Four Point Play of the Day: October 30

After the first slate of games were played to open the NBA season, here are four of my initial thoughts on how those games went.

Photo by: Matt Stone, Boston Herald

Point 1: How about those Boston Celtics? 

Pegged as a sure lottery team coming into the season, the Celtics made a statement on opening night in a dominating win over the Brooklyn Nets, 121-105. Even with the 16-point victory, the game wasn’t even that close, as the Celtics led by 29 after the third quarter.

While it is never a good idea to overreact, and I hesitate to change any predictions without seeing at least 10-15 games, the Celtics looked genuinely good. They won’t shoot 55 percent every night but there were other positives. Rajon Rondo was clearly the best player on the floor. He was active on defense and initiated the offense from the start. He still passes up more open shots to try to get assists than I would like to see, but overall he played a great game.

Another big positive from this game was the play of Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk. The two combined for 32 points and each made a three-pointer. Because of Rondo’s limitations shooting the ball, it is vital that at least one of the Celtics big men is capable of shooting from the outside in order to keep the floor spaced. However, both Sullinger and Olynyk look adept at making the three-point shot, which adds an entire new dynamic into any offense.

The third positive I saw from the Celtics was the defense. The trio of Rondo, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart is absolutely ferocious on the defensive end. Bradley is a small shooting guard but uses his positioning and lateral quickness to stay in front of others, and has quick hands to be able to get deflections and steals.

The key question for the Celtics is, if they are borderline playoff contenders, do they stay the course of their rebuilding process and deal Rondo? Or do they keep him in a fight to snag one of the East’s final playoff spots, which are very much up for grabs.

Point 2: Don't write the Heat off 

In addition to the Celtics, the other team that looked good on opening night was the Miami Heat. Sans LeBron James, a lot of people expected a letdown from this Heat squad. However, they got a big win over a good Washington Wizards team 107-95.

I’ve been singing his praises for a few years, but I think this season will cement Eric Spoelstra’s spot among the top coaches in the league. He did not get his due credit when winning championships because of the talent on the roster.

Without LeBron another big 3 emerged in this game for the Heat, as Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Norris Cole combined for 70 points. This is Cole’s fourth season in the league, and he was known as a terrific scorer at Cleveland State in college. If Cole can build on this performance, he could stick as the Heat’s starting point guard. (Shabazz Napier watch: 2 points, 2 assists in 15 minutes)

Photo by: USA Today

Point 3: Kobe Bryant is going to have a long season 

He can score all the points he wants, but wins are going to be extremely hard to come by. Kobe is like the captain of a sinking ship, hoisting jumper after jumper in a futile attempt to save the Lakers season. He took 25 shots last night (scoring 31 points) but no one else in the Laker starting lineup took more than 7. I’d be surprised if the Lakers reached 30 wins this season.

Point 4: Kemba Walker is still the GOAT

Walker secured a 4-year, $48 million deal on Tuesday and then showed why he was worth the money on Wednesday, making the game-tying three-pointer with less than two seconds remaining in regulation and then the game-winning step back (a favorite of Kemba’s) with five second remaining in overtime.

30 on 30: Thirty Words on all Thirty Teams in the NBA

With a new season upon us I thought I would roll out my first official season preview article. While I normally like to write long, in-depth articles that people just skim through and don’t actually read, I decided to adhere to the short attention span of my audience to give a quick thought on each and every team in the league. I have also ranked each team within its conference (remember, top 8 teams make the playoffs). 30 words, on 30 teams. 

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers: Love and Irving are most dynamic teammates LeBron has had. Yes, more than his Heat partners. Expect LeBron to have lowest scoring average since rookie year but win 60+ games.

(2) Chicago Bulls: Rose is the obvious story but interested in how Thibodeau will utilize one of best frontcourts in the league in Noah, Gasol, Mirotic and Gibson. Will challenge for East supremacy.

(3) Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal can’t stay healthy and John Wall hasn’t been able to run an offense during the postseason when games slow down. Still the third best team in the East.

(4) Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry finally got his big contract, but this team is one piece away from truly challenging Cleveland/Chicago. Jonas Valanciunas is going to have an All-Star season for the Raptors.

(5) Charlotte Hornets: Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Lance Stephenson is a solid core. Walker has averaged same number of points (17.7) for two straight years, but must improve his long range shooting.

(6) Miami Heat: Shabazz looks to have a bright future (duh) and could challenge Chalmers for the starting position sooner rather than later. No LeBron to cover up if Wade sits out games.

(7) Atlanta Hawks: One of most intriguing teams in league because nobody knows what they are. Could see them as a playoff team, could also see them trading away Horford, Millsap and Teague.

(8) New York Knicks: Made moves this offseason but didn’t really get any better. Looks like another long season for Melo. Will be entertaining to watch JR Smith try to learn the triangle offense.

(9) Indiana Pacers: One of the worst offensive teams in league last year and lost Paul George and Lance Stephenson. Outside of David West, CJ Miles might be their best offensive weapon (ouch).

(10) Detroit Pistons: Botched the Greg Monroe deal, now must deal him or lose him for nothing. Stan Van Gundy is an upgrade at coach, but didn’t upgrade players on the floor much.

(11) Brooklyn Nets: Losing Shaun Livingston will hurt more than most think. Brook Lopez comes back but they were better without him. Miles Plumlee looks much improved after his stint with Team USA.

(12) Boston Celtics: The Celtics will be active in trying to find a trade partner for Rajon Rondo. Marcus Smart represents the bright future of the Celtics, but they will struggle this season.

(13) Milwaukee Bucks: Excited to watch Gianni Antetokounmpo, who could play point guard at 6’ 11”. Could be one of best teams in East in 2017. Now? They will struggle to win games.

(14) Orlando Magic: Elfrid Payton is a star in the making and Nikola Vucevic just signed a big extension. High draft picks all over the roster but likely few impact players this season.

(15) Philadelphia 76ers: Here’s a fun game: see if you can name more than five players on this roster without looking anyone up. Betting you can’t.  Will challenge for fewest wins ever (9).

Western Conference

(1) San Antonio Spurs: Bringing back almost the same exact roster as last season’s title team, they are the clear favorites to repeat. Only question is can they find same motivation as last year?

(2) Los Angeles Clippers: Clippers look like a lock to win 54+ games again as one of deepest teams in NBA. Of the opinion that DeAndre Jordan is one of league’s most overrated players.

(3) Oklahoma City Thunder: With Durant out a while, it’s about to be the Russell Westbrook show. Thunder’s championship window is closer to closing than most realize. Durant is a free agent in 2016.

(4) Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson is not a max player, but the Warriors will pay him like one. Stephen Curry wins his first MVP while leading the best offense in the Western Conference.

(5) Dallas Mavericks: Brought back Tyson Chandler and added Chandler Parsons. Dirk and Monta are also great, but who will play point guard? The Mavs are darkhorse title contenders in a loaded West.

(6) Memphis Grizzlies: They were one of the best in West when Marc Gasol was healthy. Vince Carter was an underrated addition to a team that desperately needed scoring and long distance shooting.

(7) Portland Trail Blazers: One of healthiest teams in the league last season, I think they are most likely to regress. Damian Lillard is great but didn’t improve from year 1 to year 2. 

(8) Houston Rockets: Paying Ariza $8 million instead of Parsons $15 million is a win in my book. Landing Bosh would have made them title contenders. Instead, Houston is still one piece away.

(9) Phoenix Suns: Suns will play two point guards at a time and lead the league in possessions per game. Will be tough to narrowly miss playoffs for second year in a row. 

(10) New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis has the potential to win MVP this season, but is unlikely to if he can’t lead the Pelicans to the playoffs. Ryan Anderson’s return makes it a possibility.

(11) Denver Nuggets: Good players all across the roster, but no superstar to speak of. Nuggets have been successful this way before but doubt they can remain in playoff hunt in Western Conference.

(12) Sacramento Kings: The Kings think they upgraded their point guard from Isaiah Thomas to Darren Collison (they didn’t). DeMarcus Cousins will average 24 and 12 and still not make the All-Star team.

(13) Los Angeles Lakers: Been said that hardest player to coach in sports is aging superstar. Kobe averaged 17 shots per game in preseason and shot less than 40 percent. Lakers are lottery bound.

(14) Utah Jazz: Last couple years the “Derrick Favors breaks out” hype has been loud. Don’t think he is a superstar in waiting anymore. Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert are exciting but raw.

(15) Minnesota Timberwolves: Wiggins gets the hype but excited to see if Anthony Bennett can continue solid preseason. Rubio has the right to ask for a max deal, but shouldn’t get anywhere close.