Lakers win in opening game, NBA season underway

October 29, 2009 by Jennifer Miller 

Lakers win in opening game, NBA season underway

Where Kobe happens. Where LeBron Happens. And those little puppet guys too.
The NBA’s bag of goodies opened up Tuesday night with the defending champion Lakers against the revamped Clippers.

The anticipation of the matchup fizzled when number-one draft pick Blake Griffin was sidelined before game time. Fans will have to wait at least six weeks before the beast from Oklahoma is unleashed.

Also on Tuesday, the Cavs lost to the Celtics on their home court.

With the season just starting and many key players coming back from injuries, hungry for the title, this season promises to be more than just King James versus the Black Mamba.

Here are some noteworthy teams for 2009-10 season:

The Beasts in the East

Boston Celtics
The Chicago-Boston series was arguably the best first round series in the league’s history.
The Celtics are confident with Kevin Garnett. KG is back from his knee injury and his “anything is possible” motto still resonates off of this team.

They will not be satifiesd without a title.

They also added some depth in their defense with Rasheed Wallace. Ray Allen still has his sniper accuracy range from the 3-point line too.

Doc Rivers said during half time of their season opener, “ We are going to win the world championship.”

Cleveland Cavaliers
Shaquille did it for Kobe, then Dwayne Wade.
He has a knack for bringing teams a championship when coupled with a prolific all-star. Although he couldn’t produce in Phoenix with Steve Nash, LeBron’s capabilities exceed those of the Suns guard. James is unstoppable and scores at will.

He makes everything seem effortless.

Orlando Magic
After Dwight Howard watched Kobe and the Lakers celebrate on his homecourt, I would not want to be the opponent of the 6’11’’, 265-pound center for Orlando. Jameer Nelson is back and the Magic picked up Vince Carter. Vinsanity and Howard could cause some problems for the other teams in the Eastern Conference.

The West

Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have the best personnel right now and, barring any injuries, should be picked to repeat as champions with the addition of Ron Artest and the returns of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and that guy named Kobe.

Bryant has new life after siliencing all the nay-sayers by producing a championship sans-Shaquille O’Neal and was in mid-season form against the Clippers.

San Antonio Spurs
Although its not an odd year, the Spurs seem to be contenders for the coveted NBA trophy. DeJuan Blair has been more than impressive in the preseason. Teams are probably kicking themselves for passing on him in the draft.

A healthy Manu Ginoboli and new-Spur Richard Jefferson will help the team reach at least the Western Conference Finals.

Portland Trailblazers
The Trailblazers are the new bad boys, a group of young athletic super talented players that need some guidance. Brandon Roy returns with Lamarcus Aldrige and Greg Oden. Spanish import Rudy Fernandez gives them another scoring option by producing from the outside. Travis Outlaw’s improved play doesn’t hurt either.

Picks:
LeBron James will be MVP because he still is the best player in the league.

Celtics and Lakers will meet again in the Finals. In the end, Kobe will be popping bottles in the locker room celebrating a repeat.