Here are some early impressions of the NBA after two nights of the 2010-11 season:
The Heat are going to need time to make adjustments. We saw the lack of on-court chemistry in their loss to Boston and again in their win over Philadelphia. Right now, it’s hard to see both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James having big games on the same night, but that’s because they’re both so used to dominating the ball. I think they’ll figure it out and sell loads of NBA tickets, but it’s going to take time.
The Cavs might not be as bad as we thought. The Cavs beat Boston in their first game of the season, which also happened to be their first game without LeBron. I find it funny that LeBron lost to the Celtics in his first game in Miami and the Cavs beat the same Celtics team without him the following night. Could Bill Simmons’ Ewing Theory apply here?
The Nets already look better than last season.
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The Hornets can be competitive. They had a solid offseason and got CP3 back at 100 percent. Paul looked great distributing the ball in the opener and the Hornets outplayed a good Bucks team. Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli were nice additions to the starting lineup.
Russell Westbrook is the Robin to Kevin Durant’s Batman. Westbrook took his game to another level this summer playing with Team USA and that was evident in the Thunder’s first game of the season. The point guard played fantastic defense on Derrick Rose, limiting him to 12 of 31 from the field, and dropped 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
He also took 13 free throws and might be better than Rose right now.
Mike Conley knows this is his last chance in Memphis. He wasn’t exactly facing a defensive stalwart in Mike Bibby, but Conley played very well against the Hawks in the opener, dropping 23 points and dishing out eight assists. The Grizz game up short in the contest, but would love to see that kind of production out of their young point guard more often.
Roy Hibbert is poised for a breakout season. He came into the season with a lot of breakout hype, and so far so good after one game. Hibbert played very well against a veteran Spurs team, dropping 28 points, nine boards, three assists and three blocks. Better yet, he shot 10 of 17 from the floor and converted on all eight of his free throw attempts.
The Nuggets are high on Aaron Afflalo. The former UCLA star had a great preseason, which earned him the starting job. He hit the ground running in the regular season, scoring 23 points in the opener. He’s developed a reliable three-point shot, which makes him much more valuable, and could see a lot more opportunities if Carmelo Anthony is moved.
Luis Scola is ready to announce his presence to the causal NBA fan. He’s not going to make many highlight reels, but he’s rebounding the ball very well and had a great summer in Turkey. He was the best player at the FIBA games not named Kevin Durant and looks to be carrying that success over to the NBA season.