Not sure where the league's head was at when they rolled out the refurbished schedule, but it apparently has no problem with athletes competing in feats of skill and cunning on an unholy Friday the 13th. Despite my objections, games will be taking place, expensive ones. This weekend showcases some real contenders and the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls

Canada's finest NBA franchise makes the trip to Chi-town on Saturday to face Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. Ticket prices are currently averaging $101 right now on SeatGeek, making it the fifth highest price game this weekend.

New York Knicks at Oklahoma City Thunder

The Knicks head out west to face Kevin Durant and the Thunder with the help of rookie Iman Shumpert back from injury. Ticket prices are currently averaging $119 right now on SeatGeek, making it our fourth priciest game.

Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets

Lebron and his supporting cast take on Chris 'Birdman' Andersen and the rest of the Denver Nuggets. Ticket prices are averaging $125 right now on SeatGeek, good for No. 3 this weekend.

Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics

The Toronto Raptors just aren't enough to satiate the demand for Bulls tickets so they make a second appearance in the Top 5 games this weekend. Rose and Bulls head to Boston to take on the Celtics tonight at the Garden. Tickets are currently averaging $132 right now on SeatGeek, our second most expensive NBA tickets this weekend.

Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers

I'm not sure what took so long, but apparently you can turn a basketball team around by adding two really good players. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have made this matchup with Kobe and the Lakers a real battle for Los Angeles. Ticket prices are currently averaging $175 right now on SeatGeek, making them this weekend's most demanded game.

Tis the season to be thankful basketball fans. Looks like the NBA season will be resuming on Christmas Day. Maybe. Well they said they were going to play. And if/when they do, there will be some interesting rivalries reigniting on NBA Opening Day.

*Update on Christmas Day NBA Games*

There are five games to be scheduled on Christmas this year. First game will be at noon Eastern on TNT, followed by tip-offs at 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm on ABC, finishing up with 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm on ESPN. When the two other matchups are announced, check back here at SeatGeek to find the best prices for those games.

NBA Christmas Day Game 1: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks

The first game of the day is some good old fashioned hate between the Boston Celtics against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. With rumors surrounding a potential arrival of Chris Paul to the Knicks and maybe a departure of Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, it will be interesting to see what players are found under the tree come Christmas morning. Relative to the other games, this one is a bargain with average ticket prices hovering at $227.

NBA Christmas Day Game 2: Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks

Last season's NBA Finals showdown between the Miami Heat and defending champion Dallas Mavericks. At this game, the Mavericks will be hoisting their championship banner and receiving their championship rings. LeBron's envy might is not only due to his lack of a championship ring but also his inability to be the top attraction on Christmas Day.

NBA Christmas Day Game 3: Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The honor of top billing belongs to the Chicago Bulls playing the Los Angeles Lakers at the STAPLES Center, with prices at an average of $364. A matchup that harkens to Magic Johnson vs. Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose leads the charge for his baby Bulls against Kobe Bryant's veteran Lakers. The high price comes as no surprise as for Los Angelinos, as watching the Lakers on December 25th has become a Christmas tradition. In fact, this year will be Kobe Bryant's 14th Christmas Day game in his 16-year career.

UPDATE:

NBA Christmas Day Game 4: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic

Scoring machine Kevin Durant aka Durantula and the crew will visit the 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard for a showdown in Orlando. The bigger news at the moment seems to be whether or not Howard will sign a contract extension with the Magic. Regardless, look forward to a fierce match up between offense and defense.

NBA Christmas Day Game 5: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors

Blake Griffin aka the highlight reel and his Los Angeles Clippers will travel up north to face the great-at-scoring-but-horrible-at-defense Golden State Warriors. By the way, the Warriors do have a rookie coach in Mark Jackson. This will be an interesting game to watch.

The ticket data for game 4 and 5 aren't available yet.

If you don't find tickets in your stocking this year to your favorite NBA Team, use SeatGeek to score on your next basketball game. And let us know how it went by hitting us up on Twitter @SeatGeek.

Speculation about Shaquille O'Neal's retirement from the NBA has run rampant for years. But just a few minutes ago, Shaq made it official, posting a video directly to his fans on Twitter.

Watch Video:Shaq Retires From the NBA

Will this affect demand and pricing of Boston Celtics tickets?

More as this story develops...

Just one week ago, Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Knicks and we have been tracking Melo's effect on ticket prices ever since. Melo's debut as a Knick was the biggest Knicks regular season game in 16 years.  Melo has not only spurred an increase in TV viewers, he has also been the catalyst for a boost in ticket prices. Compared to Knicks ticket prices prior to the Melo trade, ticket prices have practically doubled across the board for both home and away games.  Taking a look at the upcoming games, this trend does not look like it is slowing down. Even the Cavs at Knicks game this coming Friday is averaging just under $200 per ticket since last Monday.

Over the past week, the new squad has had their ups (a nice comeback victory against the Heat) and downs (a loss against the Cavs). Once they start to mesh a little better, the new Knicks team looks very promising and be a tough contender coming out of the Eastern Conference.

Upcoming Knicks Games

• Knicks at Magic
• Hornets at Knicks
• Cavs at Knicks
• Knicks at Hawks