This had the feel of an opening night, indeed. The reigning champions Miami Heat show how to launch a NBA Opening Night party in some style. With Pat Riley and his slicked-back hair watching in admiration, the Heat squad proceeded to receive their championship rings before watching the raising to the rafters of a gargantuan Heat championship banner. From their specially-customised gold-trimmed champions jersey for opening night, to the new TV line-up displays on all five starters in different poses and the 'Opening Night' icon on the TV score console, this really had the look and feel of a NBA Opening Night.
It helped too that the opponents were the Chicago Bulls, one of the top championship contenders this season who were welcoming back their franchise player, Derrick Rose, after about 18 months out injured. But they're just one of a plethora of teams who will fancy their chances this season. Simply put, many teams got better over the off-season, which should make the 13/14 campaign one of the most mouth-watering in NBA history.
The Brooklyn Nets engineered a blockbuster deal to get future Hall-of-Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics; meaning they've now achieved probably a first-ever in NBA history: a starting five with an All-Star in every position: Deron Williams (point guard), Joe Johnson (off-guard), Pierce (small forward), Garnett (power forward) and Brook Lopez (centre). They thus become immediate contenders, and mighty ones at that. Then you've got the Indiana Pacers, the team that dazzled in last season's playoffs and nearly beat the reigning champions in an unforgettable seven-game series. Also the Houston Rockets, who in signing Dwight Howard to pair up with James Harden and Jeremy Lin, have now got the inside muscle to complement their flair hitters. The Los Angeles Clippers will also fancy their chances with Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and new coach Doc Rivers raring to go, while the Memphis Grizzlies are now a legit, highly-touted proposition after their impressive showing in the playoffs last season.
The game itself was an entertaining affair: after a slow start, the Heat motored into action and took a commanding lead midway through the first quarter onwards. The impressive thing about this Heat performance was that it was not spearheaded by their bona fide stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. It was actually well spread out throughout their entire roster: people like Norris Cole, Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers and Chris 'Birdman' Andersen all played their part. Miami's strength of disruptive defence and selfless, holistic offence really came to the fore in this game, and it proved overwhelming for the Bulls in the end.
Derrick Rose struggled overall in his comeback game, but it's understandable that he will need some time to shake off his rustiness after his long absence. And with hardworking, versatile players such as Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich and young Jimmy Butler in their ranks, you get a sensing that the Bulls will be right up there this season.
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