NBA Round-Up; Lakers are 0-2!! Noooo!!!
Nash and his new 'do need to get it going in LA.
The Los Angeles Lakers have started the 2012-2013 season 0-2 so perhaps the Mayans were correct. The end of the world as we know it is just around the corner. If you’re concerned about this as a Lakers’ fan, don’t be. For all the people that say the preseason games in the NFL are useless than I offer you the National Basketball Association preseason because it isn’t much better.
The Lakers will be fine. They are still learning to play together in high-energy situations that the preseason just doesn’t offer. I wonder if sometimes fans don’t get distraught because we are in the thick of the football season where winning and losing regular season games actually matters. This is an 82-game schedule where most teams will have ups and downs and twists and turns throughout the season.
Dwight Howard had 33 points and 14 rebounds on Halloween night in Portland and he was the guy I was most concerned about quite honestly. If you want a guy to be concerned how about Steve Nash? He’s averaging less than five points per game and only four assists in about 25 minutes of action per night. The last number is the key. I have no doubts that the coaching staff of the Lakers would like to keep his minutes limited in the early part of the season and slowly increase them over time. No need to rush the guy who isn’t exactly a spring chicken anymore.
Kobe is not 100% yet either as he continues to deal with the bad wheel, but I have no doubts he’ll be up and running at full strength in the coming weeks. The other thing people often forget is that playing defense as a unit can take time to jell as well. You can’t automatically assume that just because you throw three superstars on the floor with two othewr guys that they will be the second-coming of the late ’80’s Detroit Pistons. Give them a few weeks and they’ll be just fine. Of course if their 0-15 by then we can start worrying.
Games of note tonight in the NBA
Indiana at Charlotte – The Pacers are 1-0 to start the season while Charlotte has yet to get things going. Obviously, you know about just how bad the Bobcats were last year and there really isn’t anywhere to go but up. With that said, I still like Danny Granger and the Pacers to win this one in North Carolina tonight.
Harden set the bar pretty high in his debut with the Rockets
Houston at Atlanta – Quite the debut in a Rockets’ uniform for one Mr. James Harden huh? A 37-point effort in the team’s win over Detroit is quite the way to endear one’s self to the new fan base and the management. Atlanta will be a little bit more of a challenge though as they open their season tonight. Al Horford and Josh Smith will present issues for Houston on the front line, but I think there is already something special about these Rockets so I like them to win Georgia.
Milwaukee at Boston – The Celtics started their season about the most difficult way they could by having to go on the road to help the defending champion Heat open the season. Oh, and their former teammate Ray Allen was wearing the red and white to boot. Now the Celts open their home schedule against the Bucks who yet to open at all. Coach Scott Skiles has Monta Ellis and point guard Brandon Jennings but not much more. I just can’t see the Celtics not winning their home opener here against fairly inferior opponent.
LA Clippers at LA Lakers – Is anyone really away in these games since they use the same building? You already know about the Lakers and now come the 1-0 LA Clippers who will do just about anything to establish themselves as the team to beat in the city of angels. The Clips may see this as an opportunity to pounce on a wounded animal in the 0-2 Lakers, but I see it as an opportunity for the Lakers to get things right. Take LA, the Lakers that is, in this one.
