Cavs open Dec. 26 at home against Toronto; LeBron James comes to Cleveland on Feb. 17

The Cavaliers will open the season at home against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 26 and will host LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Feb. 17. It will be the Heat’s only trip to Cleveland, which is one more than the Los Angeles Lakers will make.

The Lakers and former coach Mike Brown will not come at all in this lockout-shortened season.

The league released its schedule Tuesday night with each team playing at least one set of back-to-back-to-back games. The Cavs were initially expected to play two sets of those, but the final version has just one – April 13-15, when they play at Indiana and Washington on consecutive nights before returning home to host the Orlando Magic.

In all, the league is jamming 66 games into four months, making for a hectic season with few days of rest.

“It’s going to be tough, but I really think I’m going to be prepared for it,” said Cavs forward Alonzo Gee, who spent three months playing in Poland during the lockout. “Coach Scott is going to work us hard. He’s going to get us right and ready.”

The Cavs will play twice in Miami before James returns to Quicken Loans Arena this season. The defending champion Dallas Mavericks visit Feb. 4. The Cavs don’t have any nationally televised games scheduled for TNT or ESPN.

Season ticket packages are on sale now, while single game tickets go on sale Saturday morning. Fans can shop for single game seats on Friday if they enroll online for free as a Cavs Insider. Details are available at Cavs.com.

^{2011-12 Cavaliers Schedule}
December
26 — Toronto, 7 p.m.; 28 — at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.; 30 — at Indiana, 7 p.m.
January
1 — New Jersey, 6 p.m.; 3 — Charlotte, 7 p.m.; 4 — at Toronto, 7 p.m.; 6 — at Minnesota, 8 p.m.; 8 — at Portland, 9 p.m.; 10 — at Utah, 9 p.m.; 12 — at Phoenix, 10 p.m.; 13 — at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.; 16 — at Charlotte, 2 p.m.; 17 — Golden State, 7 p.m.; 20 — Chicago, 7:30 p.m.; 21 — at Atlanta, 7 p.m.; 24 — at Miami, 7:30 p.m.; 25 — New York, 7 p.m.; 27 — New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.; 29 — at Boston, 6 p.m.; 31 — Boston, 7 p.m.

February
3 — at Orlando, 7 p.m.; 4 — Dallas, 7:30 p.m.; 7 — at Miami, 7:30 p.m.; 8 — L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.; 10 — Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.; 11 — Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.; 15 — Indiana, 7:30 p.m.; 17 — Miami, 7:30 p.m.; 19 — Sacramento, 6 p.m.; 21 — Detroit, 7 p.m.; 22 — New Orleans, 7 p.m.; 28 — Boston, 7 p.m.; 29 — at New York, 7:30 p.m.

March
2 — Chicago, 7:30 p.m.; 3 — at Washington, 7 p.m.; 5 — Utah, 7 p.m.; 7 — at Denver, 9 p.m.; 9 — at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.; 11 — Houston, 6 p.m.; 13 — Toronto, 7 p.m.; 14 — at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.; 18 — Atlanta, 3 p.m.; 19 — at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.; 21 — at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.; 23 — at Orlando, 7 p.m.; 25 — Phoenix, 3 p.m.; 27 — at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.; 28 — Detroit, 7 p.m.; 30 — Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.; 31 — at New York, 7:30 p.m.

April
3 — San Antonio, 7 p.m.; 4 — at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.; 6 — at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.; 8 — at New Jersey, 6 p.m.; 10 — Charlotte, 7 p.m.; 11 — Indiana, 7 p.m.; 13 — at Indiana, 7 p.m.; 14 — at Washington, 7 p.m.; 15 — Orlando, 6 p.m.; 17 — at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.; 18 — Philadelphia, 7 p.m.; 20 — New York, 7:30 p.m.; 22 — at San Antonio, 8 p.m.; 23 — at Memphis, 7 p.m.; 25 — Washington, 7 p.m.; 26 — at Chicago, 8 p.m.