Pending agreement, season to open Dec. 25

NBA Commissioner David Stern said early Saturday morning that, if the tentative agreement reached between the owners and players is completed and ratified, he is hopeful of having a 66-game season, beginning on Christmas Day. Below is a general breakdown of how the 2011-12 NBA Season schedule will be structured. The five-game Christmas Day slate is also listed below.

Full details of the schedule will be released on NBA.com upon its completion.

Regular Season Start Date: December 25, 2011

Regular Season End Date: April 26, 2012

Playoffs Start Date: April 28, 2012

Last Possible Finals Date: June 26, 2012

Boston Celtics at New York Knicks, 12 p.m. ET | TNT

Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks, 2:30 p.m. ET | ABC

Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers, 5 p.m. ET | ABC

Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m. ET | ESPN

Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

Conference Games: 48

• Play 6 teams 4 times (2 home, 2 away)

• Play 4 teams 3 times (2 home, 1 away)

• Play 4 teams 3 times (1 home, 2 away)

Non-Conference Games: 18

• Play 3 teams 2 times (1 home, 1 away)

• Play 6 teams 1 time at home

• Play 6 teams 1 time away

Back to Back to Backs: All teams with at least 1; no more than 3

Playoff Back to Backs: Possible in second round