3 Takeaways from Social Chatter Ahead of Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs
Another NBA season kicks off when the San Antonio Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks at 8 p.m. ET from the AT&T Center on Tuesday. For those living under a rock, the Spurs are the defending NBA champions, and they'll be honored with a customary ring ceremony before the game.
If you listen closely, you just might hear the groans nationwide from envious fans of the 29 other teams who didn't get a chance to celebrate last June.
As appealing as a bunch of professional athletes staring up at banners for 20 minutes sounds, there are a few other things buzzing around the social media stratosphere in anticipation of this matchup.
The start of the new season has everyone asking the same questions—who will win the crown this year?
It seems like every fan and expert commentator is putting up his or her own power rankings or predictions for this season.
Hey, look at that: The Spurs are ranked first, according to John Schuhmann of NBA.com. That's not surprising, considering the whole defending champions thing. Still, seeing Dallas ranked fifth could be foreshadowing things. Something about a conference final, maybe?
Not that there aren't some dissenting opinions:
Still, the Mavericks ooze offensive potential. As the blurb in the article by Schuhmann pointed out, the team had nine different guys nail at least five three-pointers during the preseason. How well guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, Jameer Nelson and Monta Ellis can jell will determine this team's fate.
For as well as Dallas played in the preseason was as bad as San Antonio played. Oh boy, I'm starting to sound like Charles Barkley. It definitely is NBA season.
The Spurs played a sluggish 2-5 preseason campaign, and that could translate into a championship hangover. Getting praised like royalty in a ring ceremony might not be a recipe for success either.
That's a fair point from San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs are a veteran team, and they've been there before. They're simply too good, and they know what it takes to get where they want to go.
Things won't be easy, though. San Antonio will be doing things without NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to open the season.
To make matters worse, Leonard and the Spurs aren't making much progress in contract negotiations, so that's another added distraction for the defending champs.
Signing Leonard to a new deal should be of utmost importance for a team that constantly is "too old" to do anything. A 23-year-old with success on the biggest stage, Leonard should be locked up at any price.
High contract demands might be easy to accommodate for Leonard, as Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix points out.
Speaking of young superstars, the Spurs will introduce one to their coaching staff, Becky Hammon. Twitter is on fire with talk of Hammon, who will be the first female full-time assistant coach for an NBA team.
Hammon takes her talents from the WNBA, where she played for 16 seasons. As Bleacher Report NBA Senior Writer Howard Beck points out in his outstanding article, Hammon is a pioneer for women in the game.
Hammon is in the perfect situation. Not only is she familiar with the area, having played for the San Antonio Stars for the better part of her WNBA career, but the Spurs offer one of the more respected, mature organizations in the league.
Wow, it certainly seems like San Antonio has all its bases covered.
Whether the Spurs can repeat as NBA champions is another thing. The upcoming ring ceremony signifies the end of one chapter and the start of a new one.
As far as this game goes, it's hard to go against the defending champions. With a slew of new players on the Mavericks, the team may find a hard time adjusting at first, especially defensively.
Going forward, it's not hard to imagine San Antonio and Dallas doing battle once more in the playoffs, when the games really matter. Both teams have the players, the coaching and the tenacity to reach the Western Conference Finals.
Ring ceremonies and the raising of banners will be a distant memory then.
