Clippers and Knicks Make Statements As NBA Kicks Off

The NBA season finally got off the ground yesterday with a full slate of games on Christmas Day that featured a number of intriguing match-ups including the Miami Heat taking down the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of last year's Finals; defending MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls pulling out a victory over the reeling LA Lakers; Kevin Durant dominating Dwight Howard and the Magic as well as two statement victories made by the Lob City Clippers and the New York Knicks.

Thanks to a 37-point outburst from SF Carmelo Anthony the Knicks came from behind with a strong 4th quarter performance to take out the aging Boston Celtics 106-104. The Knicks trailed by 8 heading into the final frame but outlasted 31 points from PG Rajon Rondo before Anthony sunk a pair of free throws with 0:16 remaining to put the Knicks ahead for good. The Celtics had a chance to tie it up late but Kevin Garnett's game-tying attempt clanked off the rim. With the addition of C Tyson Chandler the Knicks expect to take another step toward contending for a Championship this year and pulling out a win over rival Boston will go a long way to accomplishing that goal. It is clear these teams don't like each other as evidenced by a number of scuffles that broke out throughout the game (also sweet suit Baron Davis).

The final game of the night featured the debut of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the new look LA Clippers outlasting Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Lob City was on display early and often as Paul and fellow newcomer Chauncey Billups ran the offense with tremendous efficiency setting up Griffin and C DeAndre Jordan for some thunderous dunks that set the tone for the game and the season to come. Paul dished out 9 assists and dropped 20 points of his own while Griffin and Billups combined for 43 of their own. Paul in particular took over in the 4th after a slow start (7 points on 1 of 6 shooting in the first half) to sink his final 6 shots as the Clips pulled away late in route to a 105-86 win. While the start was hardly spectacular it showed me something that we haven't seen in the Clippers in a long time, perhaps even ever. The Clippers did not play their best game by any stretch of the imagination but still dispatched a fairly talented Warriors team without too much effort. The Clippers were the superior team last night and going forward I think that really bodes well for their quest to win the West. I can't wait to see what this team has in store.