The NBA lockout has finally been broken. The most competitive basketball league in the world will debut with five games on Christmas.

The team owners and the players’ representatives reached an agreement last week, ending a five-month lockout. The league had already cancelled six weeks’ worth of games.

The 2012 NBA season, which normally has 82 games per team, will now be shortened to 66.

In keeping with tradition, the league has set up premiere matchups for its Christmas day opening, including a pairing of the 2011 NBA finals competitors: Miami Heat and, the defending champion, Dallas Mavericks.

Other games include: Orlando Magic against Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers versus Golden State Warriors.

The revised league schedule will be announced next week.
 

The NHL Board of Governors decided to change the league’s two-conference format to a four-conference alignment, which will start next season.

The decision was influenced by the concerns of teams from the United States and Canada, which complained about grueling travel schedules.

Instead of having the Western and Eastern conferences, the NHL will now have four conferences.

Each time will square off against its co-conference members five to six times, and they will play against other conference teams at least twice.

Here are the conference divisions:

-- Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose and Vancouver;

-- Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg;

-- Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto;

-- Carolina, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington.