NBA: 15 Takeaways From Opening Week Of The Regular Season

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The San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Revealed the Western Conference’s Power

Did everyone else enjoy this game as much as I did? I mean what is better then seeing seeing two powerhouses go at it in a close game. There were so many takeaways from this game it is hard to know where to start.

For me, it had to be Kawhi Leonard. The Claw is normally not a focus of the offense but he came out more aggressive then I ever have seen him. His stat line was fantastic – 32 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on 59% shooting. Yikes…he just outright outplayed Kevin Durant. A lot of people expected Kawhi to take a backseat to LaMarcus Aldridge and he did not come to close to doing that.

If he keeps having this killer instinct you should expect a monster season from both Leonard and the Spurs.

The Spurs were still a symbol of beautiful ball movement and as the season progresses this team will only get better. But at the end of the game it was the Thunder who stood victorious. Russell Westbrook was phenomenal and Kevin Durant impressed but it was role players who played a major role.

Enes “no defense” Kanter and Dion Waiters made a huge impact. So much so that the population on Waiter’s island has gone up astronomically the past few days. Billy Donovan‘s imprint has not yet appeared on this team, but their talent level is so high. I expect more structured offensive sets in the future (still all high pick and rolls or isolations against the Spurs) but this team’s ceiling is higher than a crowd at a Dave Matthews Band concert in Colorado.

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