It was an exciting opening night for the NBA, with LeBron James and the Miami Heat, sporting their new white, red and gold home uniforms, making a championship statement to Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. We continue our opening night preview with a look at the top three games to be played tonight.
Lakers at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
It’s another in-state rival for the Lakers, but this time they travel to the Bay Area to match up against Stephen Curry and the new addition, Andre Iguodala. It would be even more of an exciting early season matchup if Kobe Bryant was playing because Iguodala is one of the league’s premier wing defenders and he would draw the assignment to guard Kobe, fresh off of his Achilles injury. Instead, we’ll see a more developed Mike D’Antoni-style offense led by Steve Nash with his stretch 4 in Shawne Williams playing next to Pau Gasol at center. The matchup to watch will be Gasol going against Andrew Bogut and his new $36 million contract extension. Gasol is out to prove that he is still one of the games best big men after a down season last year, and what better way to prove that in a matchup with Bogut.
Grizzlies at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Grizzlies tip off their season with a rematch against the Spurs, who swept them in the conference finals last year. This game is also the debut for their rookie head coach Dave Joerger. Both teams kept the majority of last season’s roster in tact with no significant additions. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph go up against a formidable front line in Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter, whose size and defense is more of an impact than anything else. Tony Conley will have the tough task of keeping the elusive Tony Parker in front of him, but on offense he shouldn’t have a problem creating his own shot against the smaller Parker.
Pacers at Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
It’s a new era in New Orleans, as they changed their logo and franchise name to the Pelicans. The first team to defend the perimeter trio of All-Star Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans will be the Pacers, who play the second game of a back-to-back. With Anthony Davis, a strong candidate for Most Improved Player, manning their frontcourt, the Pelicans may have a shot to battle for a playoff spot this year. It’s been reported that Danny Granger will not just miss the first few games of the season, but now a full three weeks as he recovers from a calf strain. The Pacers have the advantage on the interior, where Roy Hibbert and David West simply have too much girth for Davis to handle by himself.