The Thunder/Rockets Incredible Double OT Thriller Was The Perfect Way To Kick Off The New NBA Season

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Well, how about that for a start to the new NBA season?!?!?

Everything about tonight felt “big”. The return of the NBA on NBC. Mike Tirico back to calling games. The Thunder raising their first-ever banner. KD and the Rockets in town looking to play spoiler. It all felt….different.

It was a reminder of why basketball is the greatest sport on the planet. It was a reminder of what it can feel like watching a broadcast that’s not only entertaining and informative, but also one that gives a shit. It was a reminder of why we love the NBA and everything that comes with it.

It felt…..right.

Like an old friend had returned after decades away. 

And it also didn’t hurt that the new NBA season was kicked off by one of the best season openers you’ll ever see. A double OT thriller that came down to the final seconds, where the current franchise legend battled the former franchise legend on the final possession to win the game?

This game had everything you could want and more. Big time shots by big time players, huge momentum swings, hilarious fuck ups

elite execution, the list goes on and on. You name it, and we got it. If this game was a preview of what's to come this season, I mean holy shit. 

Ultimately, we saw what a Champion close looks like. The way OKC (SGA) closed the 4th quarter and then played in OT is exactly why they're the defending Champs. They're relentless on one end, and then on the other good fucking luck trying to stop SGA from getting to his spot. There may not be a more automatic shot in the NBA right now than an SGA pull up. It doesn't really matter where he takes it from, it's going in. 

Then they unleash their ball pressure and simply wait for you to make a crucial mistake, and then boom. Death. The way OKC won this game tonight is the exact formula that we saw carry them to a historic season and the NBA title last year. As we just learned, it does not appear that much has changed. 

For the Rockets, you saw tonight what's going to be a pretty big issue all year. Amen Thompson going down with a calf injury was tough, so the fact that the Rockets were even able to hang in this game is a testament to how good they are and how much of a leap a player like Sengun looks to be taking

But unfortunately, their guard play is an issue. Reed Sheppard had his moments, but ultimately is not exactly the table setter you're looking for at this moment in time. Amen Thompson showed some real things as an initiator at times, but it was so apparent how badly this Rockets offense was missing an actual point guard. Someone to calm them down and set everyone up, make sure guys are in the right spots and know how to get things started. A player who is confident with the ball late in games, even against elite ball pressure. That hurt the Rockets tonight, and in my opinion, is mainly why they lost this game. It's at the very least one of my main takeaways for them. In that conference, their guard play is going to matter. We just saw what the Suns tried to do without having a point guard on a KD led team. It wasn't great. 

All in all, I have little to no notes. That was a perfect opener and the perfect way to honor the return of NBA on NBC. I'm not sure you could draw it up any better if we're being honest. The good news is this is just the beginning. This was literally Game 1. There's something like 1,200 more of these yet to come over the next 8 months. Hell yeah.