The Most Impressive Week 1 Performances of 2014-15 NBA Season
A thrilling first week of the 2014-15 NBA season is in the books, and it did not disappoint.
From the moment the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks tipped things off on opening night, there's been no shortage of Herculean individual performances.
Take Joe Johnson, for instance, who totaled 34 points (14-of-23 shooting), including 15 in the fourth quarter, eight rebounds and six assists in the Brooklyn Nets' first win of the season against the Detroit Pistons.
Or how about John Wall, who used his improved mid-range jump shot, blinding speed and elite court vision to compile 30 points and 12 assists in a win against the Orlando Magic.
And those performances didn't even crack our top seven from the league's opening week.
When examining the week's top outings, a few factors came into consideration. First, if a player exceeded expectations in all phases of the game (i.e. surpassed career averages or set a career high), they were given preferential treatment. Second, performances in winning efforts were more likely to make the final cut. As you'll notice, six of the seven individuals led their teams to wins.
With stunning efforts from Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and several other prominent superstars catching our attention, here's a rundown of the top individual achievements from across the Association.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and current as of Sunday, Nov. 2, unless noted otherwise.
Anthony Davis vs. Orlando Magic (Oct. 28)
1 of 7Final Line: 26 points (10-of-22 shooting), 17 rebounds, 9 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists
Anthony Davis started the regular season with a bang, so it's only fair that we kick off our list with his brilliant opening-night performance.
In the New Orleans Pelicans' lone win of the first week, Davis tortured the Orlando Magic frontcourt with the two-way brilliance we've rapidly become accustomed to.
But here's what's really terrifying: As CBSSports.com's Zach Harper noted, Davis' apparent excellence in all phases could have been bolstered by some steadier shooting:
"The scary thing about this performance? Davis could have been much better. He only made 40.0 percent (6-of-15) of his contested shot attempts, many of those as misses inside against contact. He only made 50.0 percent of his shots around the rim. He could have been so much more efficient while topping 30-plus points. It's a freak performance when 26-17-9 could've been improved upon quite easily.
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And, according to Basketball-Reference.com, Davis joined Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan as the only players in league history to record at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks in a single game at age 21 or younger.
Blake Griffin vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Oct. 31)
2 of 7
Final Line: 39 points (13-of-23 shooting, 2-of-2 from three), 7 rebounds, 4 assists
The Los Angeles Clippers haven't looked like a particularly cohesive unit thus far, but Blake Griffin's expanded offensive repertoire was on full display against the Los Angeles Lakers this Halloween.
Flashing a confident stroke in the paint, above the break and even from the left corner, Griffin's arsenal of moves is now among the league's most refined, as demonstrated throughout his 39-point explosion against Kobe Bryant and Co.
Possessing quick feet and quicker handles, Griffin has become especially dangerous because he doesn't depend upon his teammates to create catch-and-shoot opportunities for him.
As he continues to hone his outside stroke in the months ahead, expect plenty of lines reminiscent of Griffin's dismantling of the Purple and Gold frontcourt.
Klay Thompson vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Nov. 1)
3 of 7
Final Line: 41 points (14-of-18 shooting, 5-of-7 from three), 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Klay Thompson and Blake Griffin made one thing abundantly clear during the season's opening week: If you want to score in droves, save your best effort for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The only opposing team to appear on our list twice, the Lakers surrendered a career-high 41 points to Thompson on Saturday evening in a simply remarkable display of long-range shooting.
And the timing couldn't have been better.
After agreeing to terms on a max extension worth $70 million over four years, the Golden State Warriors swingman drilled at least five threes for the 25th time in his career, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
The accomplishment was particularly sweet after Thompson outdueled Kobe Bryant on an evening when the Black Mamba scored 28 points (12-of-28 shooting), including 19 in the third quarter.
According to GSWStats on Twitter, Saturday also marked the second time that Thompson and teammate Stephen Curry each scored at least 30 points in the same game.
LeBron James vs. Chicago Bulls (Oct. 31)
4 of 7Final Line: 36 points (14-of-30 shooting, 1-of-3 from three), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
After managing just 17 points (5-of-15 shooting) and eight turnovers in his season debut against the New York Knicks on Thurdsay, LeBron James displayed a cool demeanor in the Cleveland Cavaliers' six-point overtime win over the Chicago Bulls the next night.
"It was an opportunity to go out and redeem ourselves, and I was happy with the outcome," James told reporters after the Cavs' first win of the season.
On a night that saw James and Derrick Rose trade figurative blows on consecutive trips down the floor in the first half, James wound up drawing first blood in what's certain to be an epic season series by dropping a game-high 36 points on 46.7 percent shooting.
While his shot didn't fall with particular regularity from distance, James corrected his mistakes from the night before and consistently slashed into the paint.
According to NBA.com, James knocked down seven of his 13 attempts in the paint (non-restricted area) against the Bulls.
Through two games, 48.9 percent of James' total attempts have come within 10 feet, according to NBA.com, while just 17.8 percent of his shots have come in catch-and-shoot situations.
Marc Gasol vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 29)
5 of 7Final Line: 32 points (12-of-17 shooting, 8-of-10 from free-throw line), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
The Minnesota Timberwolves frontcourt is assuming a different form this season without Kevin Love, and Marc Gasol took full advantage of the team's front-line transition by dropping a career-high 32 points in the Memphis Grizzlies' season opener.
An efficient dynamo, Gasol drilled three of his five shots from mid-range, 6-of-7 in the paint and another 3-of-5 within the confines of the restricted area, according to NBA.com.
With the ability to consistently draw less-agile big men away from the rim, Gasol used a variety of off-the-dribble and spot-up maneuvers to make life miserable for Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic.
Gasol's teammate, Zach Randolph, also bludgeoned Minnesota's frontcourt to the tune of 25 points and 13 boards.
Rudy Gay vs. Portland Trail Blazers (Oct. 31)
6 of 7Final Line: 40 points (13-of-19 shooting, 3-of-4 from three, 11-of-13 from the free-throw line), 8 rebounds
Those who have been begging Rudy Gay to embrace a more efficient approach on offense were thrilled to see the Sacramento Kings swingman burn the Portland Trail Blazers for 40 points on 68.4 percent shooting.
Not only did Gay drill 10-of-15 shots inside the arc, but he got to the line 13 times, which was very out of character given his aggravating tendency to settle for mid-range jump shots.
In fact, Gay's 40-point outing represented just the fourth time in his career that he's attempted at least 13 free throws, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
The big takeaway from that factoid, though, is that three of the four occurrences have come since Gay joined the Kings less than a year ago.
Effusive praise deserves to be heaped upon head coach Mike Malone for molding Gay into a more efficient and conscientious scorer.
Russell Westbrook vs. Portland Trail Blazers (Oct. 29)
7 of 7
Final Line: 38 points (11-of-26 shooting, 15-of-16 from the free-throw line), 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 rebounds
Prior to suffering a broken right hand, Russell Westbrook put forth a valiant effort as the Oklahoma City Thunder's one-man wrecking crew against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Opening the season with a bang, Westbrook played with tremendous ferocity as he repeatedly knifed into the paint for easy buckets at the rim.
While he went on to finish with 38 points, Westbrook did the majority of his damage in the first half.
According to NBA.com, Westbrook's 26 first-half points were the most he'd scored over the first 24 minutes of a game since dropping 27 against the Los Angeles Clippers nearly two years ago.
His emphatic buzzer-beating dunk to cap off that miraculous first-half showing was easily one of the most breathtaking plays of the season's opening week.
