NBA Opening Night Recap

John Askins
Staff Writer

A ring ceremony in Cleveland, KD in the Warriors blue and gold, Joe Johnson revitalized in Utah among else… needless to say it was an interesting opening night.

No matter, THE NBA IS BACK!  For the next 8 or so months we get to see our favorite athletes run and throw around a basketball into a hoop, and every moment of it is going to be spectacular.

The festivities kicked off at 4:30pm PST, where the Cleveland Cavaliers hoisted their 2016 championship banner, the first in franchise history, into the rafters to be immortalized for eternity, and Warrior fans shed a collective tear.  Although the Cavs and their loyal fans got to bask in the greatness for a few moments, they quickly realized that everyone has a 0-0 record this season and they can’t rest on their laurels.  For the new-look Knicks, this was their chance to prove that they were more than Carmelo, the Zinger, and a few banged-up ex-Bulls.  For a few glorious moments, the they actually looked like a competitive team: Rose was wreaking havoc in the paint (12 first half points) and Melo was making tough shots (13 first half points) … but then in came the hammer.  Kyrie Irving got hot from deep en route to 29 points, Lebron pieced together a clean 19-11-14 triple-double, K-Love helped out with a 23-10 double-double -- and Knicks were promptly obliterated.  Their offense teetered between “Give it to Melo and watch” and “Wild Rose drive”, and $18m-man Joakim Noah finished with a not-so-encouraging 0-6-3 line in 19 minutes.  Yes, that is a zero.  The Knicks fell 117-88 to the Cavs. Cleveland takes on Toronto on Friday, and the Knicks get to rest until Saturday when they take on Memphis in another early season test.

In the second (least advertised) game of the night, the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Utah Jazz.  The Jazz were without star forward Gordon Hayward, but as you may already know he had a more than ample replacement.  Things really heated up in the second-half, as Joe Johnson took over and scored twenty-seven second-half points, finishing with 29 on 12/16 shooting.  At times it looked like the grizzled old veteran was bullying them out there, reminiscent of the superstar who once commanded a $25 million/yr contract.  However, the Blazers were riding a 16-year long streak of winning home openers, and Dame D.O.L.L.A. and C.J. were not about to let that slide away. Lillard got that look in his eye, and the buckets started flowing.  He finished with 39 points alongside McCollum’s 25, and the Blazers bested the Jazz 113-104.  The Jazz’s Rodney Hood added 26 points and a savage jam, George Hill went for 19 points and 6 assists in his Jazz debut; while Portland enjoyed a spark from Allen Crabbe (18 off the bench).

Then came the marquee matchup of the night: The Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.  Many expected a closely contested game, or possibly the Durant-led Warriors even running away with this one -- but eh… this game was full of unexpected things.  The Spurs and their patented calm, collected nature were unfazed by the starpower and steadily pulled ahead of the Dubs from the very beginning.  Kawhi Leonard posted a career-high 35 points and 5 steals, and his running mate LaMarcus Aldridge looked to enjoy his new role as the big man in San Antonio, posting 26 points and 14 rebounds.  Most importantly, Aldridge utilized his size and hit the boards hard, exposing the chink in the Warriors’ armor that the Cavs exploited in last year’s finals.  Zaza Pachulia looked like he wasn’t up to the task of boxing any Spurs big man out, and finished with a mere 2 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes.  Perhaps the most concerning problem is Klay Thompson’s disappearance, who finished with just 11 points.  Thompson at times looked lost out there, and it remains to be seen whether he can fit with the Durant-infused offense.  The Spurs’ Jonathan Simmons put on a nice sideshow, posting a loud 20 points off the bench, and ageless-wonder Manu Ginobili weaved his way to a 10-5-2 line.  

Should Warriors fans be concerned? No, unless you were betting on the projection of 83 wins. Should Knicks fans be concerned?  Maybe.  Should Cavs, Blazers, and Spurs fans be excited?  Hell yes.  Jazz fans, your future is bright, don’t worry.

Basketball is back, ladies and gentlemen.  By the looks of today, it’s gonna be a helluva ride.