1. The Heat look unmotivated. I understand that the NBA season is a grind – a marathon, if you will, not a sprint – but if you can’t show up to play on opening night, the same night you raise your championship banner and get your title rings, then you’ve got a problem. The Heat lost, at home, 108-66. Ouch!
2. The Bulls are for real. The addition of Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas gives this team a presence around the rim that wasn’t there last year. They looked to push the ball early against the Heat, which is a smart move considering their young legs. They’ve got a deep bench with Thomas, Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon and an explosive starting five, led by Kirk Hinrich who just signed a $50 M extension. The Bulls/Cavs race in the Central should be interesting.
3. Dwyane Wade has added the long ball to his arsenal. After hitting just 13 3PT shots all of last season, Wade made 14 in the playoffs. Last night, he went 2-3 from long range. If he becomes a 35-40% shooter from behind the arc, he’ll be almost unstoppable.
4. The Suns should be ashamed of themselves. They came out on fire and led 41-26 at the end of the first quarter, but let a Kobe-less Laker squad outscore them 88-65 the rest of the way. Their defense was pitiful and their offense was sketchy once they started missing jumpers. One positive note – Amare Stoudemire looked OK in 12 minutes of playing time. He’s nowhere near 100%, but he had an explosive dunk and played hard.
5. Andrew Bynum is vastly improved. The 19 year-old center was thrust into the lineup due to injuries to Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm, but he outplayed both guys, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. His ability to pass out of the post was probably the most surprising aspect of his game. If he keeps playing like this, Brown and Mihm might find the minutes hard to come by when they return.
