LeBron James Goes for 50 and 10 Bold Predictions for NBA Opening Night
LeBron James goes for 50. That would be a pretty incredible debut for the former Cavalier.
But contrary to what the "Summer of LeBron" implied, James and the Heat don't have their names engraved on an invitation to the NBA Finals. Plenty of other star players and quality teams will be gunning for the Heat Beginning with not-so-long-ago-World-Champion Celtics,
Here are 10 more bold predictions that would make for a great opening night to the 2010-2011 NBA season.
No. 10: Overtime Needed For The Heat and Celtics
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Because LeBron's free agency bonanza, "The Decision," and the fallout from "The Decision," were so widely talked about all offseason and even into the preseason, it's somewhat east to forget what the Celtics did in last year's playoffs.
Not only did they beat James and the "mighty" Cavaliers in six games (pretty handily in the last three) but they dominated the Magic, winning two on the road, then led the Lakers 3-2 in the Finals.
They cruised by the Heat in the opening round of last year's playoffs.
Last year's achievements isn't enough to gain the Celtics an minor upset at home over the Heat, but Paul Peirce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett are.
The Heat pull away in overtime but the Celtics hang tough.
Prediction: Heat 114, Celtics 110 (Overtime)
No. 9: Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, And Kenny Smith Are Great
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Of all the studio shows, the NBA on TNT is by far the best.
Ernie Johnson is a great "straight man" in the circus that goes on between Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.
It's not much of a "bold" prediction, but look for the three-man crew to crack jokes, be self-deprecating, and rip on somebody for a "trrr-ible" effort on opening night.
No. 8: Portland Trounces The Suns
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Very quietly, the Trailblazers have put together a fantastic team. Nate McMillan is a great head coach and with all that talent, will have Portland contending for the Northwest title.
Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridger are a tremendous one-two offensive punch. Andre Miller and Marcus Camby are the type of cagey veterans they need at the key leadership spots of point guard and center. And Nicholas Batum even tossed in 10 points a game last year.
Their bench isn't deep, but it wont need to be against the Suns.
Steve Nash is still a great player, but the cast around him is much different than it was just a few years ago when he won back-to-back MVPs.
All that will add up to a huge performance in their debut at the Rose Garden.
Prediction: Blazers 126, Suns 99
No. 7: Shaq Plays Just 12 Minutes
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Shaq's been hampered lately by a hip injury but managed to play 24 very productive minutes in the Celtics preseason win over New Jersey last Wednesday.
Bu he's going to turn 39 before this year's playoffs come around. And don't think that Doc Rivers doesn't worry about that.
If the C's want him to be available in April and May, he is going to have to spend more time on the bench than he's used to.
He should be ready to average 20-plus minutes a game once the season is in full swing, but the opener against a fast and young Heat team might take a toll on the Diesel.
No. 6: Craig Sager Wears A Camoflauge Suit
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With all the different suits and pants-sports jackets combinations that TNT's sideline voice has worn over the past few years, it's going to be hard to top himself.
But he knows the television viewers, the spectators at the arenas, and even the players expect him to wear something outrageous, especially on opening night.
He's sort of like the NBA's version of Lady GaGa: his outfits are usually more interesting that what is coming out of his mouth and through the microphone.
He'll have plenty of different wardrobes, but a camo-suit would be a great way to kick off the season.
No. 5: The Rockets Give The Lakers A Game
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Although their is no way the World Champs drop their opener, at home, to a team that missed the playoffs a year before, don't expect this one to be a snooze-fest.
The Lakers penchant for somewhat slow starts (they began last year's title defense 7-3, losing two home games and began the 2007-08 season with a pedestrian 7-6 record) probably results from Phil Jackson: he doesn't seem to care about the regular season so why should his players.
Because of that, the Rockets know they can steal an early season win against the Lakers: last year, the Rockets stunned LA at the Staples Center 101-91 in mid-November. There's no reason they cannot do it again.
A great night of shooting by Aaron Brooks keeps Houston neck-in-neck with LA through three and a half quarters. But in the closing minutes, the Lakers pull away and hit plenty of clutch free throws to seal the game.
Prediction: Lakers 104, Rockets 99
No. 4: Jason Richardson Drops 30
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With Josh Childress nursing a broken finger (he should still play, though) and not quite NBA-ready after his two-year sabbatical with Olympiacos Piraeus of the European League, the Suns backcourt is going to be limited in terms of scoring.
And we know they are even more limited upfront, having parted ways with Amare Stoudemire. So head coach Alvin Gentry is going to have to rely on Jason Richardson more than anyone else for points.
His points-per-game totals went down drastically in 2009-10. Look for them to go back up near the 20-point mark in 2010-11. He'll get off to a good start, tossing in 30 against the Blazers, but at least half of them will come with the Suns down big in the third quarter and beyond. The points still count though!
No. 3: Phil Jackson Unveils New Facial Hair
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The Zen Master has sported just about every facial hair look imaginable.
He's had the bushy, silly mustache with the Bulls in the late 1980s. The sharp Zorro/soul patch mustache with the Lakers a few years ago.
He's had the full-on salt-and-pepper beard back with Michael Jordan and the second three peat back in the mid-1990s; not to be confused with the look above, the distinguished gray, neatly trimmed beard he sports above.
And he was entirely clean shaven back when the Lakers won him ring number 11 last June.
That leaves just one look left (aside from mutton chops). Phil's gotta go with the fu manchu.
No. 2: Yao Ming Posts A Double-Double
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If Yao Ming can return to his 2008-09 form, after sitting out all of last season, then it will be one of the biggest stories in the NBA this season. (Of course him playing more than 60 games in 2010-11 would be a pretty big story as well.)
The Yao comeback will blast off under a big spotlight: at the Staples Center on opening night against Kobe Bryant and the World Champion Lakers.
Yao won't have a tremendous night on the offensive side: his shooting is going to appear rusty in the early going of this season. And his foot problems will make it difficult for him to move around the basket. But he should still pull down 10 boards and 12 points in nearly 30 minutes.
More importantly however, his presence in the paint should impede the Lakers a bit. Kobe, Pau Gasol, and Lamarr Odom will have some trouble with Yao's 7'6" frame in the way.
The Lakers still pull out a win, but have a harder time than the Jack Nicholson and the home crowd expects.
No. 1: LeBron Tosses In 50 Points
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It's unlikely that LeBron won't try and make an enormous splash in his deubt for Miami.
All the criticism he has endured this year is going to be too hard to ignore.
And Dwayne Wade's sore hamstring will slow The Flash down just enough to inspire LBJ to pick up the slack even more.
Expect James to do everything he can to get the basket and make a SportsCenter highlight. By the third quarter he should have attempted at least least 10 free throws. Those opportunities, a couple of three-pointers, and attempting 25 field goals will get him exactly at the 50-point mark.
