Well, opening night is here! I’m getting pretty excited. There’s a couple of pretty interesting games on tonight, and I can’t wait. I’ve been focusing more on the election, so I haven’t had my usual exuberance about opening night. Still, I figured it would be cool to throw out a few thoughts before the games actually go down. I know all of you are just dying for some legitimate NBA action, right? It’s been a long off season, and now it’s time to for another 82 game season.

 

Milwaukee @ Chicago

 

I’ll admit it. I didn’t realize that this game was even happening until I just looked at the schedule. The only problem is that while I do get WGN and could watch the game, it starts thirty minutes after the start of ring night in Boston. I know it’s the first official Derrick Rose sighting, but I just can’t start off an NBA season by missing ring night. It just wouldn’t be right.

 

I predicted that neither of these teams would make the playoffs this year, but it’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out. Chicago has to figure in all of their guards, but most importantly I want see how Derrick Rose is handled. Milwaukee’s in a similar situation with virtually their entire roster being revamped. I’m going to go with Milwaukee winning this one. Both have talent, but the Bucks just have more experienced talent.

 

Cleveland @ Boston

 

This has to almost be a nightmare for both teams. First, if you’re Cleveland you’re starting off your season against the supposed best team in the league. The Cavs got snuffed out last season by Boston, so losing their opening game to them may not seem as though things are going to get better. Second, if you’re Boston you’re going to pick up your rings and be on an emotional high! Then you’ve got to try to stop arguably the best player in the NBA for 48 minutes.

 

With all of that, this is the game I most excited about. These are my two favorite teams, but I don’t know which one I will be pulling for. I want to see LeBron James stay in Cleveland and that means that the Cavs have to start winning. On the other hand, I always want the team that just received their championship rings to win. What happened to Miami two seasons ago was just wrong, even if it was totally their own faults. I’m going to go with Cleveland. I think LeBron James is going to want to play the villain and be a big spoiler for Boston.

 

Portland @ L.A. Lakers

 

Oden vs. Bynum! There have been a lot of people that have predicted that, along with Dwight Howard, these two guys could be the future of the center position. Well, both are coming off pretty serious injuries and have mountains of expectations already heaped on their shoulders. For Oden, he’s supposed to be the cornerstone of a franchise with unlimited potential. In the case of Bynum, he is just expected to be the final piece of the puzzle for a championship Laker team.

 

This game is going to be interesting in that you would expect the Lakers to win. Though, this game could go a long way as to giving us a glimpse as into how good either team might be. There’s been a few whispers as to just how good/bad Bynum and Gasol are starting mesh. If the Lakers want to make the next step they’ll need to develop strong chemistry. If Portland is to make the jump into the playoffs this year they’ll have to do so by being able to occasionally beat teams like the Lakers. I’m going with the Lakers. It should be a fun game though.

 

I’ll see you all tomorrow with my thoughts on how all of this turned out.

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