The season opener is upon us!
After three months and nine days NBA basketball is back on our television screens and this time, we debut a new season north of the border for the first time in NBA history.
Jurassic Park, the area outside of the Toronto Raptors’ Scotiabank Arena, will be buzzing with the loudest and zaniest of Canadiens, as they will have the unalienable privilege of seeing their hometown Raptors getting their championship rings while hoisting their first NBA title banner up in the lofty rafters of the arena formerly known as the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors title defense is easily the hardest retention attempt in NBA history. Kawhi Leonard won a title for Toronto and dipped to the sunnier skies of Los Angeles to join Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers. Now, the Raptors are no slouch and are favored to snag a playoff spot once April comes around.
Yet, its probably not going to be a high seed as the team’s best player is the newly paid Pascal Siakam, who shined on the national stage by averaging 19.9 ppg. in the NBA Finals against Draymond Green as his matchup. He’ll be joined by the likes of longtime Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, OG Anunoby, Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell in the starting five.
What’s worth mentioning, however, is that the Toronto Raptors played 22 games without Leonard in the lineup (due to either his quad strain or his load management set up for Leonard to rest). In those 22 games, the Raptors won 17 of those contests, so there is a reason to be optimistic about a championship roster that still has two potential all-stars in Lowry and Siakam and could make a respectable playoff run come the spring.
The New Orleans Pelicans pictured the evening of October 22 a lot differently in their heads prior to yesterday afternoon. The first overall pick Zion Williamson was scheduled to start his Rookie of the Year campaign in a foreign land, only to catch wind of the rookie phenom’s sudden and unfortunate meniscus tear that would sideline him for the next two months. Now, the Pelicans start out their 2019-20 season without the likes of their Brahma Bull in Williamson, which could cause injurious harm to head coach Alvin Gentry’s offensive attack.
Still, the show must go on, and the Pelicans will put out a starting five of two ex-lakers (as part of the blockbuster Anthony Davis to Los Angeles trade) in Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, as they’ll be paired with JJ Redick, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick Favors. Their leading scorer, Jrue Holiday, averaged over 21.2 points per contest and averaged about 8 dishes per game.
This game is going to be a pretty high scoring affair, and though the Raptors are without Leonard, they’ve shown they have the capability to win without him. Tonight’s outing will be an example of that since the Pelicans are undermanned without an already-elite slasher and proficient defender in Zion Williamson.
Plus, the Pelicans defensive attack will be pretty anemic inside with Favors starting at Power Forward and an unproven rookie in Jaxson Hayes. The Pels gave up an average of almost 118 points per game on the road and averaged over 115 offensively last season. The Toronto Raptors offense (who, might I add are coming out in their OG white and purple striped 90’s jerseys!) should be just fine in their new era, and can possibly be in contention in the next couple of seasons.
PREDICTION: 116-105 (Raptors)
Recent Comments