10 Completely Irrational Generalizations From NBA Opening Week

The Los Angeles Lakers are really, really bad, but Kobe Bryant still has something left in the tank. Watching the Lakers play on opening night was the equivalent of watching a conductor attempt to orchestrate a group of completely inept musicians. All the hand gyrations in the world couldn’t make beautiful music out of what the Lakers have to offer. Kobe will be good, but the rest of that roster is hapless, except maybe Ed Davis.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in trouble without Kevin Durant. Game one for them went almost as if it were scripted. Russell Westbrook went off for 38 points and really nobody else contributed much of anything. Sure, Reggie Jackson, Anthony Morrow and Jeremy Lamb were out, but I really think this will be the common theme that runs throughout the Thunder’s season until Durant returns. Even then, where will the bench scoring come from?

We all knew Anthony Davis was good, but did any of us expect him to jump out of the gate with that type of performance? His 26 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks made up one of the more dominant opening night explosions in recent memory. He is definitely ready to make a case for supremacy in the NBA. The Pelicans looked really good too, not just Davis. Ryan Anderson and Omer Asik looked rejuvenated and could make the Pelicans playoff contenders

In perhaps the most exciting game of the opening two days of NBA play, the Mavericks took the Spurs, sans Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter, to the final minute before losing on a go-ahead three-pointer by Tony Parker. After taking the Spurs to seven games in the first round of the playoffs last season, they appear poised to push the champs all season long.

Bosh looked like a man possessed, as he ushered in a new era of Heat basketball. He dropped 26 points and pulled down 15 boards against the Wizards on Wednesday night, his first 20 and 15 performance as a member of this team. If he can sustain this level of play and the Heat can remain relevant in the playoff hunt, there is no reason to think that Bosh won’t be a MVP contender.

Speaking of those Wizards, they really didn’t look very good against the Heat. They obviously missed Bradley Beal, and his absence may put a bigger damper on their season than I originally thought. Garrett Temple got the start on Wednesday night and struggled mightily, as did the Wizards at times, to put the ball into the basket. This team may struggle enough early to dig themselves an irrecoverable hole.

The Pacers allowed a hapless 76ers team to hang with them throughout this game, and that may be more of the norm than an exception. Hibbert looked good for the most part, putting in 22 points, but he still failed to pull down double-digit rebounds. Against any team other than the 76ers, this could have been a rout, and not in the Pacers' favor.

The Boston Celtics had eight players in double figures on Wednesday night, including Rajon Rondo who dropped 13 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. The Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, looked old and washed up. Kevin Garnett looked 38 and Mason Plumlee looked absolutely lost in his start. I predicted this team to miss the playoffs this year, and after one game, I look like a genius.

In a game that saw Ty Lawson go 1-of-7 for three total points, the Nuggets proved they know how to win in more than one way. Faried did his thing, dropping 22 points and pulling down 17 boards, with three of his field goals coming from more than 15 feet from the basket. Afflalo saved the Nuggets' bacon by going off for 10 points in the 3rd quarter. The Nuggets shot a horrid 35 percent from the floor and still won. Wait until they start shooting.

Both teams looked solid in their losses, with contributions coming from key players they will need to step up this year. For the Bucks, Khris Middleton, who I think may be the most underpaid player in the NBA, had 17 points, O.J. Mayo contributed 17 more off the bench and Brandon Knight looked amazing with 22 points and 13 assists. For the Timberwolves, Thaddeus Young poured in 26 points and Shabazz Muhammad had 13 points off the bench.