NBA Opening Night Winners/Losers: Big nights for The Beard and The Brow
Oct 29, 2014, 3:40 AM EDT
Orlando Magic v New Orleans Pelicans It’s a make or miss league. With that comes the simple fact every night in the NBA there are winners and there are losers.
In this new column at PBT, five nights a week we will lay out the nights winners and losers in NBA action for you — not just the teams and on the scoreboard, but in every facet of the game. No better time to start than on an interesting opening night.
New Orleans Pelicans’ front line. We told you just how great Anthony Davis (third best player in the NBA?) was on opening night, but the guy next to him along the front line, Omer Asik, had a monster night, too. The pair combined for 40 points, 34 points and 14 blocked shots. They were defensive beasts and just overwhelmed the Magic (although Nikola Vucevic played well). This is not a one-off performance. These guys are why the Pelicans are a playoff threat.
Every Spur besides Kyle Anderson. The Spurs returned an impressive 14 players from their 2014 title team, and they received their championship rings before Tuesday’s game. Getting the rings is special, but for so many players who battled together last season to get the jewelry together, it adds another level. At least the rookie Anderson, the team’s lone newcomer, got an up-close look at the ceremony and San Antonio’s 101-100 win over the Mavericks.
Chandler Parsons. Parsons, whom the Mavericks gave a near-max offer sheet this summer, didn’t live up to the billing in his first game with Dallas. The small forward scored just five points on 2-of-10 shooting and had no assists in 34 minutes against San Antonio. There’s no sense drawing conclusions from one game, but if Parsons had played just a little closer to expectations, the Mavericks might have won.
James Harden. While all the talk leading into the opening night was about the feud between Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard (and they had their little moment) the night really belonged to Harden. All game long he abused the Lakers in transition, he hit a step-back jumper over Kobe, posted up Ronnie Prince and generally did whatever he wanted to. The Lakers had no answers. Harden finished with 32 points on 17 shots (he got to the line 16 times). He looked like what he is — the best two guard in the NBA.
The hopes of Lakers fans everywhere. Not only did the Lakers look utterly lost on defense, not only did their offense look unimaginative and it led to too many midrange jumpers, not only did Dwight Howard and the Rockets just own the Lakers, but then on top of it all their prized rookie draft pick Julius Randle goes down with a fractured tibia in his right leg. That likely means surgery, it certainly means missing a healthy chunk of the season. Ugh. This season is looking like a dreary slog for Lakers fans.
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- sweetnlow44 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:45 AM
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I only had to watch 1 quarter of the Lakers Rockets game to remind me why I hate the NBA. Harden flops all over the court and gets whistle after whistle in his favor. It’s garbage basketball and is infuriating to watch the ref’s continually reward flopping. As the years go on, I watch less and less of NBA basketball. It’s just not a good product anymore.
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- au1978 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:39 AM
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You should have watched the whole game then. If you reach and touch an opponent, it’s called a foul. Been that way for years.
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- d10ballfan - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:35 AM
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Then don’t watch and better yet don’t comment.
Enjoy hockey season.
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- RavenzGunnerz - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:03 PM
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Is your life about complaining? I mean did anybody hold a gun on your head to watch? There was a World Series Game 6. It’s not like you didn’t have anything to watch.
Why is everybody so absorbed with the “I”
Basketball is thriving, DEAL WITH IT
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- ranfan12 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:03 PM
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Maybe flopping is what makes him the best SG. Certainly does it better than most
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- ibakaflockaflame - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:57 AM
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Davis was by far the best player in any of the games tonight, but I think Vucevic tallying 15 points, 23 rebounds, and 4 blocks merits more than a “he played well”
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- eyebarboutique - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:01 AM
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Must agree with sweetnlow44 , too many weak calls for Harden. Lots of flopping and it definitely cheapens the product..
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- nickjackalson - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:31 AM
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even though sweetnlow is just how Harden does it..
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- truehooper1421 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:33 AM
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boo
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- nopfan23 - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:27 AM
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Ariza looked great with the Rockets, I knew he would be an upgrade over Parsons. Parsons should have passed to Monta in crunch time. And yes Harden does flop but he sure knows how to get calls in his favor every time.
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- elcaminobilly - Oct 29, 2014 at 6:48 AM
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no love for Tim Duncan becoming the all-time leader in opening night double-doubles?
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- truehooper1421 - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:07 AM
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Such a random and insignificant statistic. Clearly nobody cares as it is irrelevant.
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- bigmeechy74 - Oct 29, 2014 at 1:08 PM
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aww the spurs fans got upset. They can’t be satisfied with winning it all…You better respect that meaningless opening night double double thing too!!!
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- timberwolvesbrisin - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:41 AM
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who cares
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- birdy5 - Oct 29, 2014 at 7:00 AM
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“40 points, 34 pointts, 10 blocks.” That’s a lot of points
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- sfsugator - Oct 29, 2014 at 5:02 PM
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lol
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- edwardsro - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:29 AM
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I wonder how many viewers the NBA lost since stern vetoed the chris Paul trade
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- bball242322 - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:56 AM
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4 viewers
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- spursareold - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:25 AM
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So, you’re admitting that the Laker organization needs help from the league to thrive? Because that’s sure what it sounds like to me…
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- adoombray - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:31 AM
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It’s cool man you can be like everyone else in LA and just buy a clippers jersey instead. You can claim you were a clipper fan all along. Anyone who has lived in Los Angeles knows that Laker fans only show up when the team is dominant. They make Miami and Cleveland fans look like Clipper Darrel.
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- ddarqwon - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:13 PM
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@edwardso:
All three of the teams involved in that trade (Lakers, Rockets, Pelicans) played last night.
Only one team’s fanbase is still crying about it three years later.
Why is that?
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- adoombray - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:29 AM
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Too early to make a call on Parsons but the Pellis are a playoff team after one game? Oh okay.
Pelicans are the Minnesota TomberwTimberwolves, the media darling that doesn’t actually go anywhere. That team will get killed by a team with better rim protection.
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- truehooper1421 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:35 AM
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Parsons won’t play that poorly often.
I feel you with the Minnesota comparison. However, injuries are the lone reason Timberwolves were awful the past 2 seasons. Same with the Pelicans. The only thing stopping them from the playoffs are potential injuries.
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- urodaddy07 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:38 PM
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He does look a bit heavy btw
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- ddarqwon - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:26 PM
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“The only thing stopping them from the playoffs are potential injuries.”
And the fact that they play in the strongest division in the toughest conference in the league.
The Pelicans could be a pretty good team this season and still miss the playoffs.
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- golfrangeman - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:31 AM
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The problem is showing the lakers,the league is highlighting an inferior product. The only one who wants to see the lakers are laker fans (maybe).
As for harden flopping he does draw a lot of contact and sells the call but it is discussing to watch. Don’t blame the player blame the refs and the league for allowing it.
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- travisbone5 - Oct 29, 2014 at 6:17 PM
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If Parsons played a little closer to expectations the Mavs would have won easily, he had a 16-5-4 stat line last year, and they lost by 1 — at the buzzer. You both need to step it up.
