WATERCOOLER CHAT: NBA TIP-OFF
NBA
It was tip-off night in the NBA, and there were two featured matchups. The first was the defending champion, Boston Celtics, taking on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The night began with the presenting of the championship trophy and rings to the Celts. Paul Pierce shed tears, but King James said to his team before the game, ‘We’re not gonna watch that’. And he does have a point. Why should they start their season watching another team celebrate their success? It was a tight game, with Paul Pierce leading the way with 27 points, and LeBron going for 22. But, in the end, the Celtics prevailed at home 90-85.
In the night’s second featured match-up, it was the Los Angeles Lakers v. the new-look Portland Trailblazers. New-look meaning the Blazers were finally with the 2007 No. 1 pick, BIG MAN GREG ODEN. He needed a surgery before the ’07 season, but now he is back and ready. Oden looked good in the first 13 minutes, but then, bad news for Portland fans. Going up for a lay-up, Greg Oden rolled his ankle, and is thought to have a sprained ankle. That’s just bad luck. He will have an MRI today, but will still miss a period of time. Now Blazers fans are really starting to wonder… did they draft a lemon?
The rest of the game was all Kobe Bryant. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds and looked just like the MVP Kobe we remember. The Blazers, on the other hand, need to get organized… and fast. LA Lakers 96, Portland 76.
And finally, it was the opening game for THIS year’s No. 1 draft pick, Derrick Rose. And boy did he look good. He put up 11 points, and also entered NBA record books.  He’s now tied for second for the most assists by a debut No. 1 pick since 1966. He had nine.  Chicago 108, Milwaukee 95.
Now we’ll wait to see how the much debated No. 2 pick, Michael Beasley, does in his debut with the Miami Heat tonight. They face the Knicks in New York, and Knicks fans are hungry for their first successful season in QUITE a long time.
