All the Social Buzz Reacting to NBA Opening Night
The first night of NBA action in the 2015 season had it all—explosive offense, a thrilling upset and clutch, highlight-reel defensive plays. Fans and analysts took to social media to discuss the individual stars of Tuesday night and how each team may progress this season.
As both the defending Eastern and Western Conference champions were playing on opening night, there were plenty of strong reactions to the games and how the makeup of each team distinguishes its chances.
Check out the analysis, key takeaways, interesting stats and discussion surrounding Tuesday’s opening night.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls
Clutch defense. That was the story in this one, as Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler both made game-saving plays inside the final 10 seconds in front of the home crowd and President Barack Obama at the United Center:
Gasol, 35, showed that he still has plenty left to offer new head coach Fred Hoiberg and was visibly fired up after making the defensive stop. Although he struggled on the offensive end and finished with only two points, Gasol had six blocks on the night. Here’s a great shot of Gasol “saying no,” per the NBA on ESPN’s Instagram:
As Obama pointed out in his interview with TNT’s David Aldridge, the Bulls are transitioning from being led by the defensive wizard that is Tom Thibodeau to the more offensive-minded Hoiberg.
This means questions will be asked of the roster’s defensive abilities all season long. However, if Gasol’s authoritative block and Butler’s athletic steal are any indication of things to come, Chicago will be just fine.
Detroit Pistons vs. Atlanta Hawks
A thrilling upset. Coming off their best season in franchise history, the Hawks were the heavy favorites against the Pistons at home on opening night. But Georgia native Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was too much.
The 22-year-old Pistons shooting guard shined on Tuesday, igniting his team with 21 points, four rebounds, one steal and one thunderous dunk.
Andre Drummond was also a game-changer for the Pistons, notching a team-high 19 rebounds to go along with 18 points. At the end of the night, Sporting News NBA editor Adi Joseph updated us on the MVP race:
Newcomer Marcus Morris also made a statement to Detroit head coach Stan Van Gundy during Tuesday’s win, per the Pistons' Twitter page:
After day one of the NBA season, the Pistons—that’s right, the Pistons—lead the league in offensive efficiency. Their trio of Caldwell-Pope, Drummond and Morris is a big reason why.
The Hawks, on the other hand, don’t seem too worried about Tuesday’s result:
The fact that Atlanta fell behind by as many as 19 points at one point is alarming. Sure, this is a new-look Pistons squad, but that doesn’t excuse the Pistons’ woeful rebounding performance.
The Hawks were outrebounded 59-40, as Al Horford and Tiago Splitter were limited to four rebounds apiece.
Look for Atlanta to work on that, as well as its perimeter defense, moving forward.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors
Explosive offense. Can you guess the culprit here? Yes, Stephen Curry was guilty of lighting up the scoreboard once again, dropping 24 points in the first quarter during what turned out to be a historic night, per ESPN Stats & Info:
The social media world was abuzz over Curry’s performance, as he went on to finish with 40 points, seven assists and six rebounds, the second-most points by a reigning MVP in an opener since the 1963-64 season, according to Fox Sports One:
Anthony Davis, ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s NBA player rankings, had a poor first half in which he bricked many shots, and his team never really recovered. Davis ended up with 18 points, but the Warriors ran away with this one 111-95.
New Orleans starter Nate Robinson failed to score a point and only attempted one field goal in 19 minutes played.
Similar to the Hawks, the Pelicans failed to win battles on the boards on Tuesday. This fact was not lost on ex-Warriors associate head coach and current Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, according to Pelicans beat reporter Jim Eichenhofer:
The revamped Pelicans roster is still getting used to playing together as a group and could easily bounce back Wednesday versus the Portland Trailblazers.
One positive to build on from Tuesday’s game was the performance by new addition Ish Smith. He led the team in assists off the bench, dishing nine times and scoring 17 points. Eric Gordon was second on the stat sheet in terms of assists but only had four.
Yes, the Warriors do have a very tough defense. But the Pelicans need to be better, and Gentry knows what’s best. Look for them to work on distributing the ball more moving forward.
