- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "They're off to a good start in their first back-to-back effort, taking a 117-79 victory Wednesday over the Clippers after a 96-76 laugher Tuesday against Portland. The second night is considered a telling test of endurance for NBA teams, often separating contenders from the pack. As such, Coach Phil Jackson didn't pause when asked if the Lakers were built for such success this season. 'We have the depth,' he said. 'It's a young team, a relatively young team outside of Kobe [Bryant]'s 12 seasons and Derek [Fisher]'s 12 seasons. We should be young enough to recover.' The standard for the Lakers remains a near-stunning 19-2 record in the second night of consecutive-game sets in 1999-2000."
- Brian Costa of The Miami Herald: "He had confidence. He had swagger. He even had a little dance going as he strutted into the locker room before the game. But none of it lasted long after the opening tip-off. Michael Beasley missed several layups and open jump shots and at times looked lost defensively Wednesday in his NBA debut at Madison Square Garden. The rookie forward finished with just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting and had three turnovers in the Heat's 120-115 loss to the New York Knicks. 'I had a bad game,' Beasley said. 'I missed [a] couple shots, and my confidence just went out the window.' Beasley did not appear to be nervous about his first regular-season game, nor was he fazed by playing in what he called 'the Mecca of basketball.' He was just off."
- Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "It was a dispiriting outcome for the home team, which wants to avoid equaling its 0-5 start last season. 'Character. Commitment. Connection.' That is the team's slogan this season. It also could be: 'Injuries. Invalids. Infirmaries.' The spirit surrounding the opening-night festivities was somewhat understated, possibly because of the anxiety that envelops the franchise. Is the wait on Gilbert Arenas ever going to end? Or is he destined to end up as the Penny Hardaway of his time? Is there an element of injury fatigue, of forever waiting to see what this team could be at full strength? Those hard notions were tugging on the fans as they made their way into the arena from Abe Pollin's Fun Street."
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "When asked what he learned from former Olympic coach and current Bobcats coach Larry Brown, LeBron James replied, 'Nothing.' That's when he ended his interview. He ran off the court and let out a primal scream. James rode the bench in the 2004 Olympics when Team USA finished third."
- Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News: "Gregg Popovich was relaxed as the game began. Then he reacted to Shaq's comments of 'getting even.' Shaq didn't like getting hacked last season? Popovich hacked him to start the season. Popovich grinned with two thumbs up, and Shaq smiled back and afterward confessed what everyone had already figured. Shaq said he had just been playing around. Popovich basically said the same when asked why he called for the intentional foul. 'Life is short,' Popovich explained later. 'You gotta have fun.' But that's just it. The Spurs have never been about fun. They enjoy one another off the court, yet they play the game with a pound-the-rock approach that doesn't allow room for much levity."
- Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "What it takes to win at a high level in the NBA is exactly what the Hawks supplied Wednesday night. They were forceful and measured, poised and precise. They didn't look like a team that peaked the first week of May. They looked like a team capable of scaling higher and higher mountains. They looked as if they're bent on making this winter as intriguing as they made the spring."
- Tony Jones of The Denver Post: "Kenyon Martin has always thought of himself as a leader. It was true in New Jersey, where he played with Jason Kidd. The same has been true during his tenure with the Nuggets, even if it wasn't in a official capacity. But Martin is a Nuggets co-captain, along with Carmelo Anthony, this season. Whether Martin is ready for it or not, the position carries a huge responsibility. 'I've always had that mind-set,' Martin said Wednesday. 'Coming into this season, I've wanted to lead and this is the first time that I've been healthy since I've been in Denver. So that's going to help me on and off the court.'"
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Not much has changed in 20 years. The Orlando Magic honored the players from their inaugural season of 1988-89 Wednesday night and then came out and played just like them. We were expecting a championship team on opening night. We got an expansion team instead. Was that Dwight Howard at center or Mark Acres? Was that Rashard Lewis playing power forward or Jeff Turner? Was that Hedo Turkoglu playing shooting guard or Sam Vincent? This would have been a great 20th anniversary party except for one small problem: The Magic lost their season opener 99-85 to the Atlanta Hawks and looked absolutely horrible doing it."
- Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Larry Brown, with roughly 1,000 more NBA victories than his predecessor, took the realist's approach to tonight's season-opener in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. 'We're not ready,' Brown said following a 0-8 preseason, then he detailed the problems: 'We have not rebounded well, and that was obviously a huge concern after last year and the year before. Our defense hasn't been great, and that was a concern last year. A lot of that is because we haven't shot the ball well. Maybe our shot selection is poor. Maybe we've turned the ball over too much ... Based on the things I think are important to winning right now -- defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball -- we're not there. We have work to do.'"
- George Willis of the New York Post: "Mike D'Antoni won last night's opener at the Garden long before referee Monty McCutchen tossed the jump ball in the air to begin the franchise's 63rd NBA season. The final score -- Knicks 120, Heat 115 -- was an encouraging debut for the Knicks new coach, but nothing his team did on the court will impact their season as much as the message D'Antoni delivered a day earlier by announcing Eddy Curry was out of the rotation indefinitely. .... No longer will playing time be handed out based on contracts and perceived status. Not under D'Antoni's watch. By benching Marbury and Curry, the coach has made it clear the Knicks will have to earn their way into his lineup, which is welcome news to Garden fans who watched this team sleepwalk through the past two years under Isiah Thomas."
- Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman: "On a night that Oklahoma City wi
ll long count as glorious, Kevin Durant had a game that was anything but. He had an utterly forgettable first half, missing every shot he attempted, scoring no points, rolling up fouls and turnovers but not much else. His woeful start helped sink the Thunder into a halftime hole from which it never recovered." - Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: "In the wake of his 27-point opening salvo Tuesday night, Paul Pierce image continues to gather national luster. From his pregame tears to a virtuoso scoring performance while matched against his favorite nemesis, LeBron James, Pierce continues to make up for lost time. He is no longer the mercurial star that George Karl nefariously attempted to saddle with responsibility for the fall of the United States team during the 2002 world championships in Indianapolis. Pierce has replaced that distasteful memory with his new designation as MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals. But there's one caveat. Pierce might actually be better now as the result of his championship experience."
- Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News: "One game into the season, the Warriors already look like they're in limbo, floating and bobbing without any control, eventually headed to your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine. I mean, how many of the team's main pieces that we saw play in a 108-103 loss to New Orleans on Wednesday will be around for another few months or years? And how many were just convenient placeholders? Mostly placeholders, believe me. The Warriors have just started the season and almost nothing seems fixed or solid about this franchise, which is not usually a promising thing."
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chad FordTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
John HollingerTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris SheridanTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Marc SteinTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
