National Basketball Association

NBA: 5 Things We Learned On Opening Night

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Six teams squared off on Opening Night, including last year’s defending NBA champions and this year’s presumptive favorites. Not everything went as expected — what did we learn from the first basketball that counted since June?

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; General view during the ring ceremony and NBA championship banner raising ceremony before a game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Basketball games that matter are back, and they came back with a bang. Opening Night in the NBA was not only the start of the season, it was the first step towards a rubber match for the ages.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors had their first opportunity to stretch their wings and show the league why a third consecutive Finals showdown was inevitable.

The Cleveland Cavaliers played the first first game of the year, taking on the New York Knicks after raising the first ever championship banner for the franchise. The Knicks players were so transfixed by the banner that they forgot to play defense in a 117-88 romp by the defending champions.

The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, two of the league’s most exciting teams on the rise, showed down in the Pacific Northwest. A hard-fought back-and-forth contest ended with a Portland victory, 113-104 over the Jazz.

Finally the league’s newest Super Team trotted out in front of the home crowd and faced off against the league’s oldest Super Team.

Not ready to concede the Western Conference, Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs knocked the Warriors flat on their butts. The 129-100 blowout had the Oracle crowd stunned all night.

In an 82-game season, taking too much from one game is never a good idea. But even so, the first 48 minutes of meaningful action for these six teams does tell us something. What are five things we learned on Opening Night?

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the ring ceremony and banner raising ceremony before a game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James, City Of Cleveland Not Satisfied With Just 1 Title

Many championship teams come out the next year flat. The drive it takes to play an 82-game season and then win four playoff series is difficult to maintain. Once the joy and satisfaction and vindication of a title wash over a team, it’s hard to get back the edge.

The Cleveland Cavaliers showed no such dulling last night as they absolutely took it to the New York Knicks. LeBron James led the way with his 43rd career triple double, dropping 19 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists on the new-look Knickerbockers.

Kyrie Irving did not need to bring his clutch shooting to this contest, as his 29 points blew open the margin well before the end. Kevin Love added 23 points and 12 rebounds of his own as he shows that he is a key member of this core.

LeBron and the packed arena were filled with emotion as the rings were handed out, and the championship banner raised to the rafters. The city without even one title in more than a half century as recently as a year ago is now hungry for a second banner.

The Cavaliers are not the only team around pushing for a title. The Cleveland Indians, the city’s MLB team, routed the Chicago Cubs 6-0 in Game 1 of the World Series. Quicken Loans Arena was still full of fans hours after the game as they watched the Indians on the big screen.

Whether LeBron James and the Cavaliers can bring another title to Cleveland is an answer months away. But there is no doubt they are hungry and ready to defend their crown.

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) looks to pass in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 117-88. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks Are No One’s Super Team

After three consecutive seasons in the lottery, the New York Knicks needed a change. Phil Jackson went out and remade the rotation with a variety of veterans, headline by former MVP Derrick Rose and two-time All-Star Joakim Noah.

Rose set the media abuzz this offseason when he said that the NBA was trying to limit the formation of super teams, and that “they’re saying us and Golden State are the super teams.” While every NBA player should be confident in his team, Rose’s comments were a bit out of touch with reality.

If the New York Knicks could trot out the best version of each member of their starting lineup, perhaps Super Team would be appropriate. 2011 Derrick Rose terrorized teams by relentlessly attacking the hoop.

2014 Joakim Noah was an MVP candidate as he combined elite rim protection with savvy passing from the post. 2014 Carmelo Anthony dropped 27.4 points per game on stellar percentages while adding eight rebounds and three assists.

But those players are long gone, overwhelmed by age and injuries. Kristaps Porzingis is only 21 years old, and their bench is Brandon Jennings and a collection of misfit toys (who are still some of the 450 best players in the world, to be clear).

This team is not going to contend this year.

Tuesday night showed that they may not even contend for the playoffs, as the Cavaliers blew them off the court.

Although the Knicks rallied in the second quarter to make it a tight game at the half, they disintegrated in the third quarter and the defending champions rolled.

None of the Knicks’ regular rotation shot even 50 percent from the field, and two starters — Noah and Courtney Lee — failed to score at all, shooting a combined 0-for-6.

Overall the team hit only 36.8 percent of their shots.

On defense they were equally anemic, allowing the Cavaliers to shoot 47.9 percent overall. If it wasn’t for J.R. Smith’s rusty jumper (3-for-13 from the field) the final margin of 29 points would have been even worse.

On both ends of the court the New York Knicks were wholly unprepared to play NBA basketball.

Super team? Not this year.

Oct 25, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) drives on Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) in the first half at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

There Is Excitement Below Western Elite

Amidst the celebration in Cleveland and the hype in Oakland, a forgotten game took place Tuesday night between the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers. It was a matchup between last season’s surprise Western squad and the team hoping to hit the same chord this season.

Utah came within a whisker of the playoffs last season, and added veteran depth to propel them over the hump this year. That depth showed up last night for a team missing two starters and kept the game tight until the closing seconds.

Joe Johnson started for the injured Gordon Hayward and had a throwback performance, dropping 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor. He kept the Jazz apace of Portland throughout the entire third quarter, and 27 of his 29 points came in the second half.

Another offseason acquisition, George Hill, started at point guard and chipped in 19 points and six assists.

The opposition was every bit as exciting. A much more healthy Portland Trail Blazers team eventually pulled away at the end to secure the 113-104 victory. Damian Lillard put the league on notice that he deserves to be voted into the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

His line of 39 points, nine rebounds and four assists was MVP-level.

His backcourt mates, C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe, put up 25 and 18 respectively. Unexpected scoring came from Noah Vonleh, who shot 5-for-5 in his 16 minutes and put up 11 points.

Neither of these teams are considered ready to truly challenge the Warriors, Spurs, or Clippers. But in the next tier a couple of exciting teams on the rise showed they are worth tuning into this season.

October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 129-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Spurs Are Not Going to Fold Now That Tim Duncan Is Retired

Perhaps no team in NBA history has come off a 67-win season to as little fanfare and support as the San Antonio Spurs. They set a franchise record in wins, trotted out an historic defense, and introduced the league to the true cheat code for slowing the Warriors.

A lackluster playoff series and the formation of the A-Team in Oakland, and suddenly the Spurs are yesterday’s news. Tim Duncan retiring meant this team couldn’t retain its lofty heights.

No matter than the team’s two best players last season were Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, not Duncan and his aging wingmen.

The Spurs came to play Tuesday night and they smoked Golden State from the start.

Kawhi Leonard officially stamped his MVP campaign, dropping a career-high 35 points (15-for-15 from the line), five steals, and magnificent defense on Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, depending on who was on the court.

The Spurs got solid contributions from the new core, as LaMarcus Aldridge put up 26 points and 14 rebounds and backup point guard Patty Mills chipped in 11 points, five assists, four steals, and a game-high plus-35 in less than 18 minutes of action.

The true wild card was Jonathon Simmons, who came off the bench to put up 20 points on 14 shots, including a number of dagger threes late in the second quarter to set the Spurs apart for good.

He was ferocious on defense and attacking the rim, and his athleticism seemed to overwhelm Golden State at times.

Those saying San Antonio is done had to eat their words Tuesday night. It may be time to give up doubting Gregg Popovich entirely.

October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 129-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors Are Not Going 82-0

Not since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams has a team opened as the odds-on favorite to win the title. That’s not simply in the NBA — across all four major sports.

Golden State added a top-five player to the greatest team in regular season history and all signs pointed to immediate liftoff.

Unfortunately for those hoping for another 24-0 start, the Warriors started out with a loss after the Spurs blew them off the court.

While 81-1 is still in play, more likely Tuesday night’s result reveals that the Warriors are probably just like every other “super team” — they need a few games to mesh.

The 2011 Miami Heat began 9-8 before making the NBA Finals. Although LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all wanted to play together, it took real game action for them to mesh.

Similarly, the 2013 Los Angeles Lakers added future Hall of Famers Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to a team featuring Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and started slow out of the gate. They began 20-26 that season … and limped out to the tune of a first-round playoff sweep.

Super teams don’t always work.

There is still every reason to expect the Warriors to pull things together and lead the league in wins. But last night shows that no matter how high the hype grows, basketball is still played on a court between 10 men and once the ball is tipped, anything can happen.