Tag: nba opening night

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown couldn’t be stopped, once again, and that should terrify the Eastern Conference

Good luck, Eastern Conference. You’re going to need it.

The 76ers were desperate to pry PJ Tucker away from the Miami Heat. They jumped through a bunch of contractual hoops and hurdles to get it done.

Any reasonable person would probably be asking themselves, “wait, why are the Sixers so desperate to sign a 37-year-old?” The answer is the team that made it to the NBA Finals last season — it’s the Boston Celtics.

Particularly, it’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Eastern Conference runs through them. There’s no debating that.

But that’s exactly why the 76ers went to get Tucker. It’s why they picked up Danuel House. It’s why they traded for De’Anthony Melton. They needed wing defenders who could take on the challenge of guarding the Celtics’ duo.

Opening night was a test run and Philadelphia absolutely failed.

They allowed 70 points between the two of them with Tatum and Brown finishing with 35 points a piece. It didn’t matter who guarded them. PJ Tucker? Food. Tobias Harris? Food. Melton? Toast. You get the point by now. There wasn’t anything anyone could do with either of them.

A lot of the work was done on the break after Sixers turnovers. They had 14 total, which lead to easy buckets. But much of it was created by the elite athleticism and anticipation the Celtics’ two wings have.

But don’t get it twisted — there was also elite shot creation mixed in with moments like these.

The 76ers couldn’t contain penetration on the perimeter and were stretched thin by the Celtics’ 5-out lineups. It resulted in a ton of easy baskets for the Jays — particularly for Brown, who continuously bullied his way to the rack.

The night wasn’t perfect for them. They shot a combined 6-19 from deep and turned the ball over 7 times between the two of them. But there was far more good than bad for them on a night when it just seemed like they couldn’t be stopped.

Look, it’s only one game. It’s not time for overreaction. The NBA season is a marathon — not a sprint. Just because the 76ers’ wing defenders didn’t work tonight, doesn’t mean they won’t.

And, if we’re being honest, Boston has a lot to clean up, too. As bad as the 76ers’ defense was, the Celtics were just as leaky. Boston allowed 119.4 points per 100 possessions, which is miles away from their NBA-best 106.2 rating from last season.

But, if we’re being honest, it’s becoming harder and harder to think of better duos in the NBA than Tatum and Brown. The scariest part is that they’re only 24 and 26 years old, respectively. They’re only getting better. No one seems to have an answer for them. and that’s scary.

The good news is the league has a few months to try and figure it out. Best of luck.

James Harden dropped Marcus Smart into oblivion with this crossover and then confidently (and hilariously) bricked the shot

This is performance art. That’s the only way to describe this.

I know it’s only been one game so far, but James Harden and Marcus Smart might’ve just given us the most unintentionally hilarious play we’ll see all year.

Of course, there will be some that give it some go. The NBA season is a marathon — not a sprint. But just know this play is going to be waiting at the finish line by the year’s end. I promise you that.

James Harden hit Marcus Smart with an insane crossover at the top of the 3-point line. The result, somehow, was Marcus Smart laying on the baseline? Just…nah. Enough of me describing it. See for yourself.

Everything about this is perfect. The crossover. The immaculate flop. The shimmy. The BRICK. Oh my goodness, y’all. The brick. This is performance art at its finest.

The NBA season is long, to be sure. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. But at the same time? Man, this is going to be hard to top.

NBA Opening Night best bets: Predictions for 76ers-Celtics and Lakers-Warriors

Best bets for opening night of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Happy NBA Opening Night, to those who celebrate!

It’s a joyous occasion for us hoops lovers ready to see how this wide open league plays out for the 2022-23 season.

The NBA tips off with a double-header Tuesday involving the two reigning conference champions, and each are working through major issues that came up in the offseason. First the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 ET, then the Golden State Warriors receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 ET.

For those counting, that’s Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and more big star power on opening night.

Here’s a look at some of the best Opening Night bets.

Steph Curry calls his shooting night ‘trash’ after win vs. Lakers

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry said he played ‘like trash’ despite his 21-point triple-double in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday.

The Golden State Warriors went to the Staples Center and left with a win Tuesday on the back of a Steph Curry triple-double and Nemanja Bjelica double-double. Despite his stat-sheet stuffing performance, Curry said he played “like trash” after finishing 5-for-21 on the night. Even with his rough shooting display, Curry still contributed 10 assists, 10 rebounds and three steals on the night.

“I played like trash, shot the ball terribly, but if we can win a game like that where we create some good shots and just stuck with it defensively against a good team, that’s a good omen for us,” Curry said.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis each put in 33-plus point, 11-rebound nights but the Los Angeles Lakers bench contributed just 29 points in the loss – the Warriors bench, for comparison, put up 55. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 38 to 29 on 63.2% shooting in the fourth quarter, icing the win. If the team can ride shooting performances like that, even when Curry is not necessarily putting the ball in the net like he normally does, they can beat anybody.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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