It’s back, finally. The NBA has returned to game action and once again all is right with the world. Lot’s of tasty action around the association this week so let’s take a look back at the week that was.
On Tuesday, the Cavs tipped off at Chicago against the Bulls and new coach Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg was expected to bring a breath of fresh air to an offense and stagnated without Derrick Rose last season. With President Obama sitting courtside, the Bulls used a balanced offensive attack to build a late lead. Chicago had five players score in double figures. Rose had 18 on 22 shots, and though he lacked any efficiency, it had to be good for the Bulls fans to see him back on the court.
LeBron was somewhat limited in this one due to a lower-back injury suffered in preseason. Despite spending his bench time laying on the court to stretch out his back, LeBron still led all scorers with 25 points to go along with 10 boards and five assists in a Cavs-high 36 minutes.
A Jimmy Butler jumper gave the Bulls an eight-point lead with 1:15 remaining, but Cleveland answered. A Kevin Love 3 with 32 seconds left cut the Bulls lead down to two. Still down two, the Cavs turned to LeBron to tie the game up.
With seven seconds left, LeBron drove to the hoop where he was met by Pau Gasol who promptly rejected LeBron’s layup into the stands. Gasol struggled from the field, going 1-7 in the game, but amassed six blocks with the game-winner coming against James.
We will see a lot more from these two teams this season and if this game was any indication each game between them will be appointment television.
Out on the west coast, the Warriors celebrated their championship with their fans as they raised their banner to the rafters and accepted their incredibly large rings.
The party continued after tip-off when Curry basically picked up where he left off last season. Curry dropped in 24 points in the opening quarter as the Warriors handled the depleted Pelicans.
Anthony Davis was not enough to keep the Pelican’s from acting as the piñata at the Warriors championship party. After his hot start, Curry came back to earth slightly and finished with 40.
Later in the week these two teams faced off for the rematch in New Orleans. This time the home crowd gave a boost to the Pelicans as they stayed in the game and even had a one point lead at the half.
In the third quarter, Curry exploded once again, scoring 11 straight for the Dubs and finishing the quarter with 28 points, single-handedly outscoring the Pelicans in the period.
Curry finished the game with 53 points, one shy of his career-high mark. The Warriors finished the week 3-0, taking out the Rockets between victories over New Orleans. The rest of the league is officially on notice that the Warriors plan on defending their title against all comers.
This week also saw a marquee matchup between two of the western conference’s finest, the Thunder and the Spurs. San Antonio was debuting their new-look lineup with LaMarcus Aldridge and David West while Thunder were being helmed by Billy Donovan for the first time.
The Thunder were also welcoming Kevin Durant back to their lineup after he missed significant time with a series of foot problems last season.
Durant struggled mightily in the season opener, going 6-19 from the field. But the Thunder were able to rally behind Russell Westbrook who finished the game with 33 points to go with his 10 assists.
Aldridge struggled to find a rhythm on the floor while playing alongside Tim Duncan. The two combined for just 19 points and 11 assists. But the Spurs held on thanks to a career performance from Kawhi Leonard. Leonard poured it in on offense to the tune of a career high 32 points.
The game was tight throughout and a Westbrook three with under a minute to play gave the Thunder a five point lead. Kawhi answered by hitting a turnaround jumper while being fouled on the play. Kawhi hit the free throw to draw the Spurs within two point.
After a failed Thunder possession the Spurs had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. Danny Green missed a wild long two-point attempt and the Thunder rebounded. After a parade of free throws OKC secured the 112-106 victory.
By Blake Hamilton
