NBA: What To Watch For On Opening Night
Opening night is only a day away, and we have three intriguing matchups to start the 2013-14 season. The Indiana Pacers host the Orlando Magic, the two-time defending champion Miami Heat raise their title banner against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, and finally there’s the battle for Los Angeles between the revamped Clippers and Lakers. We preview what to watch for in each game below.
Magic-Pacers, 7pm ET (NBA League Pass)
Second overall pick Victor Oladipo makes his professional debut back at his college stomping grounds in Indiana. Oladipo has shown his versatile skill set in the preseason and will receive plenty of burn at point guard. Pacers forward Danny Granger will not be in the lineup due to a calf strain that will cause him to miss a few games to start the season. The matchup between Nikola Vucevic and Roy Hibbert will be one to watch, as Vucevic ranked second in rebounds per game last season and Hibbert is a massive presence in the paint at 7’2″.
Bulls-Heat, 8pm ET (TNT)
LeBron James and the Heat receive their championship rings in the opener against the Bulls, as Derrick Rose makes his highly anticipated return from the ACL injury that caused him to miss all of last season. Rose is on record saying his vertical is now five inches higher than what it was pre-injury and in the preseason, he has looked phenomenal. If he can stay healthy all season, the Bulls will be one of the top teams in the Eastern conference and he’ll be in the MVP discussion as well. The Bulls were the hottest team in the preseason, winning all eight games. On the other hand, the Heat begin their long journey to reach a fourth straight NBA Finals with new faces Michael Beasley and Greg Oden joining the fold.
Clippers-Lakers, 10:30pm ET, (TNT)
Whenever these teams meet, it is always a fun matchup. This time around, Kobe Bryant will be out of the action, continuing his extensive Achilles rehab. The time table for his return is still unknown. Doc Rivers makes his debut as Clippers coach as the league gets the first glance of the revamped Clippers roster with sharpshooters J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley in the starting lineup. Will we see a difference in Blake Griffin‘s toughness or how about a post game from DeAndre Jordan? For the Lakers, it’s year two in the Mike D’Antoni system and Nick Young, Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry and Shawne Williams lead the youth movement that was added to team. Word out of Lakers camp is that Williams will be the starter in the front court next to Pau Gasol, who moves back to center.
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