The NBA is Here!
NBA October 30th. 2007, 4:45pm
Buckle up: Thirty teams, 170 days, and many, many dunks. The NBA season is here and we couldn’t be more excited. While living in New York for the NFL this season has dampened a few Sundays (thanks, Mangenius!), the Knicks and Nets are supposed to be fairly strong this season, and even if they’re not, Jason Kidd’s divorce or Isiah’s … way of life, should be able to hold our attention.
Only three games dot the schedule tonight: Blazers at Spurs (bloodbath), Lakers at Rockets (all Kobe, all the time), and Jazz at Warriors (fun!). Our NBA playoff picks: Suns over the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, and the Celtics over the Bulls in the East. We’re taking the Suns as NBA champs. If you’re looking for a non-playoff team from last year (besides the Celtics) to shock and awe … we like New York and Seattle. Both to make the playoffs, actually. And if we get the NBA package (seriously considering it), you’ll be reading a lot about Mr. Kevin Durant.
EARLIER: NBA Previews
The NBA is flawed (Page 2)
Kobe could lead Bulls on dream run to title (Tribune)
NBA caught between scandals and snoozefests (Seattle Times)
23 Responses to “The NBA is Here!”
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October 30th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
1. Durant will run out of energy significantly before the all-star break.
2. I hoping for a renaissance of lay-ups this season.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
I know I am pathetic as I type this, but for the first time in about 4 years, I am actually looking forward to the Twolves season. Talk about “low expectations”, how about NO expectations. Thank you Brad Childress.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Boston won’t win the East
October 30th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
TBL – Promise us the NBA season won’t take away from you covering real sports that your readers are actually interested in. !
October 30th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Wake me when the college season starts.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Don’t worry, TBL – I love this game!
October 30th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Yep, college basketball definitely trumps the NBA, the guys don’t even play at full speed until the playoffs.
Praying that the Bulls don’t trade for Kobe…
October 30th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I highly recommend the Klosterman ESPN piece. Very, very good read. He’s great on the NBA. It will address many of your issues with the NBA.
KC … will cover the Jayhawks double-time to make up for it. Only if Russell Robinson has honed his jumper.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I might get killed on here for saying this, but I respect Bill Simmons knowledge of the NBA but some of his predictions are absurd.
Indiana in the playoffs over the Wizards???
The Heat in the Eastern Conference finals?
October 30th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Get the league pass & write it off as a business expense. Come to think of it, it might be worth starting a sports blog & accepting ads just for that!
October 30th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
TBL – love the Suns all you want.
But when they break your heart again, don’t come crying to us!
I said it the other day and I stand by it:
Spurs repeat!
October 30th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Despite the fact that my T’Wolves are horrible. Still got them winning 27-30 games this year. The NBA is still my favorite sport. I am pumped for the season to start
October 30th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
NBA haters might want to leave now.
I’m already dressed for the wizards season opener
October 30th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
“KC … will cover the Jayhawks double-time to make up for it. Only if Russell Robinson has honed his jumper.” TBL
No dice from what I hear. Still got the lightning quick hands on D. I’m hoping him and Collins mesh this year. My concern is that Rush becomes aggressive. Sort of doubt it since the only reason he came back was because of his knee injury. But, that is why they play the games. KU better do something this year because next year they have zero big men. Oops. NBA thread. I shall remove myself. Enjoy the games tonight!
October 30th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
For any degenerate gamblers like myself, the O/U on Knicks wins is 36. Thinking thats easy money.
October 30th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I have a hard time getting as excited about the NBA as I did about baseball or football, especially college. There are some good storylines to follow, though, so I think I’ll be able to warm up before too long.
October 30th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Boston all day.
October 30th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I really like the Heat this year. They were hungover from success last year and hardly tried, then got hurt, and mailed it in.
About 50 wins this year. Wade remains one of the best players in the league, and when healthy, my favorite.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
I was gonna say, the blogosphere seems pretty down on Klosterman, but the guy brings it almost every time. Unique perspective. Incredibly well-written. Thoroughly researched (!). It’s amazing what an editor and some restraint can do for a writer. That NBA piece was great. I’m also considering the NBA package this year – and I am/was a Laker fan. Should be a very cool season. The thing that kills me about the Lakers is this: I’m totally sick of Kobe. I want him gone. But I know if he’s not playing for the Lakers I’ll hardly watch any of their games. And they will stink. It’s such a paradox.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:03 am
Simmons got it right when he said nobody wants to pick the boring favorite like the Spurs so they illogically convince themselves on some flashy team like the Suns. The Spurs will finally repeat and Duncan will be ahead of Shaq in titles. Shaq was more dominant than Duncan but Duncan i believe will have more titles and more stats and a longer career since he doesn’t get hack a shaq’d. As for my Sonics, what can i say that hasn’t been said. Does anyone know if it’s allowed for an owner to own two NBA teams or two professional times in any of the big three for that matter? If it is allowed, Paul Allen save us now from this redneck shit-kickin slickster tryin to steal Frodo Baggins, Bobert Swifty and Kevin Durant from me…. Thanks TBL for the SuperSonic DAPS and shame on you for cracking on Isiah’s legal troubles. I think this really comes down to a racial issue. TBL has shown to be a bigot and blatant homophobic since day one. Let it be know across the blongisphere that TBL discriminates against retarded homosexual sports fans such as myself. I think we should boycott TBL for twenty mintutes while my boss walks through the cubicles and and i go take my morning dump… oh whats that? it 9 pm? oh i should get to bed… well thanks TBL, its been real, hopefully the Sonics make the playoffs and Ridnour starts. He needs to shoot better and play D but i think he’ll start tommorow… Denver will kill em tho while i think Durant will get 22, 8, 3…. Denver by 15… Spurs over Mavs, Cleveland over Chicago Spurs over Cavs in 6
October 31st, 2007 at 2:10 am
No way Cleveland makes it back to the finals this year–to many better teams than them. Detroit just imploded and should’ve beat them anyway..and you know if they had to play the Bulls the Bulls would’ve gave it to them.
Give me…Dallas over SA (i mean, they legit won like a historically good number of games…just had a freak accident i guess) and Boston over Chicago. Boston over Dallas in the championship….HUNGRY, HUNGRY VETS!!!
KG will win MVP. People dont realize how good he is but they will this year–he is better than Tim Duncan. THERE I SAID IT. As an individual player, he is better than Tim Duncan. Read Wages of Wins if you don’t believe me.
October 31st, 2007 at 7:53 am
The Heat are done. Shaq is past his prime and they don’t have the pieces to make up for that. Getting Ricky Davis is a good move as they gave up one egghead (Walker) for other eggheads but ended up with the most talented one. That said Buckets will drive Pat Riley nuts. Davis does what he wants to do on the court. It is why he keeps being traded despite his serious game. He might be the best player in the league with more than 5 years experience who has never been to an all star game. The talent is there but his head is not.
The Shaq/Wade combo just isn’t what it used to be.
People keep talking about the Celtics bench but I don’t see a lot of talent on anyones bench in the East outside of the Pistons. Miami has Smush Parker, Penny Hardaway (?), Alexander Johnson, Dorrell Wright and Zo. Wow, that is inspiring.
The Cavs bench is Eric Snow, Damon Jones, Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall and Dwayne Jones. They obviously improve if the two holdouts sign on but either way this is a junk bench. No scoring here whatsoever.
The Bulls have Duhon, Seflosha, Nocionni, Noah and Smith. Defensive bench. Again no real scoring punch. Still probably one of the best in the East. Have to put them behind the Pistons though.
So of all the main contenders only Detroit has a strong bench. Yet the only team that seems to get criticized for having a weak bench is Boston, the team with the most talented starting five. It would seem to me that people would look at Miami and Cleveland’s benches with their weaker starting units compared to Boston and start the finger pointing there. Nobody else has 3 guys who go to almost every all star game. Nobody. Detroit, Chicago and Miami have nice starting fives. But none of them have the talent in their first unit that Boston does.
4 solid players like the Pistons have is one thing but it doesn’t compare to 3 perennial all stars. That said it is a team game and right now I give the edge to Detroit. They should be the favorite in the East. The Jarvis Hayes move was a solid pick-up that has flown under the radar.
October 31st, 2007 at 9:16 am
the cavs are a joke. gilbert even gave danny ferry the go ahead to spend into the luxury cap and still nothing…granted, next year is the target, but you don’t have lebron forever assholes the clock is ticking.