NBA Opening Night

The Warriors will not go 82-0; The King Is In No Mood To Cede The Throne

By Mark Bacon

New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James picked up right where he left off, posting a triple-double in his Cavaliers’ season-opening win Tuesday over the Knicks, just as he had during June’s NBA title-clinching win over the Warriors. James also used the return of NBA action to dunk all over New York.

James threw down six jams in all, just one off his career high.

The aerial assault was part of a 19-point outing, on 9-of-14 shooting (lots of high-percentage looks Tuesday). James added 14 assists and 11 rebounds — for the 43rd triple-double of his career and the first on the NBA’s opening night since Jason Kidd in 2006 — and he notched a game-high plus/minus of +24 in just over 32 minutes of play, as his Cavs throttled the Knicks, 117-88.

Cleveland’s night began with the hoisting of its championship banner and the handing out of the championship hardware. Having gotten his hard-earned ring, James then proceeded to assault the rims, serving notice to the rest of the league that the King was in no mood to cede his throne.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors

So much for the Golden State Warriors going 82-0.

Tuesday night’s season opener for the Warriors against the San Antonio Spurs here at Oracle Arena was supposed to be a festive occasion and a chance to see Kevin Durant play with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green for the first time in a game that counted. Instead, it turned into a bloodbath, with the Spurs leading wire-to-wire and obliterating the Warriors to the tune of a 129-100 victory in front of a shell-shocked sellout crowd.

There was no reason for them to stick around. The Warriors struggled in all phases of the game: going 7 for 33 from three-point range, giving up 21 offensive rebounds — they were outscored 24-4 in second chance points — and being outrebounded 55-35 overall. The result, combined with Kawhi Leonard looking like MVP candidate with a career-high 35 points and LaMarcus Aldridge adding 26 points and 14 rebounds, was Golden State spent the vast majority of the game trailing by double-digits and looking to be far from the super team they have been billed as — and almost certainly will become — since signing Durant back in July.

San Antonio relentlessly attacked the offensive glass throughout the game, and the Warriors didn’t show nearly enough energy and effort in trying to combat them. The result was the Spurs creating one extra possession after another, and in turn, getting plenty of easy baskets at the rim. Meanwhile, the Warriors consistently struggled to stop the Spurs in transition, to the point where San Antonio actually outscored Golden State 24-20 in fast break points — a stat no one would have guessed before the game.

(As a quick aside: Just how amazing are the Spurs? No Tim Duncan, no Danny Green, and the Spurs come into Oracle Arena and absolutely throttle the Warriors anyway. Leonard was spectacular, going 15 for 15 from the foul line and getting five steals with his Velcro-covered hands, while Aldridge had eight offensive rebounds and gave Golden State’s front line all kinds of trouble. The Spurs might still be all right this season, even as they adjust to playing without Duncan for the first time in two decades).

No, this game didn’t end Golden State’s season, or diminish this team’s status as the obvious title favorites. What it did show, however, is there is still plenty of work to be done.

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