NBA Daily: Opening Night Extravaganza 76ers vs Celtics; Lakers vs Warriors
By Reylan Loberternos
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 18 Oct 2022
Tagbilaran City, Bohol – The long wait is over and the battle for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy officially begins. The NBA opens the highly anticipated 2022-2023 season with a titanic clash between two Eastern Conference title contenders Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts at 7:30 a.m. (Philippine Time). The Western Conference showdown between state rivals Los Angeles Lakers and the reigning and defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors follows at 10:00 a.m. (Philippine Time) on the Warriors’ home floor, Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Last season’s MVP runner-up Joel Embiid leads the way, fresh off career highs in scoring, assists, steals, and, in his case the most important stat of all, games played for Philadelphia. James Harden will continue to act as the team’s primary facilitator and playmaker. After averaging career lows in shooting accuracy both from the field and from beyond the arc at 40.2% and 32.6%, respectively and having the lowest scoring in ten years, at only 21.0 points, Harden is ready to bounce back from a relatively less-productive season.
The former league MVP showed up at training camp relatively lean and fit, and now with the chance to be better acquainted with the team plays and the players around him. Harden will also have to learn to co-exist with Embiid and emerging guard Tyrese Maxey, who blossomed last season with impressive numbers with considerably solid efficiency and accuracy.
On the other hand, Boston will rely on team chemistry and a defensive mentality that’s built through years of playing together. This is, without question, Jayson Tatum’s team. His numbers have improved every season for the Celtics, which saw him norm 26.9 points, grab 8.0 boards, and dish out 4.4 dimes per contest last season. Though his defensive chops are one of the many reasons why he is considered among the best players in the league, he may look to improve a little bit more on his scoring to get closer to the 30-point range. This will catapult him into an MVP-caliber type of player, if he isn’t one yet.
He can accomplish this by going more to the rack, while also reducing his propensity to just shoot from deep as well. These past two seasons, while his three-point attempts have gradually increased, his shooting accuracy from beyond the arc has also considerably dropped. While his increasing free-throw attempts and made season-by-season are welcome signs, he should take advantage of the special treatment and respect the league, through its referees, sets for its superstars, which he is undoubtedly already a part of.
For his part, Jaylen Brown is more of an equal rather than a side kick. However, his production may have already peaked. Last season, he averaged 23.6 markers, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on a nightly basis, practically similar to his production a season prior.
Make no mistake about it. These are great numbers and if there’s one thing that any team can count on from a player of Brown’s caliber, it is consistency. You can count on him to get you these numbers every single game, whether in the regular season or in the playoffs.
Marcus Smart is by far this team’s emotional leader and defensive anchor. The whole team feeds off of his energy and passion. Derrick White, acquired by the Celtics mid-season, is somewhat like Smart’s alter-ego. He does all the things Smart does on both ends of the court, but with a lot more subtlety. Having White in the lineup provides the Celtics with a steady and consistent floor general throughout the ball game, even when Smart goes to the bench for a breather.
With all the brouhaha surrounding their coaching situation during the off-season, the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the East. They are a great defensive squad that have capable scorers from top to bottom. While their competitors have added assets here and there, the Celtics are mainly composed of high character individuals that play well together. Boston has chemistry, discipline, and consistency, which only quite a few teams around the league can claim to possess. The Philadelphia 76ers will try to test all that in this opening salvo.
LeBron James is turning 38 years old and though he still managed to average an amazing 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on a nightly basis, it didn’t translate to wins. He still remains among the best players in the league, but if the Lakers’ performance last year was any indication, he can no longer do it on his own.
The Russell Westbrook experiment massively failed. Last year began with a promise of having three alphas in LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook forming a formidable trio of All Stars to catapult the Lakers back into title contention. Then Davis missed a total of 42 games, while James also missed 26 of his own, leaving Westbrook to absorb all the flak, even when he averaged a respectable 18.5 markers, 7.4 boards, and 7.1 dimes per game.
James may still be the Lakers’ best player, while Westbrook may be the most durable one, but it is without a shadow of doubt that the team’s chances will largely hinge on Davis’ health and his ability to stay healthy throughout the season.
It still remains uncertain whether or not Westbrook remains a Laker, as the season unfolds. Will the proud franchise choose to restart the experiment, now that all the key cogs are healthy or will they opt to move in a different direction? We are about to find out.
The Golden State Warriors are NBA Champions once again. Thanks to a relatively healthy lineup and the return of the other half of the dreaded Splash Brothers in Klay Thompson. While Stephen Curry remains the team’s most valuable weapon, the Warriors are awash with players who can take over on any given night. Jordan Poole, for his part, has developed into a deadly scorer and Andrew Wiggins has been an indispensable part, especially on the defensive end, for this championship squad.
Draymond Green is still Golden State’s anchor on defense and secondary facilitator on offense. He is also the team’s emotional leader. However, he sometimes gets overboard, so much so that he punched Jordan Poole in one of their practice sessions leading into the preseason. Green, who has a player option after this season, will definitely have a major chip on his shoulder, as both Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins have secured substantial contract extensions that will largely affect the team’s ability to re-sign the former Defensive Player of the Year awardee.
Nevertheless, for as long as the Splash Brothers stay healthy and on target, the Warriors will remain as the clear favorites to repeat. James Wiseman, now healthy, adds to this team’s frontcourt depth and should serve as safety net if the Draymond Green situation goes awry. Things could get testy, but with the ever calm and collected Steve Kerr manning the sidelines, the Warriors are poised to battle through these challenges.
Four proud franchises will start their quest on opening day. Twenty-six others wait for their turn. One team will hoist the trophy by season’s end.
Let the games begin!
Comments are highly appreciated. You may send them to reylanloberternos@yahoo.com.ph and you may follow me @reylan_l on twitter.
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