It's been an offseason of discontent with LeBron James, jubilation over Kevin Durant, anxiety about free agency, and near apathy for the world championships. Last week, though, that all stopped. The season got underway with the crowning of a defending champ, the resurgence of a revamped NBA finalist, and the unveiling of the talents in South Beach.
With so many eyes now focused on the professional game itself, there was a lot to take in (and even more to speculate about). What, you may ask? These are some of the revelations I took out of week one.
All Together Now ... Just Breathe
Okay, the Heat were trotted out into enemy territory for the league-wide opener against the squad that will more than likely challenge them for Eastern representation in the Finals. Boston was more than ready for the latest incarnation of the Big Three (which they had put together only three years ago). I had a chance to catch some of the second half and noticed that the Celtics were in control. I had to admit that I wasn't too upset about the result.
But for all those gleeful smirks from all the LeBron haters across the country, the dream disaster was short-lived. Miami came out Wednesday and laid a nice whippin' on Philadelphia (the 76ers needed a big fourth to make the score respectable). Then, in another early showdown, the Heat opened their home schedule by putting a complete whippin' on Orlando. Now people might go back to saying that James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are ready to deliver on the 70-win expectations of others.
We've got to chill and let these guys gel. Are they world beaters? No. Could they be? Pretty much. I'm not big either way on this team yet. But, along the way, it should be fun to watch them terrorize some folks.
The Leaders of the Pack
The Lake Show will be tough to beat. After a big comeback against the Rockets, I'd watch out for a nice jolt to start the season. Kobe Bryant and his posse dispatched Phoenix Friday and crushed Golden State Sunday. Sure, we'll have the midseason swoon from the purple and gold. We'll question whether this team has the hunger. We'll ask if Bryant is too beat-up or too old to continue on. In the end, though, they'll be there at the end. Who will challenge them for the Western title in May?
Shuffling Through the Murkiness
Behind the Lakers, there's a mosh-pit of contenders looking to force themselves towards the stage. A lot of people look at Oklahoma City as the second banana to beat this season. Their win against Chicago was a good start. However, they struggled to finish off a win at Detroit, then got housed at home by Utah. These guys are still young and should get more consistent by the turn of the year.
I'm still high on Portland. I think they were where OKC was two years ago. Now, this may be the time to take the next step. A back-to-back sweep against Phoenix and at the Clippers might not provide the strongest competition, but it does bode fairly well early. The Blazers have three more back-to-backs before the middle of November (including one that started with a Monday night loss in Chicago). Get through that, and the next set aren't for another month.
Two key home-and-home battles over the next couple of weeks might be an slight indicator of who'll be a third challenger in the conference. Dallas is involved in both of them. The Mavericks will take on Denver this week (Wednesday and Saturday), then gets New Orleans in two weeks (Monday the 15th and Wednesday the 17th). And a second meeting with Memphis (a Grizzlies win on Friday) could really show the Mavs where they stand in the pecking order.
Needing a Reboot
There are those out there that might say Yao Ming is a bust. I'm not one of them. When healthy, he's a consistent force inside. Of course, he can't stay healthy. This makes me curious when looking at his current situation in Houston. Coming off of last year's injury to his foot, the Rockets are limiting his minutes (a limit of 24 when he plays). He's had some impact in his two appearances (23 points, 17 rebounds in 2 appearances), but how much will his body let him come back?
Meanwhile, Blake Griffin hadn't even made an impact on the NBA before last Wednesday. A knee injury in the first preseason game wiped out the whole year for 2009 number one overall pick. Now he's got his shot to shine. An impressive 20 points and 14 boards against Portland announced his arrival. Four games in, his 16.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg put him at the head of this rookie class. Unfortunately, the impact hasn't been felt in wins. Being with the Clippers might do that to you. It'll be interesting to find out if he can turn that around.
We're Counting the Early Returns
Tuesday is Election Day, and don't look now, but who's leading the Atlantic Division district? Yeah, yeah, Boston's there. But the New Jersey Nets? The "couldn't win a game until December '09" Nets? That's right. Devin Harris and Brook Lopez seem to be taking well to new coach Avery Johnson. Plus, having Mikhail Prokhorov as their owner might ignite a spark.
Of course, it's early in the day, and more precincts have yet to be counted. However, I expect the Nets to have more checked ballots than all of the '09 campaign before the midday (I'll say Dec. 17th at Toronto). When all the votes are counted, I think they'll fall just short of playoff election (two games shy of making the postseason).
In the end, the usual suspects should be grappling to hold the Larry O'Brien Trophy. But if the first week is an indicator, how we get there might be a bit more entertaining this time around.
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