Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jalen Brunson hit the "Roundball Rock" on Tuesday. Elsa / Getty Images

The opening stretch of an NBA season is like a Talking Heads album or a tuxedoed beagle -- it's tremendously exciting, and we don't really know what's going on yet.

There's a lot of time for correction. Rotations are going to settle as sample sizes broaden. The number of viable champions will funnel down. Some of these teams we're buzzing about won't matter by March. All of that is coming, but why get so sweaty rushing toward it? Critical thinking should get load management right now. "Just vibe" should play 42 minutes a night. We have double overtimes to cling to, and game winners to make vowel sounds at.

This week's slate is intriguing, even if we don't know what to make of its participants. Four teams have multiple national TV looks -- the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. There are road spotlights for Jalen Brunson, Kawhi Leonard and Donovan Mitchell. If nothing else, Mike Breen's tenor and "Roundball Rock" can go platinum in our heads. Here's what to check for around the NBA, plus superlatives for each prime-time listing.

NBC is free over the air, and it also streams on Peacock. All ESPN broadcasts are available on ESPN Unlimited. NBA TV and out-of-market games are available on NBA League Pass.

There's much to dig on the floor itself. New York was No. 5 in offensive rating last season. The core seems rejuvenated under Mike Brown. Milwaukee is still No. 1 in having Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is important when he's playing like some Oscar Robertson-Shaquille O'Neal remix. There will also be corresponding action in basketball's public square. In general, Antetokounmpo finds himself photoshopped into other uniforms, because he's that good. On Tuesday, it'll happen because the Knicks reportedly tried to acquire him in August.

Together, LA and Golden State field a starting five of future Hall of Famers -- Stephen Curry and James Harden as the guards, Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard on the wings, Draymond Green scowling in the middle. As the adage goes, with great matchups comes great caffeine intake. This telecast tips off at 8 p.m. local time and 11 p.m. on the East Coast, which is a full hour later than the previous 7/10 p.m. window on TNT.

As part of the league's new media deal, NBC is debuting "Coast 2 Coast Tuesday" doubleheaders across the main network and its streamer. Viewers on Eastern and Central time will see Knicks-Bucks on NBC and Peacock, then get the late game on Peacock exclusively. It flips for fans on Pacific and Mountain time, with Clippers-Warriors on NBC and Peacock, and the opener on Peacock only.

Again, it's October. This is no time for real narrative build. And yet ... and yet ... Boston began the week at 0-3, which is at least disarming even after its first win Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The franchise hadn't lost its first three games since 2013-14, when Brad Stevens was in NBA freshman orientation and Jordan Crawford was an offense's lead option.

These Celtics have a valid excuse: Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear. They also have a long runway to get right. Let's just appreciate Wednesday for what it is, a slight visceral lift with a motivated opponent. Cleveland used a pair of early Celtics tests to propel itself last year. It will do so again as Darius Garland readies his return. Few crowds ooze wide-eyed fear like New Englanders.

No LeBron James (sciatica) or Luka Dončić (finger and leg) for the Lake Show. And no Anthony Edwards (hamstring), either. Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that's just the TV overlords punching air. We are on the other side of the bus. With tempered expectations, we get a low-stakes look at some underrated hoopers.

Julius Randle was an All-NBA frontman just a couple moons ago. When locked in, his shot creation shines with a mix of muscle and silk. Randle scored 26 points in a loss to the Lakers just last week. Matching him is Austin Reaves, who put up an absurd 51 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists on Sunday, with a double-double (25 points, 11 assists) a couple days before against the Wolves. Maybe Deandre Ayton snares his first signature Lakers moment. Maybe we get a Naz Reid heat check. There are buckets to be found within the silver linings.

After Monday, Golden State is seventh in offensive rating and first in 3-pointers made per game. Milwaukee is ninth in offensive rating and fifth in field goal percentage. Antetokounmpo is elastic and pulls gravity inward; he was an assist shy of a 40-point triple-double on Sunday. Stephen Curry is still weightless mayhem along the perimeter, and the 37-year-old dropped a scintillant 42, then 35 points on back-to-back nights last week. Both supporting casts are moving off the ball and swinging when needed. Numbers should be on the boards, gaudy enough for even Pusha T's approval.

We're entering 2015 Curry space with Victor Wembanyama's third-year extraterrestrials. Curry's final-form ascendance a decade ago was the last time random League Pass games became monocultural and parasocial. Like Curry, Wembanyama's talents scramble our understandings of the sport. Unlike Curry, Wembanyama is (at least) 7-foot-4. General precept -- when you can watch someone block shots without jumping, then go the other way and drain a 30-footer, well, do it.

NBA Cup group play begins Friday, including two games on Prime. First up, the Celtics visit the Sixers. Joe Mazzulla is the type of coach to conduct a surprise coaches vs. reporters run, keep score and win by a 57-4 final. He's the type of coach to watch "The Town" four times a week, and proudly admit that into a live microphone. If his team's struggles continue, he will be apoplectic by Friday night. Overall, these Celts are not used to being behind the eight ball.

The spice is two-sided. Joel Embiid has been the league's funniest night-to-night quote for a while, and he's not in the greatest mood as his minutes restrictions kick in. Jared McCain is uniquely qualified to rile up fans with a victory dance, even if he remains on the bench due to a thumb injury. The 76ers are still recovering from an all-time catastrophe last season. Any Boston-versus-Philly shenanigans are liable to end in egged houses without the cover of Halloween night.

No team played faster than Memphis in 2024-25. The Grizzlies enter Tuesday with the league's third-quickest pace, and that will probably rise as the season wears on. With Ja Morant leading the break, these Grizz get their cardio and close their watches' exercise rings (do bears wear pedometers? Do they eat them?). Memphis has finished with a top-10 pace in all but one of Morant's seasons (2023-24, when he played in just nine games).

The Lakers have typically been prodding with James and/or Dončić as their heliocentric engine, but this shorthanded offense can and should let loose on Friday. Reaves' possible Halloween sugar rush and Morant's unlimited stamina cheat code set up a marathon and a sprint.

NBA weekly watch guide: Best games include Knicks-Bucks and Lakers-Wolves on national TV