While the eyes of Texas are locked on Dallas this weekend, the NBA is firing up its pre-season slate with a trio of games in Europe.

T.J. Ford and the Toronto Raptors open play against the new-look Boston Celtics in Rome on Saturday night. Tip-off is 1:30 PM Central, and will offer fans their first glimpse of the C’s with big man Kevin Garnett. Fans in the States who want to catch a little roundball instead of pigskin can tune in on NBA TV.

The Raps follow their NBA pre-season opener with an international clash against Lottomatica Roma on Sunday. The host Italian team includes former Villanova guard Allan Ray, who spent some time with the Austin Toros of the NBDL. While this match-up won’t be televised in the US, fans can check stats on NBA.com when the contest tips at 11:30 AM Central.