Thursday October 28, 2010: Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards

Dwight Howard led the Magic’s attack as he scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to give the Orland a winning debut at their new arena, before their much-anticipated showdown with the Miami Heat, and the Magic players are very eager to face the star-studded team. "Honestly, I'm sick of listening every hour about Miami – Miami that, how great they are, how big they are, what kind of record they gonna have," said centre Marcin Gortat, who provided a lift from the bench with his eight points and seven rebounds. "They are a great team, they have three superstars, and they got a couple good role players on the team. They looking good on the paper, but they got to start winning," he added. Vince Carter also sparked Magic’s offense with his 18 points, while Jameer Nelson chipped in 16 points and dished out six assists for the Magic, who won all their pre-season assignments by an average winning margin of 25 points. Their domination continued as Orlando unleashed a flurry of long-range bombs, building an early 14-point lead at the end of the opening period, which bubbled to 24 points, 58-34, at the half. They never looked back and led by as much as 35 points in the final quarter en route to their first win of the season. The 2010 first-overall pick, Wall, displayed flashes of brilliance, but struggled to find his rhythm in his first professional game. The 20-year old guard tallied 14 points, on 6-for-19 clip from the floor, and dished out nine assists for the Wizards. "It was tough," Wall said. "It's really telling me what I need to work on, but I already know. But as a team aspect, we have a lot we need to work on." Cartier Martin had 17 points, while Kirk Hinrich and Al Thornton added 12 and nine points, respectively, for the Wizards, who shot 29-for-78 from the field. Gilbert Arenas, who is looking to redeem himself after serving a suspension last season, missed the game with a strained tendon in his right ankle. The 28-year old guard was suspended for 50 games after being charged with gun felony for bringing weapon into their locker room. Final Grades: Orlando Magic A. Orlando started off its season with a bang. Really getting into the flow of the game and picking up where it left off during the preseason. The team looked very fluid and they created great opportunities but most importantly cashed in on those opportunities. They shot a very impressive 56% from the field and are looking to provide a challenge for the upcoming game against the Miami Heat. However, they did have 21 turnovers which is not good if they were to play a more elite team like the Heat.

Washington Wizards, C+. This was not the way that the Wizards wanted to start off their season. The team is really banking on young point guard John Wall to carry this team to success. Wall looked pretty good in his debut with 14 pts and nine assists but he can't do it all by himself. As a team, the Wizards shot 37% and struggled to muster any sort of force in the paint scoring only 28 pts. With Arenas out, the team will miss the scoring and veteran presence they really need. Look for the Wizards to continue to build this year with Wall's development but don't expect anything special.

October 27, 2010: Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Being from Chicago, this was definitely one game I was looking forward to seeing. While they didn't have a blockbuster summer like the Miami did, the Bulls did have a pretty big summer with numerous free agent signings highlighted by that of Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver. Quietly, the Bulls have put together a squad led by highly touted coach Tom Thibodeau that have put themselves in talks of winning the Eastern Conference. With Derrick Rose having had a very developmental summer while playing for Team USA, the Bulls are looking to play a huge factor in the Eastern Conference race.

Oklahoma City is also another team that is on the rise. Having had the biggest season of their tenure in the NBA, Kevin Durant and his squad are looking to build on their success from last year. Durant has blossomed into an amazing player. He led the league in scoring last year, and he was also a very legitimate contender to win the MVP award. He has eclipsed 6000 points in total scoring and has established himself as the sole leader of the Thunder squad. Keep in mind the young man is only 22. With one of the deeper rotations in the league, Durant has many weapons in teammates such as Nenad Kristic, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green.

Now for the game analysis. Both teams came out with lots of energy, really setting a fast pace to the game. Both teams were aggressive on the fastbreak and were moving the ball extremely well. They were creating good opportunities and taking good shots. The stars Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant both got off to great starts. Rose had amazing reverse lay-ups and led the way with 10 quick points to go along with 3 assists to start off the first quarter. The form that Derrick Rose was in is what the Bulls really need especially with Boozer out for the first few weeks of the season due to his injury. It has been well known that Rose wants to be the unquestioned leader of this young squad; it's just

up to him now to deserve that role. Luol Deng got into an early groove knocking down a few jumpers along with Taj Gibson who is filling in for Boozer at power forward. Durant looked sharp as ever, knocking down a three and attacking the basket with power. Both teams were toe-to-toe in the first half. Both teams were clicking offensively and were making the right plays at the right time. The Bulls were led not by Rose who was on the bench for the majority of the half due to foul trouble but by their depth as a team. Thibodeau utilized nearly all of his players last night and each rotation played equally as well.

I really enjoyed watching this game. These are two really great teams and it was a treat to watch. Unfortunately for Chicago, they came up short due to sloppy and lathargic play in the later minutes of the game. Final Score: Chicago Bulls 95, Oklahoma City Thunder 106.

Final Grades: Chicago- B-. Being a Chicago native, I love this team dearly. While disappointed about the whole LeBron free agency extravaganza, I really liked what the organization did with this team. They quietly put together the pieces of the puzzle and constructed a team that was playoff worthy if not capable of a Finals appearance. With the addition of Boozer, they had the low scoring presence they've always been lacking. With Korver, they now have a reliable force from beyond the arc. Brewer adds the defensive presence that was lost when Kirk Hinrich was traded away. The main thing though that needs to happen this year for the Bulls is Derrick Rose's awaited leap to stardom. Rose has always been there, making the All-Star team last year is no easy feat. However, he's still not among the elite like Nash and Chris Paul. Over the summer, Rose apparently worked on a lot of aspects of his game including his shooting and defense. However, his shooting obviously needs a lot of work. A lot of his shots were off that night; many were bad the moment they left his hand. For most of the game, he was forced to drive to the basket to earn his points. We still need to see how far he has taken his shooting game; and he needs to really make sure its there on a consistent basis for Chicago to really live up to their potential. Rose also wants to be the man in Chicago. For that to happen, he needs to be able to handle pressure situations which he did not do last night. In part, the loss was his fault. He made a couple of costly turnovers and took too many poor shots for the Bulls to even have a chance at a win. Another worrying thing about the Bulls were their defense. Thibodeau stresses defense and is hailed as defensive specialist. However, they were getting torched by the Thunder and Durant. They need to be able to make more stops if they want to compete with the more elite teams like the Thunder. Hopefully, the Bulls can improve on these things as the season goes on. They looked good last night but not what we were expecting. However, things are looking good for this young team. Their bench has the depth of a championship team, they have the stardom, Noah has lived up to his contract (18 pts. 19 rebounds), and they have a great coach. All they need to do is put the pieces together and they'll be ready to make a splash on this conference.

Oklahoma City Thunder: A. The Thunder came out with high expectations and they fulfilled them. Kevin Durant and his crew played great last night. They executed their game plan to perfection and looked like a team that would give the Lakers a run for their money in the Western Conference. I really have nothing but praise right now for this young Thunder team.

October 26, 2010: Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Hmmm I regret to say that I wasn't able to catch any of this one. Looks like i'm just going to have to do this one based off of stats. Let's see..... so Portland shot a very impressive 46% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. Their go-to guy Bradon Roy had a team high 24 pts on 9-20 shooting to go along with 6 assists. Not a bad way to start off. Young player Nicholas Batum had a strong showing with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Hopefully Batum will develop into a consistent force to complement Brandon Roy game in game out.

The Suns also shot very well from the field 49% and 47% from the 3-point arc. The Suns were led by point guard Steve Nash who had a game high 26 pts to go with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Jason Richardson also had a big game for the Suns with 22 points and 6 rebounds. However, the final score was in Portland's favor 106-92.

Some thoughts....

Again I wasn't able to catch this game so I don't really have much to say about this one. However, for Portland it seems like they are off to a strong start. One thing that drew my attention was the play of LaMarcus Aldridge. During the offseason there was talk of hope that Aldridge would finally breakthrough this year into the NBA's elite. However, he didn't have a strong showing last night, going 3-9 with 8 points and 9 rebounds. I'd keep my eye on Aldridge, hopefully he has the break out type of game that everyone's been waiting for.

Final Grades:

Portland: B+. It seems like Portland has a very good chance of retaining the playoff spot that they held last year. Rudy Fernandez does not seem to be getting the playing time he's asking for and we might see a potential meltdown between these two parties as the year goes on. But with the way he played last night, I'm not surprised that the Trail Blazers aren't taking his pouts seriously. If he wants more playing time, he needs to perform at a higher level. Batum had a great game and hopefully he well develop into a very reliable starter for the Trail Blazers.

Phoenix: C-. Ok, I admit, I might be a little bit too harsh on the Suns but following their offseason was a little bit frustrating to say the least. Steve Nash has always been one of my favorite players of all time, and he is the unquestioned leader of this Suns team. However, if your leader is frustrated and "doesn't see this team in the playoffs". Well, there isn't much you can say really. This is the situation for the Suns right now. They lost one of their two best players in Amare Stoudemire to free agency. And to counteract that, they brought in Hedo Turkoglu from Toronto. While this move may have been great a couple years ago, it is clear now that Hedo's career is on a sharp decline. He had a very subpar year last year while with Toronto and his performance last night bodes the same way for this season. Grant Hill and Jason Richardson can only do so much as age slowly catches up to them. That leaves Steve Nash. A legend. A lock in for the Hall of Fame. But he can't do it all by himself. That's exactly what the stats suggest from last night's game. If this type of play continues where the Suns rely solely on Nash to carry this team, well as Nash himself put it: Don't expect the Suns to be in the playoffs this year.

October 26, 2010: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets

The reigning back-to-back championships took the court yesterday. I was not able to watch the entire game but I was able to catch a the first several minutes and the highlights from NBA.com. At first, it seems as if the Lakers were a bit sluggish and rusty. Kobe Bryant seemed to be a little bit bothered by a recent injury and his shooting was obviously affected by it. Bryant shot only 8-20 from the field but he did finish with a total of 27 points. Kobe will be Kobe; he hit clutch shots and provided his team with the intangibles that saw them through this game. Pau Gasol once again seemed to be a great pickup for the Lakers organization. His presence as a leader and a huge scoring threat in the post really pulled through in this game. Gasol finished with a team high 29 pts and grabbed 11 rebounds to finish with a double double.

The big story for the Houston Rockets was the return of center Yao Ming. After missing nearly all of last season with a foot injury, Yao returned to the starting line up. While he did not start, Ming did share time with Brad Miller at center splitting the time at about 50/50. Yao seemed a bit rusty from the field and his timing was a little bit off but that may be due to all the time that he has missed. He finished 4/11 from the field with 9 pts. and 11 rebounds. I'd say that his return to the game was a successful endeavor. Aaron Brook's looks like a legitimate guard for the Houston Rockets with his good decision making and knack for scoring. Brook's finished the game with 24 pts and a team high 9 assists.

Final Grades:

Los Angeles: B. Hey its just the beginning of the season and the Houston Rockets aren't exactly a pushover team anymore. There's still some rust on the reining champs and Kobe still seems to be recovering from his injury. But there's no need to panic just yet. With Pau Gasol manning the post and the continued development of Shannon Brown, the Lakers should regain the form that won them the championship these past two years. As the season goes on, expect Kobe to recover and return to his original form and for the Lakers to be favorites to win the Western Conference once again.

Houston Rockets: A-. While they didn't come out of the stadium with a win, the Rockets showed the league that they are planning to be a force in this year's Western Conference race. They were leading the Lakers for a majority of the game and once had a double digit lead on the champs at one point. With Yao Ming back and the emergence of young guards like Aaron Brook's and Kevin Martin, Houston should be a good lock for a playoff spot this year. If they can keep up this level of play, Houston will be a very fun team to watch.

What We've All Been Waiting For: The Miami Heat vs. The Boston Celtics

Well after a long and dramatic off-season which saw Cleveland's King "take his talents" to South Beach and become the ultimate villain figure the NBA has ever seen, to many teams solidifying their rosters for a chance at the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of it all, here we are at Opening Night of the 2010-2011 NBA regular season. And what better way to start with the Boston Celtics taking on the visiting Miami Heat. The Celtics are a team with a lot to prove this year. Many critics are writing this team off as being too old and lacking the firepower to compete with the uprising young teams such as the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a lot on the line, I expect the Celtics to play with the ferocity and determination they have shown in years past. The Heat are also a team with a lot to prove; and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. From "The Decision" to the forming of the "Miami Thrice", expectations have been placed extremely high on this team. Anything less than a championship this year, would be considered a disappointment; and with all the talk that Wade and James have hyped up this year, we can be sure to see this team playing with definite purpose this year. So enough with the background and let's get to the game.....

I didn't have the chance to see the opening tip-off but I was able to catch the game starting at about 4 minutes or so to go in the first quarter. At the time, the Heat seemed to be struggling. Their shooting was off. They were making careless turnovers. Things just didn't seem to be clicking for the Heat. Boston, on the other hand, seemed to be continuing off the form that got them to the NBA Finals last year. They were moving the ball very well and creating great opportunities for their own Big Three. Once again, the highlight of Boston's game is their defense. Even though we saw defensive guru Tom Thibodeau leave to take the reigns for the Chicago Bulls, new defensive coordinator Lawrence Frank seems to have picked off where Thibodeau left off. Boston's defense was just as solid as it was before; stifling Miami's Big Three of Wade, James, and Bosh to a mere 9 points and a dismal 18% FG percentage by the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter seemed to hold the same sort of struggles for the Heat. They just didn't seem to be connected as a team. Wade in particular looked very off. Many of his shots weren't close misses, they were just awful misses. Many of his shots didn't even catch rim. Whether it be his recent injury or late post-season rust, Wade needs to pick up his game if he wants to keep the Heat in title contention as well as keep the Heat as "his" team. Bosh also seemed to be struggling. He was getting good looks but he just couldn't seem to hit them. Looking uncomfortable playing the five position, Bosh also struggled on the defensive end; feeling the physical presence of NBA veteran Shaquille O' Neal. Scoring 9 pts and grabbing 7 rebs Shaq looked like a great acquisition for the Celtics over the offseason. His physical presence combined with Glen Davis's presence seemed to really disturb Bosh and Haslem in the post tonight. If he can sustain this level of play, Shaq will definitely play a positive role in the Celtic rotation. By halftime, the score was 45-30 in favor of Boston.

At the start of halftime, both teams came out a bit sluggish. Boston seemed to be cooling off on the scoring side an

d were turning the ball over a little more than before. Miami seemed to be establishing a rhythm early on and began to climb back into the game. However, the big x-factor for the Heat was the play of Lebron James. James was the main reason the Heat came as close as they did late in the game. Of the Big Three James was the one who performed the best. We saw flashes of MVP material from James and he has obviously worked on his long range shot knocking down 3 of 6 from downtown. No matter how many have criticized James over the summer (including myself) he has once again shown that he is a top tier player if not the best in the league. However, his efforts proved futile as Boston continued to play with spirit and tough defense. By the end of regulation, Boston held on to their lead winning the game 88-80.

More Thoughts:

While many may feel as if this loss may signal bad things to come for the Heat, I would not be so quick to jump to conclusions. Remember, this is one of their first regular season games with all three stars active. Also, with the addition of many free agents they still need time as a team to really work out the kinks and bugs in their team chemistry. Throughout the entire game, James and Wade seemed to be really hesitant and not as aggressive as we have seen both stars in the past. Many times, the Heat forfeited a fastbreak situation to slow things down to the Celtics' advantage. We are also seeing Lebron feeling out the point guard position. While this may not be the start that the Heat were envisioning over the summer, I'm sure that they will rebound and once they work things out, they will be the team to beat this year. Nonetheless, this also tells the rest of the league that the Heat are not as invincible as they have been hyped up to be, especially now of all times. Look for teams to really pressure and beat on the Heat for the first few weeks of the regular season. This is when they are most vulnerable so opposing coaches will definitely take advantage of that.

Now for the Boston Celtics. Boston looks really good. Ray Allen who resigned with the team over the summer has shown that he still has that legendary stroke that he has always been known for. Kevin Garnett seems fully recovered from any prior injuries and his energy and tenacity on the court are as fierce as ever. Pierce has once again shown that he is the leader of this team; knocking down clutch shots at the end of the game to seal the deal. One thing that really stood out for me though was the play of Rajon Rondo. Yes, he did struggle from the field shooting just 2 of 9 with 4 pts. But he had a game high 17 assists; a total that eclipsed the entire Heat team. Rondo had great vision of the court and really orchestrated the Celtics offense well. I really see Rondo breaking out and becoming one of the league's elite point guards this year. His touch around the basket continues to be amazing and his defense is still solid. With a very deep bench and talented starting 5, the Celtics are once again contenders for the title. However, this was indeed a great way to start off the season!

Final Grades:

Boston: A. They came out and not only met expectations, they left the game with a win which not too many out there expected them to do. They looked fluid and well connected as teammates and with the Big Three still looking healthy and better than ever, it will be up to them to bring Boston back to the Finals. Not to mention their bench and defense is looking just as good.

Miami: C+. Things seemed to get better for the Heat as the game entered its later stages but it was a case of just too little too late. But this game should bring the Heat and the "Miami Thrice" back to reality. This season isn't going to be as easy as they thought it would be, at least to start off with. The team chemistry and intangibles need to be established before the Heat can live up to the "Championship or bust" hype they've built up for themselves. The frontcourt needs to be more aggressive next game and Wade needs to get back to his MVP-esque form. Look for the Heat to build on this loss and really turn it up a notch as the season goes on.