The First of Many

Last night’s game had a familiar feel to it. Not only did the Rondo and the Celtics come out strong and take an early lead, only to get complacent in the second half and let their opponents back into the game, but LeBron James was the leading scorer in a game where his team could not get it done against a very tough Celtics’ defense. This year’s NBA season opener could be described as a textbook example of a little something called TEAM CHEMISTRY. Everyone knew that the Heat looked good on paper after getting James and Chris Bosh, but as I said before the game they are not yet cohesive, and do not play the sort of team basketball that wins championships. Sorry LeBron, but the Celtics do, and while the Heat’s two top players combined for an epic 14 turnovers, Rajon Rondo was absolutely the player of the game racking up 17 assists and helping Boston’s Big Three to a combined 49 points.

The bench played great as well, with solid minutes from Nate, Big Baby, and even Marquis Daniels who needs to have a big year as Boston’s only backup small forward. Other than their usual temporary lapse in the second half, the Celtics played great basketball, and have asserted themselves as the reigning Eastern Conference champs. I am looking forward to the next time a Miami point guard tries to contain Rajon Rondo, because the next time around he will be looking to score some points as well.

The Celtics take on the LeBronless Cavs tonight, and should win their second game of the season as long as they do not let their guard down against some underrated scorers on an underdog of a Cleveland team. The Cavs have two good point guards in Mo Williams and Ramon Sessions, and Antawn Jamison will be looking to score as the main man now that LeBron James is no longer on their team. Look for Shaq to play well and dominate the boards against his former team while he is in, as well as consistent play from the Celtics’ bench when Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are not on the court knocking down three-pointers. There’s no better way to start off the season than with a pair of big wins.