Halloween is less than a week away, which means three things: costumes, candy and the beginning of the NBA season.This was the biggest off-season in the history of the NBA, highlighted mainly by the theatrics of LeBron James and his media frenzy which concluded in “The Decision.”
Many people, media included, pronounced the “King” and his court NBA champions as soon as he arrived in South Beach. But if Tuesday night proved anything, it proved that they play the game for a reason.
The NBA season is long and strenuous, spanning 82 games and almost nine months (if you make it to the finals). One game has very little meaning, opposed to other sports but this idea was lost in the frenzy of opening night, as the fans packed inside of the TD Garden Arena started chanting “Overrated! Overrated!” toward the Miami Heat, with over three minutes left.
The new look Miami “Threat” had trouble with the big four, including Rajon Rondo, and their new teammates. The Celtics added two bigs in Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal (no relation).
The Celtics weren’t the only team to add size to their roster. The New York Knicks added five-time all-star Amar’e Stoudemire and new point guard Raymond Felton. While this will not make them contenders, it should elevate them from the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers also bolstered their roster by adding another defensive specialist in Matt Barnes, and a solid back-up point guard in Steve Blake, They also still have some guy named Kobe.
Another team upgrading their roster was the Chicago Bulls, which added Carlos Boozer to a young nucleus, which should put them into contention.
It seems to me that the power has shifted from the West to the East but anyone would be a fool to count out the defending champs. One thing is evident though: Championships are not won during the course of one game, but during the course of the whole season.
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