Four pre-season games tomorrow, three of them on national television if you have NBA TV, including The Warriors at The Lakers. Gettin' excited, even to see some second stringers.

OKC at Istanbul Fenerbahce Ulker at 9:00 AM Eastern

Chicago at Indiana at 7:00 PM Eastern

Warriors at Lakers at 10:00 PM Eastern

Stickified

This season I will be going to my very first game--Nets/Pacers on November 9th. I'm not much of a basketball fan though only following the Nets somewhat because their games were broadcast on the Yankees network. However, since the Nets moved from New Jersey, I do like the idea of supporting a team--any professional team--based in Brooklyn, the borough in which I was born.

luv4u said:

Stickified

Thanks

sexton said:

This season I will be going to my very first game--Nets/Pacers on November 9th. I'm not much of a basketball fan though only following the Nets somewhat because their games were broadcast on the Yankees network. However, since the Nets moved from New Jersey, I do like the idea of supporting a team--any professional team--based in Brooklyn, the borough in which I was born.

Very cool. Hope you enjoy it. It's definitely VERY different from watching it on TV. The size of the players and the skills they're using to play at such a high level is more evident in person.

It was cool to see Rose playing for Chicago again. That guy was such an incredible athlete, I really hope he can make a full comeback, avoid more injuries and be great again. It looked like he was wearing armor on his knees, though. Everytime he pushed off hard or bumped into somebody I cringed a little.

Warriors looked pretty good even though Coach Jackson was throwing everyone out there and didn't play the starters past the first half. So many new players, though. It's going to be difficult for Coach to get a good rotation for all the guys that will deserve playing time. I'm guessing there will be a few that won't get a lot of minutes unless they're hot, then he'll ride them. Also still think it's going to be hard to replace Jack's intensity and dependability. The guy who can do it could be on our roster, but I don't know who it is yet. We should definitely have a more solid man and team defense, depending on who is playing. Looks good for us to make it to the playoffs back-to-back for the first time in over twenty years. Hey! You gotta start somewhere!

Lakers looked better than the media has been saying they would, and that was WITHOUT Kobe, Pau and Nash. The West is a little weaker this year, so them making the playoffs seems possible. And then, who knows?

Nuggets at Lakers (at Staples - last night was in Ontario, with Nash and Pau playing) on NBA tv at 9:30 PM Eastern

Cerebus said:

It was cool to see Rose playing for Chicago again. That guy was such an incredible athlete, I really hope he can make a full comeback, avoid more injuries and be great again. It looked like he was wearing armor on his knees, though. Everytime he pushed off hard or bumped into somebody I cringed a little.

Atlanta at Miami on NBA tv right now.

Kings at Warriors on NBA tv at 10:30 PM eastern.

Knicks first pre-season game is tomorrow in Boston.

uPtoWnNY said:

Knicks first pre-season game is tomorrow in Boston.

It's on NBA tv, so I'll be watchin' it.

Tonight...

Brooklyn at Washington on NBA tv right now (gonna be weird to see Terry, Garnet and Pierce on the Nets)
Lakers at Denver on NBA tv at 10:00 PM eastern

I am looking forward to seeing how young players and emerging contenders develop.

As for my team, the 2013-14 Lakers, well, the words "grease fire" come to mind. At best, Kobe's competitive drive will push them out of the Lottery and out of the playoffs by Cinco De Mayo.

namepeace said:

I am looking forward to seeing how young players and emerging contenders develop.

As for my team, the 2013-14 Lakers, well, the words "grease fire" come to mind. At best, Kobe's competitive drive will push them out of the Lottery and out of the playoffs by Cinco De Mayo.

I don't know, you've got Pau, Steve Nash and Steve Blake all healthy this year. The team won't have the weight of Meta not providing ANYTHING on offense and Dwight Howard... ya know, just being Dwight Howard (his missed free throws alone will give the Lakers five more PPG). Jordan Hill will be better this years. They picked up Chris Kaman, which has looked like a brilliant move so far this pre-season. Jodie Meeks, Nick Young and Marcus Landry can all play ball. And with Jordan Farmar back they've at least got a third option to run the point if either of the Steves get hurt again. All that before whatever Kobe ends up giving them. I really think the Lakers are going to be better than people think this year. At the very least they're going to be a whole lot less disfunctional.

Also...

Kings at Lakers tonight on NBA tv at 10:00 PM eastern

Cerebus said:

namepeace said:

I am looking forward to seeing how young players and emerging contenders develop.

As for my team, the 2013-14 Lakers, well, the words "grease fire" come to mind. At best, Kobe's competitive drive will push them out of the Lottery and out of the playoffs by Cinco De Mayo.

I don't know, you've got Pau, Steve Nash and Steve Blake all healthy this year. The team won't have the weight of Meta not providing ANYTHING on offense and Dwight Howard... ya know, just being Dwight Howard (his missed free throws alone will give the Lakers five more PPG). Jordan Hill will be better this years. They picked up Chris Kaman, which has looked like a brilliant move so far this pre-season. Jodie Meeks, Nick Young and Marcus Landry can all play ball. And with Jordan Farmar back they've at least got a third option to run the point if either of the Steves get hurt again. All that before whatever Kobe ends up giving them. I really think the Lakers are going to be better than people think this year. At the very least they're going to be a whole lot less disfunctional.

Also...

Kings at Lakers tonight on NBA tv at 10:00 PM eastern

Good points, but they've been awful in perimeter defense probably since Ariza left. Maybe Rambis improves the team's defense, but they don't have the depth or athleticism to compete with the thoroughbreds out West much lessthe heat. Their cornerstones have huge age and health questions.

Perhaps most importantly, they hired the wrong coach for their personnel and window.

Major changes are in store in 2014, and they may make the playoffs BUT miss the lottery in the deepest draft since 2003 (according to some). That is the worst case scenario for Lakers fans because they don't have much of a chance to contend.

If I need to eat these words in 8 months, I'd be happy to do so.

Is there any doubt that a healthy Miami three-peats in June?

Miami champions again (yeah)

LA will make a semi-comeback but they will lose the conference finals, Gasol will leave the team after this season

NY will be a serios challenge for the Heat

my prediction

Finals

LA vs Thunder

Miami vs NY

Abdul said:

Is there any doubt that a healthy Miami three-peats in June?

No. Especially if that "healthy" team includes a healthy and (relatively) productive Greg Oden.

A healthy Greg Oden? That mfer will tear something walking to the scorer's table.

I'm looking forward to seeing the dynamic in Houston between Howard and Harden. That marriage will turn sour real quick if Dwight doesn't get enough touches because of Harden's chucking.

As for my Knicks? It'll be 41 years without a title.

My Sixers are playing for the first pick this season, if they win more then 25 games I'll be shocked

GO HAWKS!!!!

6 N 1! yEAH BABY!!!

Well, another NBA season is about to begin, and the questions have been flying around. Can the Miami Heat make a three-peat? Do the San Antonio Spurs have one more title run left in them? With Derrick Rose returning to the Chicago roster, are the Bulls legitimate title contenders? Does Oklahoma City have a shot at the title with Russell Westbrook not expected back for at least a couple of months? Can the Indiana Pacers muscle their way into the NBA Finals? Can Doc Rivers work his magic with the L.A. Clippers? Let's take a look.

Miami Heat - The Heat were the best team in the NBA last season, but their run to back-to-back championships was rocky thanks to spirited play from both the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, who each took the Heat to seven games. Can Lebron James muster a three-peat like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant before him? Or will they be outsted by the Bulls or Pacers in the East?

San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs looked like the championship teams of old during the playoffs, but their stumbles late in games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals cost them the title. Can Tim Duncan play at the same level he played at last season despite his advancing age? Is Manu Ginnobili getting too old to be effective during the long season? Ca Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal step up?

Chicago Bulls - With Derrick Rose returning to the lineup, fans in the Windy City are understandably excited about their chances of unseating the Miami Heat and going to the NBA Finals. But can Rose stay healthy and lay at the level hed did priot to getting hurt? Can Luol Deng and Joakim Noah stay healthy? If so, they could once again finish the season with the best record in the NBA. But then they still have to get past the....

Indiana Pacers - The Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference finals lat year thanks to strong defense and big play from Paul George, David West, and Roy Hibbert. They even added Luis Scola for offense off the bench while unloading Tyler Hansborough. But will it be enough to fend off the Heat and Bulls?

Oklahoma City Thunder - OKC finished with the best record in the Western Conference last season, but took a huge dive when Russell Westbrook injured his knee in the first round of the playoffs. Can Kevin Durant carry the team until Westbrook returns? Do they have a serious shot at the NBA Finals without a healthy Westbrook?

Los Angeles Clippers - The biggest offseason acquisition the Clips made was getting Doc Rivers to coach them. Can Doc Rivers work the same magic he did with the Celtics in Tinseltown? Can he develop Blake Griffin into a bruising force like Kevin Garnett?

Houston Rockets - The Rockets made a huge jump last season after acquiring James Harden from OKC, and they made an even bigger acquisition by landing Dwight Howard. Can Dwight Howard fit in with this squad, or will he struggle the same way he did with Kobe Bryant?

Golden State Warriors - The Warriors made a huge run into the playoffs last season thanks to the play of Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut, but both of them are injury prone, and their power forward David Lee is returning from an injury. They did add Andre Igoudala into their lineup, but can they play enough defense to advance?

New York Knicks - The Knicks adavnced to the second round of the playoffs last season thanks to Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, but Smith's play suffered during the playoffs, and the Knicks went down primarily because of that. Can New York advance with even more formidable talent in the East?

Brooklyn Nets - The Nets added Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and Andre Kirilenko to a lineup that already includes Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Joe Johnson, but will this make them more threatening to the Heat, Bulls and Pacers or just older come playoff time?

Charlotte Bobcats - Last season, they finished the season with the worst record in the NBA. And they are not expected to be much better this season. So why they are they listed here? Well, this is their final season as the Bobcats, and they have never made the playoffs in their brief existence. Next season, they will revert to being the Charlotte Hornets.

One thing is for sure, this season will be as competitive as the last 2 seasons, perhaps even moreso, with teams like GS, Indy and Chicago ready to take the next step, and teams like Jersey and San Antonio in Title-Or-Bust mode.

The O'Brien is still the Heat's to lose, but we shall soon see!

namepeace said:

teams like Jersey

Micheal Carter-Williams baby. How bout those Sixers? I was hoping they didn't get

beat by 30 points. How the fuck did they pull this off? I almost fell out my damn chair

when i saw the score. It was just one of those Miami we gonna coast tonight games.

The Sixers will still probably be a lottery team but they did look impressive tonight.

Evan Turner looked like a basketball player tonight.

sexton said:

namepeace said:

teams like Jersey

As in NJ has loaded up on vets to make a run. Whether they CAN is another story.

namepeace said:

sexton said:

As in NJ has loaded up on vets to make a run. Whether they CAN is another story.

New Jersey doesn't have a basketball team.

sexton said:

namepeace said:

As in NJ has loaded up on vets to make a run. Whether they CAN is another story.

New Jersey doesn't have a basketball team.

Gat dangit!!!!

Solid win by Brooklyn over Miami last night. Last season they wouldn't have won a game like that.

uPtoWnNY said:

Solid win by Brooklyn over Miami last night. Last season they wouldn't have won a game like that.

They have some experienced closers now. Having KG and Pierce at their back really helps Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, who's not a legit closer but has had his moments.

Sixers take down another giant tonight in the Bulls.

Projected to be the worst team in the league they are a surprising

3-0. Rookie Michael Carter-Williams has been a surprise for Philly 3 games into

the season(outplayed D.Rose tonight) and Evan Turner is playing well right now. They will probably still be a lottery team but hopefully headed in the right direction for the future.