Halloween season is awesome for several reasons, some of which include: there's always candy lying around the house for about a month, it gives girls an excuse to leave the house wearing next to nothing, and it always coincides with the start of the NBA season.
In honor of Halloween, let's take a look back at the first week of the NBA season with a little segment we'll call "Trick or Treat" to see which teams and players hot starts were the real deal, and which ones tricked us.
Boston Celtics: Treat
The Celtics looked great in all four of their games this week, winning by an average of over 19 points per game. Their opening night win in Cleveland was impressive, especially considering the double-digit deficit they overcame in the first quarter.
But the real Treat was the following night. I said in the preview that Boston has to fight two different things to be elite this season: boredom and fatigue. It doesn't get much more boring than playing the Bobcats, and nothing takes its toll on a team like the back end of a back-to-back.
Well, neither proved to be an issue as the C's cruised to 92-59 victory over the 'Cats the night after leaving it all on the floor in Cleveland.
Boston is the real deal.
Phoenix Suns: Trick
It's hard to argue with a 3-0 start to the season, but let's not start talking about the Phoenix Suns being "back" just yet. They played against the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Warriors. Those teams started the season a combined 1-8. It's not exactly the cream of the crop out West.
Let's see what happens this week when Phoenix has to go on the road and play Miami, Orlando, Boston, and Washington.
By this time next week, 3-0 will be a distant memory after four straight doses of reality for the Suns.
Carmelo Anthony: Treat
Here's a stat for you: Carmelo scored 113 points in 116 minutes this week. He averaged 37.7 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and even added 1.3 steals over his first three games.
And, did anyone see his dunk on Wednesday night?
We're one week into a six-month NBA season, and already we have a front-runner for play of the year. The replay doesn't even do it justice. Watching it live, I jumped up off my couch and scrambled for my phone so I could shoot of a "Did you just see 'Melo!!!???" text to anyone I thought that might be watching the game. The crowd gave him like a three-minute standing ovation. It was just an absolutely great play.
After he threw it down, you can see Anthony yelling, "I'm back" over and over. I'm not exactly sure where he went, but if he plays with that kind of a chip on his shoulder all season, we could be in for something special from 'Melo this season.
Danilo Gallinari: Trick
I'm not trying to take anything away from the guy, he played great this week. But let's face it; he made 18 three-pointers in three games. He's on pace to make 492 three's this season. The record is 243.
My guess is that this number comes down a bit in the coming weeks.
Gilbert Arenas: Treat
Gilbert Arenas looks like the Gilbert Arenas of old so far this season. He averaged 28 points and 6.7 assists per game in the first week and has looked very impressive in doing so.
After playing just 15 games in the past two seasons combined, Arenas looks like he has his explosiveness back and is finishing at the rim like he hasn't missed a beat. He's shooting 50% from deep, and he's getting his teammates involved.
It's only three games, and like most people I'm still hesitant to call this his "comeback season." But after a fast start like this, it's hard not to wonder what the Wizards might look like for a full season if they can keep him healthy and get Antawn Jamison back sooner rather than later.
Washington's 2-1 start is already better than any week they had last season and Arenas is the main reason why. It's going to be interesting to see if they can build on this, or if it was just a mirage.
Greg Oden: Trick
Oden started all four games for the Blazers this week, which in itself is a small miracle. But, not surprising to anyone who has followed his career, he tallied 5 fouls in three of the games, and 4 in the other.
He said this preseason that he finally understands how to play defense without fouling. But if his first four games are any indication, that statement is untrue.
Oden leads the league in blocks per game right now at 2.8 per contest, but it's the fouls that are going to continue to define his career.
6.5 points per game, 10 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks are decent numbers, but for a player that was drafted number one overall three years ago, that's just not good enough. Especially when you consider the fact that the player that should have gone first overall, Kevin Durant, is playing great.
Oden will always be compared to Durant because of the fact that they came into the league together. But unless he steps it up, the comparison he's most likely to continue to get is one to Sam Bowie (Bowie's numbers through two seasons dwarf what Oden has done to this point in his career, by the way).
I hope Oden can put it together and evolve into a dominant NBA center. But the more I watch him, the less likely that seems.
For Oden's sake, and for the sake of the league in general, I hope that he proves me wrong.
Scott Shepherd writes about the NBA every Monday for Sports Central. His blog, Diary of an NBA Junkie, is updated several times a week.
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