What We Learned from All 10 Teams on NBA's Opening Night

On one of the most exciting nights in basketball history, the NBA and its stars delivered.

Well, most of them. 

Between the five games Sunday, we learned what teams are primed for an awesome year, while others may need to go back to the drawing board.

From a blowout in Dallas, to a near buzzer-beater at the Garden, Christmas Day left NBA fans with plenty of questions and theories about what the rest of the season will bring to the 10 teams that played. 

Here's what we've learned from each team's performance on Christmas, and what they need to do for the remainder of the season. 

Boston Celtics

What We Learned:

Rajon Rondo is geared to have his best season yet.  The Chris Paul to Boston trade rumors definitely have motivated the sixth-year guard. 

With Pierce out of the lineup, Rondo took it upon himself to get to the basket and assert himself on the offensive end, scoring 31 points while adding 13 assists and five steals. 

If there was any doubt before, Rondo is most certainly the Celtics' best player; their success as a team relies on Rondo's play.

Outside of Brandon Bass, the Boston bench is terrible.  And let's face it, Bass is going to end up playing starter minutes for this team with Jermaine O'Neal a mere shadow of his former self. 

Bass posted 20 points and 11 rebounds on nine-for-13 shooting.  The rest of the bench did nothing.

Sasha Pavlovic proved he's not worthy of seeing considerable playing time.  Chris Wilcox, Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels are absolute duds on both ends of the floor. 

Celtics fans better pray that the recently acquired Mickael Pietrus makes a significant impact on the second unit.

What Needs to Happen:

Pierce (Allen/Garnett) needs to be 100 percent healthy for the whole year.  The Celtics are too talented not to get into the postseason this year. 

Playing their vets heavy minutes on a nightly basis won't be beneficial in the long-term for the Celtics.  The key needs to be keeping their big four injury-free going into the postseason. 

If I'm Doc Rivers, I'm playing for a three through six seed in the East, and trying to stay away from the Heat or the Bulls in the first round.

They need to address the bench.  And that's easier said then done.  The Celtics are over the cap, which means they can only sign players for the league minimum. 

In a perfect world, Danny Ainge could convince JR Smith and/or Kenyon Martin to join the club in March when their Chinese sabbatical has come to an end. 

But the thought of those two signing for the minimum is highly unlikely.  Convincing spark plug free agent Nate Robinson may be the more likely scenario. 

New York Knicks

What We Learned:

The Knicks' backcourt problems are real.  Toney Douglas, as fearless as he may be, is not a real point guard.  When Baron Davis returns, Douglas' role as a sixth man scorer will better suit his skill set. 

Until then, the Knicks are stuck with an aging Mike Bibby, their injured rookie Iman Shumpert and second year guard Landry Fields, all of which have a difficult time hitting open jumpers when Amare Stoudemire or Carmelo Anthony get doubled. 

The real loser of the Knicks' backcourt problems is Tyson Chandler.  Chandler was most effective in his career when playing with a great passer to feed him easy looks (a la Jason Kidd in Dallas and Chris Paul in New Orleans). 

There will be a lot of pressure on Davis to lock that position down, or the Knicks could be in for a rude awakening this offseason.

Anthony and Stoudemire are vastly improved from a year ago.  The poise of both players throughout the game said a lot about their expectations this year. 

Anthony's ability to run the offense in the point forward role, and Stoudemire's new three-point game (two for two) will prove to be new weapons in coach Mike D'Antoni's system. 

Don't be surprised if both these guys finish in the top five in scoring this season.

What Needs to Happen:

Baron Davis needs to come back in shape.  Scary to say, but Davis may be the piece that puts the Knicks in the finals, or out in the first round. 

The only thing lacking from this team is a floor general to push the tempo on offense and set their talented frontcourt up with easy shots. 

Knicks fans are hoping for Davis to play more like he did at Golden State. 

Play a little defense.  After all the talk about bringing in Chandler to patrol the paint, and young guards like Shumpert and Fields to defend the wing positions, the Knicks still managed to give up 104 points to the Pierce-less Celtics. 

It all starts and ends with D'Antoni and his coaching staff, which recently added Mike Woodson to assist in the defensive effort. 

Miami Heat

What We Learned:

The Heat are the clear cut favorites for the title.  They dismantled the defending the champs in all phases Sunday night, most notably in the rebound column. 

And you have to think seeing that championship banner being raised motivated them that much more.  The Heat destroyed a very talented, yet new, Dallas team on their home court. 

If there are such things as statement games, this was one of them.  On a night where the majority of the league’s best teams were playing, the Heat showed why they think they’re the favorites. 

Who's going to argue?

The supporting cast around LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh is vastly improved.  Rookie Norris Cole out of Cleveland State showed some promise during the Heat’s win, and will most likely challenge Mario Chalmers for the starting point guard spot midway through the season. 

Add in the newly acquired Shane Battier and a healthy Udonis Haslem (and his new hair cut) for a full season and you’re looking at an extremely difficult eight-man rotation for opponents to deal with.  

What Needs to Happen:

Win the Championship.  As cliché as it sounds, anything less will be a failure. 

Between all the hype leading up to last season, and the utter failure of losing to the Mavs in the finals, Heat players and fans know how crucial winning the title this year will mean to their respective legacies. 

Let’s be honest—there are no excuses this season.  James, Wade, and Bosh all have a full season of experience playing together, and the supporting cast has improved immensely. 

Dallas Mavericks

What We Learned:

This is not the same defensive team as last year.  The Mavs have replaced stellar one-on-one defender Deshawn Stevenson with Vince Carter—who couldn’t spell “defense” if asked. 

And although Brendon Haywood is a shot blocker in his own respect, his inability to defend pick-and-rolls, and his lack of quickness and awareness to play effective help defense makes him an obvious downgrade from Tyson Chandler.  

They won’t have to rely on Dirk Nowitzki to score 30 points per night.  The plus side to the new additions is the versatility the new Mavs bring, especially with Lamar Odom. 

Despite being ejected Sunday, Odom looks like he’ll be playing heavy minutes behind Shawn Marion and Nowitzki—an area the Mavs lacked last season. 

They shouldn’t miss a beat on offense when Nowitzki goes to the bench with Jason Terry still leading the charge, Odom taking Dirk’s spot, and Delonte West replacing JJ Barea’s spark in the backcourt. 

What Needs to Happen:

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has to come up with a rotation.  I’m sure there is one in place, but it’s going to have to get fine-tuned throughout the season.  With all the new additions, chemistry will be a huge challenge. 

Most likely, Carlisle and the rest of the Mavs coaching staff will be monitoring both Kidd’s and Nowitzki’s minutes to keep them fresh for the postseason. 

The good news for Carlisle is that the offseason additions will provide enough scoring to keep the Mavs in games when Nowitzki does go to the bench.

Odom has to be the team’s center come crunch time.  Kidd, Terry, Marion, Nowitzki and Odom. 

Yes, the team's small and not a real defensive threat, but Odom is too talented to sit on the bench while Brendan Haywood, Brandan Wright, or Ian Mahinmi sit in the paint. 

If there is a plus to playing Odom at center this year, it’s that he’ll clear up the lane to let Nowitzki work one-on-one, providing another spot-up shooter in the event Nowitzki is doubled. 

Chicago Bulls

What We Learned:

Derrick Rose is looking to repeat as MVP.  He still makes incredible finishes in the lane, and still hits clutch shots down the stretch.  And now a three-point game, shooting four-for-six from behind the arc? 

As crazy as it may sound, Rose may be even better than he was last year, and ready to defend his crown.

Rip Hamilton may not be the answer at SG.  Call it rust, but Hamilton looked terrible Sunday night.  In 23 minutes, Hamilton went three-for-eight for six points and five fouls. 

The Bulls ran into a big problem last year when teams zoned in on Rose; Chicago needed someone else to create some offense. 

Hamilton is not the type of player who you can give the ball and let him go to work.  He’s a catch-and-shoot player who comes off screens. 

Jamal Crawford may have been a better fit for this Bulls team, but only time will tell if Hamilton can erase opening night’s lousy performance.

What Needs to Happen:

Get Carlos Boozer involved early and often.  Boozer was a total bust for the Bulls last season. 

Coming into the Lakers game Sunday night, Boozer looked slimmer and much more aggressive than the injury plagued version of him a year ago. 

As well as Luol Deng has played in years past, Boozer is the team’s second best player and scorer behind Rose. 

In order for the Bulls to come out of the East, they are going to need an All-Star performance all season long from their power forward. 

The bench needs to score some points.  The Bulls' bench posted 18 points compared to 29 that the depleted Lakers' bench earned Sunday night. 

Kyle Korver needs to find that shooting stroke, and Taj Gibson needs to provide some garbage buckets if this team’s second unit has to keep the Bulls in tight games. 

There is a possibility of promoting Ronnie Brewer to the starting lineup and having Hamilton lead the way for the second unit. 

Los Angeles Lakers

What We learned:

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are still one of the best one-two punches in the league.  During the game, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was asked if Gasol was affected by the trade rumors that would have put Chris Paul in a Lakers jersey. 

Despite being accused of struggling with the rumors, Gasol played with an obvious chip on his shoulder, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight boards and topping off with a baseline drive and dunk on Joakim Noah.  

As for Bryant, his play Sunday night spoke for itself—28 points, seven boards and six assists. 

Despite his late turnover in the game, Bryant kept the Bulls in check for the majority of the game, proving he’s still one of the league’s best scorers in the game today. 

Devin Ebanks is being showcased for potential trade partners.  Even when Andrew Bynum returns, this team is still in dire need of some help, primarily to replace the void Odom left and to upgrade the point guard position. 

Ebanks played real well Sunday night, scoring eight points on four-for-five shooting, so I hate to discredit him starting for Mike Brown. 

But on a Lakers team that lacks trade assets on paper, and needs to make a serious move to compete for a title this season, the 23-year-old Ebanks is really showcasing his talents to trade suitors who the Lakers are in talks with. 

What Needs to Happen:

Bynum needs to play at least 55 games this season.  He’s suspended for the first four games, so that gives him a seven-game window he may miss. 

With Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy taking Odom’s minutes from last year, the Lakers need to rely on Bynum to stay healthy and play effectively more than ever this year. 

If he doesn’t play well, championship aspirations go out the window.  

The Lakers need to make a splash via trade.  All the talk of Bryant believing this current Lakers team has a chance of competing for a title is just that—talk. 

The Lakers are one of the few Western Conference teams that actually got worse this offseason, while younger teams like the Thunder, Grizzlies and Clippers are ready to surpass the purple and gold. 

In a perfect world, the Lakers could swing a Dwight Howard for Bynum-and-pieces trade, sign Gilbert Arenas for the league minimum and instantly become the favorites out West again with a lineup of Arenas, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Howard. 

But all that is just wishful thinking for Bryant and Lakers fans.   

Orlando Magic

What We Learned:

Stan Van Gundy and the Magic have lost their way.  The team is in total disarray and completely dysfunctional.  On multiple occasions throughout Sunday's game, teammates were jawing with one another and their coach. 

To make matters worse, Ryan Anderson finished with the most points and shot attempts on a Magic team that supposedly values the talents of Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson. 

The group is not cohesive.  The offense they run is nonexistent.  Maybe the whole team is lost in the uncertainty around Howard, which leads me to conclude…

Dwight Howard has checked out of Orlando.  His lackadaisical performance Sunday night said it all.  On a Christmas night where the stars shined and superstars like Anthony, Durant, Rose and Bryant came to play, Howard just went through the motions. 

He showed no enthusiasm or effort through the course of the game, finishing with only 11 points, shooting only four-for-12. 

What Needs to Happen:

TRADE DWIGHT HOWARD.  Period.  I’m aware it’s easier said than done, but this is slowly becoming Carmelo Anthony 2.0. 

His teammates and coach are finding it impossible to believe in this team if Howard isn’t 100 percent committed. 

He’s already requested a trade.  There's no sense keeping him for the season and letting him walk a la Shaq 2.0.  There is obvious interest from other teams such as the Lakers, Mavs, Nets and Bulls. 

I don’t understand why Orlando's brass isn’t taking care of this situation sooner than later.

Oklahoma City Thunder

What We Learned:

James Harden is geared for a breakout year.  Head coach Scott Brooks has obviously given Harden the green light on offense, even when Durant and Russell Westbrook are in the game. 

Watching Harden split defenders in pick-and-roll sets, and getting to the free line each time was pretty impressive.

Harden's confidence is at an all-time high.  Oklahoma City will need him to continue on as the team’s third scorer if they want to reach the finals. 

The Thunder big men are underrated.  Everyone talks about Westbrook and Durant, and rightfully so.  But a lean, mean Kendrick Perkins, and a long and athletic Serge Ibaka are going to quietly win this team games on the defensive end. 

To a certain extent, Perkins can be credited with holding Howard to only 11 points Sunday night.  Beyond Howard, Brooks is going to rely on Perk to guard the post players like Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Blake Griffin out West. 

Ibaka, a more finesse and athletic forward, complements Perkins with his ability to guard more perimeter-oriented forwards like Nowitski and LaMarcus Aldridge. 

Together, they provide the Thunder with excellent one-on-one defense, great team and help defense, and second-chance points with their offensive rebounding. 

What Needs To Happen:

Westbrook needs to defer more to his teammates.  Whether he is trying to or not, Westbrook looks like he’s competing with Durant every game. 

Westbrook only shot six-for-17 from the field Sunday night.  From a point guard standpoint, he made seven turnovers while only pulling six assists. 

He’s an unbelievably talented guard in this league, but his poor shot selection and costly turnovers will really hurt the Thunder in the postseason. 

There are plenty of talented players on this roster not named Kevin Durant that can score and make plays. 

Westbrook needs to start letting the game come to him and run this team like Chris Paul runs his—look for his teammates, control the tempo, and take smart shots. 

Continue to improve the Bench.  Besides the aforementioned Harden, OKC’s bench is young and talented; they showcased that Sunday night by scoring 39 of the team’s 97 points. 

In the shortened season, the Thunder are going to have to rely on guys like Eric Maynor, Nick Collison, and Daequan Cook to play more minutes than usual. 

It’s crucial that OKC get quality minutes from their bench throughout the season.  The bench will play a key role in the postseason and could be the difference in whether the Thunder advance to the NBA Finals, or not. 

Los Angeles Clippers

What We Learned:

Paul and Chauncey Billups are the best backcourt in the league.  The Clippers played a young and talented Warriors backcourt (Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis) Sunday night, but made them look like D-Leaguers. 

Combined, Paul and Billups had 41 points and 15 assists, while holding Ellis and Curry to 19 points on 8-for-31 shooting. 

With all due respect to Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker in San Antonio, and Rondo and Ray Allen in Boston, this Clippers backcourt is too savvy and too talented not to be No.1. 

The Clippers have zero depth up front.  Currently, the Griffin-DeAndre Jordan tandem is backed up by veteran Brian Cook, rookie Trey Thompkins, and the currently injured Reggie Evans. 

Given the small lineups the Warriors use, the Clippers were able to play Ryan Gomes at power forward Sunday night, but he’s a natural three. 

If Griffin or Jordan get in foul trouble against some of the West’s more talented front lines, the Clippers may be shorting themselves some victories this season unless they address this. 

What Needs to Happen:

Trade one of their backcourt players for a backup for Blake/Jordan.  If Billups and Paul are set to play 35 minutes per night for this team, there is no reason for L.A. to keep Mo Williams, Randy Foye and Eric Bledsoe on the roster. 

The Clippers should move one of these guys for a defensive-minded shot-blocker—maybe Foye for the Cavs' Ryan Hollins? 

Regardless of the move, the Clippers need to balance out their lopsided roster that is currently too guard heavy. 

Don’t get caught in the hype.  Remember what happened to the Heat last season?  The Clippers are the new kids on the block, getting all the hype around the league right now. 

But they better be prepared to get each opponent's best in every game. 

In this shortened season, there will be less room for error; each game will count for more as far as making the playoffs and seeding is concerned. 

Although this Clippers team is young and talented, if they lose focus, they could see themselves getting knocked out early this postseason to a veteran bunch like the Spurs, Lakers, or Mavs.   

Golden State Warriors

What We Learned:

Mark Jackson is going to have a rough first year as coach.  The Warriors played an excellent first half Sunday night against the Clippers, holding them to 41 points. 

But Jackson failed to warn his team about the adjustments the Clippers would make in the second half, which is when L.A. rattled off 64 points, cruising to a 19-point victory. 

The bottom line is: Jackson inherited the same team as last year’s 36-win team.  His emphasis is going to be on defense with this club, but the truth is he doesn’t have the personnel to improve that aspect of the team. 

Curry and Ellis don’t jive well together.  For one, they’re too small of a backcourt.  Second, neither of them are true point guards.  Individually, they are great scorers in this league. 

Ellis has a knack for blowing by his defender and getting into the lane, while Curry is an excellent spot-up shooter who can create off the dribble. 

Together, the two just can’t complement one another, or get their teammates involved on the court. 

What Needs to Happen:

Play their young guys heavier minutes.  It’s tough to imagine this team reaching the postseason this year. 

In Jackson’s rookie year as coach, he should really take a deep look at his young talent—like Klay Thompson and Ekpe Udoh—and see if they could become future cornerstones for the Warriors franchise. 

Unfortunately, Thompson is stuck behind Curry and Ellis in the backcourt, but could see some time at the three. 

Udoh’s situation is much different; he’s playing behind the overpaid, unproductive Andris Biedrins. 

In order for these young guys to develop, Jackson should insert them into the starting rotation and apply the “sink or swim” theory. 

Move Curry or Ellis.  Curry is the younger and more valued player of the two.  But it’s difficult to see the Warriors parting with Curry for anyone after they pulled out of the Chris Paul negations once New Orleans asked for Curry in return. 

The logical move is to swing Ellis, and the remaining $33 million (three years), and acquire some salary cap relief and potential draft picks. 

The real question is: Which team is desperate enough to acquire Ellis at that cost?