NBA Power Rankings: The Miami Heat and All 10 Teams from Christmas Day

We finally made it.

The NBA season began on Christmas Day and did not disappoint. The day was filled with exciting matchups, breath-taking plays and even a few disappointments.

How do our opening day teams stack up?

Most teams were rusty, some fluid, but they all still provided basketball fans a perfect Christmas Day gift.

Here is the power ranking of all 10 teams we saw tip off the NBA season.

10. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have to be the saddest story in the NBA. Their best player and franchise center is soon to leave the team, and everyone played like it on Christmas Day.

The Magic should deal Dwight Howard as soon as possible and save the organization some embarrassment.

9. Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors weren't bad in their opener against the much-hyped L.A. Clippers. New coach Mark Jackson looks to instill a defensive mindset in Golden State.

If the Warriors can add some "D" to their offensive power, they can exceed expectations.

8. Dallas Mavericks

We all knew Tyson Chandler left a hole in the middle for the Dallas Mavericks.

The surprise from the Mavs season opener was the lack of depth on the perimeter. Gone are the smooth three-pointers from DeShawn Stevenson and the penetration from J.J. Barea. They have been replaced with clunkers from Vince Carter and Lamar Odom.

7. L.A. Lakers

Given the pessimism, I thought Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers played well.

They actually played great, only to see Bryant uncharacteristically turn the ball over to lose the game.

Still, Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy looked like good additions.

The Lakers will be even better when Andrew Bynum returns.

6. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics shouldn't hang their head too much after their loss to the New York Knicks. The Celtics were without SF Paul Pierce, but almost walked away with a win.

Rajon Rondo is still one of the best point guards in the league, and Ray Allen still has that sweet stroke.

Look for the Celtics to be back on pace once Pierce returns.

5. L.A. Clippers

The L.A. Clippers showed they will be a playoff team but still have work to do.

Chris Paul took over late to seal their opening night victory, but the Clippers were not as cohesive as we had expected.

It will take time to work out the kinks, yet the Clippers did leave us wanting to see much more of them all season.

4. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks escaped on Christmas Day with a 106-104 victory over the Boston Celtics. The team and fans were elated with the victory, but the game shouldn't be seen as a positive for the Knicks.

Celtics leading scorer Paul Pierce was out with a sore heel, yet the Knicks coughed up 31 points to Rajon Rondo. New York also opened up a 15-plus point lead in the first half, only to watch it slip away. The Knicks still have defensive issues that must be addressed.

Overall, they still have Carmelo Anthony, who will always give the team a chance.

3. Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose bailed out the Chicago Bulls once again. Rose didn't dominate the game as usual, but stepped up in the final seconds to steal the game against the L.A. Lakers.

Rip Hamilton didn't make the impact we had hoped, but we'll chalk it up to opening day.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up where they left off last season.

Kevin Durant dropped 30 points on the Orlando Magic, and the Thunder weren't threatened at all on opening night.

1. Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are who we thought they were. The Dallas Mavericks found out first hand.

They're fast, athletic and dominant on defense.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are still the best perimeter players in the game, and no team has a chance of defending them.

James debuted his new post game and looked nice in the block. Wade is still as sleek as ever. Udonis Haslem is healthy and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Heat off the bench.

The Miami Heat will no doubt roll through the regular season.

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