by Jeremy Bauman / @JBauman13
As my first season as a member of the SLAM Fam watching and writing about all things NBA/NCAA/High School basketball kicked off last night, I got to thinking: What is one of the best ways that a college student—between projects, job searching, and everything else that consumes my life—can contribute to this website to help keep fans on the lookout for what to watch/pay attention to on the court each and every day. With my blog titled “JB For 3” I figured that the best way for me to do this would be to come up with three points to look out for during each night of basketball action. Although I won’t be able to watch every single game that I talk about, I promise to have a sound report about the points that I bring up.
The way that this will work is as follows:
– – I will come up with three points about tonight’s games before they take place.
— I will watch/read about the games, see how my points played out, and recap them.
– – The report from the previous day will debut the next day, along with three more points for that night.
– – The cycle will continue on and on and on until somebody ends up with the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season.
I figure it’s a nice way for all of the readers to get to know me and what I am looking for each and every night. I have always yearned for this type of opportunity and look forward to making the most out of it.
And with that introduction behind me, I can get started with my first three points of the season:
1. Who will come out of the gate ready to prove that they belong? As we all know, the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. But coming out strong and showing that you are ready for the challenges of a new season is always encouraging and stumbling with a 20+ point blowout is just as discouraging (well, actually more so). Even though one game at the end of October isn’t the end-all/be-all, it certainly makes opening night that much sweeter to go home with a W while it can also be the beginning of a long season if you start on the wrong end.
2. How will the Heat bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers? Yes, the Miami Heat lost their first game of the season against the Boston Celtics in Boston. With so many people outside of their organization discussing this loss as if it is the end of the world, LBJ, Wade, and Coach Eric Spoelstra seemed to grasp the idea that taking the whole League by storm is NOT as easy as everybody seems to think. Because Wade was out in the preseason and this group has not played in meaningful competition together, they simply do not have the rhythm or feel that is necessary for them to storm out of the gate on fire. Rather, it is games like tonight, when they are playing an inferior opponent, where they have to instill the principles that will help them make a push towards the top of the Eastern Conference in the long run. In case you didn’t catch it, the Heat struggled mightily with their fast break and secondary offenses last night. This is due to the fact that not everybody on the court is comfortable with each other yet nor do they really have a feel for the game as a unit yet. With time and repetitions you can expect these areas of the game to turn into key strengths for Miami as the season carries on, and it begins tonight against Philadelphia.
3. Who will win the Thunder/Bulls matchup? Even though they are not at full strength and they play on the road in a hostile OKC environment, the Bulls still have enough to compete in this game. Even though I think the Thunder will pull through and come away with the game in the second half, the Bulls should prove to be a worthy opponent and make the Thunder work for this one on their home floor.
Hope you all are looking forward to tonight as much as I am and see you back here tomorrow for the analysis of these three points and another set of points to watch for. Let the season begin!
