HOOPSAHOLIC

You pumped? I definitely am! Hoops are back and my night's just got a lot more entertaining. No longer are we waiting and wishing for the season begin because it's finally here.. The dunks, the dimes, Detroit losing and Drake rapping, last night was jammed pack with awesomeness. I caught myself smiling as I posted up on my couch, flipping continuously through the numerous NBA games that were being played. Plenty of thoughts poured through my head, and as I tried to sort through the fog of overreaction I found myself intrigued with what's new. Realistically, everything about this NBA season is new. Every team and player on those teams have a fresh start, a new canvas in which they can make their mark as a professional basketball player. But to add onto that sentiment, there's also new hope. Team's such as the Minnesotta Timberwolves dealt with a brutal offseason where they ultimately traded their franchise player. They now have a clean slate, a young roster with more potential than a 13 year old Justin Beiber. They now have hope, and despite losing to the Grizzlies last night, they fought hard and the young guys showed that they'll be a fun team to watch over the next few years. There's many other examples of that same thing, and the greatest part about it all is that as an NBA fan we get to watch them all unfold.

If you stayed up late last night, you got to watch the second game of the double-header on ESPN which was the Thunder visiting the Trailblazers. What more could a fan want? Even without KD, the matchup featured battles between two elite point guards in Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard, and two top knotch power-forwards in Serge Ibaka and LaMarcus Aldridge. Westbrook and Aldridge each won their individual duels, but ultimately the Trailblazers proved to be too much on the offensive end for the Thunder to keep up with, winning 106-89. Westbrook completely dominated the first half with 26 points, and getting his total up to 36 points before Scott Brooks sat him down for rest with about 3 minutes left in the third quarter. That was the death token for the Thunder. With Russdiculous on the the sideline, OKC was unable to get in any offensive rhythm.  When Brooks FINALLY inserted Russ back into the lineup in the fourth frame it was already too late. Wes Matthews hit fire, and Lillard woke up from his three quarter nap to put the game away. In the end, this game showed the Thunder will have to find away to get points from someone not named Westbrook. The Thunder only had nine active guys last night, so I expect things to get better in OKC once Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb return from injury in about a week. They just need to keep their heads above water until the reigning MVP returns to save the day. 

The Bulls vs. Knicks game was all the hype of the week, and sure enough New York had to ruin it for everybody losing 104-80. Derek Fisher's team came out flat in his first game as coach, while the triangle offense looked as bad as it ever has. Way too many Knicks players standing around not knowing what to do. To make matters worse, they've announced that Jose Calderon will miss at least two weeks with a strained right calf. So that means more of Shane Larkin and way less productivity in the offense. The only bright spot was when Amare Stoudemire showed flashes of his old self. He only finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds, but he played well especially in the first half. For the Bulls, we saw them dominate through out while showing off their new toys in Mirotic, McDermott and Gasol. All three guys performed well in their Bulls debut, while Derrick Rose looked fine in his return with 13 points five assists. He only played a little over twenty minutes in the contest, so it was a small sample size. His explosiveness is still there, and that's the important thing even though he isn't finishing on all of his shots. Now unfortunately for the Knicks, they have to turn right around and play the other best team in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs. Good luck dudes! 

I caught a little bit of the other top Eastern Conference matchup in the Wizards/Heat game, and a couple of things came to mind. First: Toronto Chris Bosh is back. Bosh looked in his comfort zone as the number one option for the Heat, and his 26 points, 15 rebounds led his team to a 107-95 victory. Secondly: Dwayne Wade still looks like the player he did last year. Listen, Wade's had a great career, but he simply can't carry a team as the number one guy any longer. I think he knows this is now Bosh's team, so hopefully he will play that Robin role as the season continues. Thirdly: Norris Cole? Yes the Heat's long time "little bro" was great last night in the starting role, scoring 23 points. If he can continue his hot hand, the Heat will be better than we all projected this season. 

I'm excited to see how the new look Cavaliers play tonight, and it'll be interesting to watch the Thunder/Clippers matchup to see if OKC can respond in a hostile environment. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @HoopsaholicBlog