Tune in Thursday am for Be My Guest with Betsy’s Bits

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, one of the most anticipated showdowns of the 2012/2013 NBA season… didn’t happen.  The New York Knicks were scheduled to take on the brand new Brooklyn Nets at the $1 billion dollar Barclays Center.  This was supposed to be Game 1 of a rivalry that would span at least the next 50 years, and for the first time the Knicks have a rival in their backyard.  That puts pressure on them to win from a financial and an ego standpoint, because if the Nets out perform them, then Brooklyn, not Manhattan, could become the hottest (and coolest ticket in town).  But, on account of all the storm damage and closures to mass transit, New York mayor Mike Bloomberg declared that the game be postponed to a later date. It’s just too dangerous for people to try and get to the stadium, and the tone of the game doesn’t exactly feel appropriate at this point.

And out west, the Golden State Warriors have signed their star point-guard Stephen Curry to a 4-year extension worth $11 million per year.  Curry came into the league with high promise, and the Warriors were thrilled when he slipped all the way to them.  Curry has been fantastic in what we’ve seen of him, so much so that they even decided to ship one of their best players out of town (Monta Ellis) and officially hand the keys over to Curry.  Problem is… Curry has been battling injuries and has missed a substantial amount of time.  Now, the Warriors feel its time to make the leap, feeling they have the right clientele to do so — a strong front court with David Lee and Andrew Bogut, and a young, hot new rookie in Harrison Barnes.  Having Curry run that ship is a smart move, and this could be the year that the Warriors finally make the playoffs (that is, if Curry stays healthy).

FOOTBALL

Finally, after all the controversy in Philly, it appears that Michael Vick’s starting job at quarterback is safe.  This is notable, as the decision didn’t come in a super affirmative way (as in “Vick’s our starting quarterback and that’s that).  No, this was a calculated decision, as at the last press conference, Andy Reid told the media that he would be evaluating all his quarterbacks and make a determination.  The fact that he’s sticking with Vick is a sign of confidence in the star athlete, but mostly, probably a safe bet.  If Reid were to go with Foles, Vick would likely lose all confidence, and if Foles stinks, then that could send the organization into a bizarre place the rest of the season, as Foles won’t get the assurance of his head coach (likely we’d see Vick the following week if Foles didn’t play up to par) and they would be caught in purgatory the rest of the year:  Vick or Foles?

BASKETBALL

It was opening night in the NBA, and that meant that LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Miami Heat would get their Championship Rings.  Then, they got to take on their heated rival:  The Boston Celtics.  Except this time, the Heat had one of the Celtics former knights:  Ray Allen.  Before the game, Ray Allen patted Kevin Garnett on the back, but Garnett (seemingly a rival) pretended like he didn’t even know Allen.  Apparently, something must have gone down.  And from that point on, it was all Heat.  Dwayne Wade had 29 points, LeBron had 26, and the Heat seemed to win with ease.  This team is jelling well right from the get go, and they’re on a mission to get right back to the Finals.   Miami 120, Boston 107.
The other main game of the night was the Dallas Mavericks vs. the new-look Los Angeles Lakers.  Remember, the Lakers now boast 5 potential hall-of-famers in their starting line-up (Kobe, Metta World Peace, Paul Gasol, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash).  With a line-up that good, you have to just assume they’re the favorite in the west, especially since the Thunder broke up their nucleus, sending James Harden to the Houston Rockets.  So how would the Lakers fare?  They would take on a Mavericks team that is currently without Dirk Nowitzki.  And even without Dirk, the Mavs held their own just fine.  Their new point guard Darren Collison had 17 points, and had the Mavs looking pretty solid.  The Lakers, on the other hand, looked a little discombobulated.  They definitely had some chemistry problems out there and will likely slowly improve as the season progresses.  They couldn’t hang with the Mavs, and need to work on being a team that is good beyond being just good on paper.  Dallas 99, LA Lakers 91.

And finally, there may be another emerging star on the horizon in Denver.  The Denver Nuggets have handed their speedy point guard Ty Lawson a huge $48 million contract.  Lawson was a huge surprise last year, eventually becoming the Nuggets starting point guard and making defenses dizzy with his lightning fast speed.  Now, with the addition of Andrew Iguodala from Philly, the Nuggets will be a good defensive team as well as a team that scores at will.  They will be able to outscore just about any other team in the league, and with Lawson playing with the confidence of a contract behind him, he’ll be in charge of what should be one of the most fun teams to watch in the league.  Congratulations to Lawson.