get in touch with them.Campbell literally went into protective mode to take care of Kyle, Carrie Faulkner said.And thats when that one fleeting moment in the heat of spring training returned to Schwarber in a major way. As Schwarber embarked on the long, difficult process of rehabbing a major injury, he found inspiration in the example of his precocious friend in Arizona.It means a lot, Schwarber told the AP. I wasnt going through near as much time as what that kids going through his whole life right now. That just gives me that extra motivation going through this rehab that I still have to go through after the season.Schwarber made it back quicker than anyone expected, surprising everyone with the Cubs. Following an encouraging checkup on Oct. 17 in Dallas, he was cleared to hit. He spent a few days in the Arizona Fall League, enough time for a short visit with Faulkner, before rejoining the NL champions in time for the World Series.He is still not cleared to play the field, making him a pinch hitter for the next three games. But he took the news in stride.Not disappointing at all, a smiling Schwarber said. It was a long shot at the most.It was an answer Faulkner would have loved.You look up to him, Schwarber said as he walked behind home plate at Wrigley. Hes a great role model and definitely lives life to the fullest.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '