NBA: Thoughts on Kyrie’s 50-piece, Sixers’ statement and Knicks

10 thoughts after 22 teams kicked off their NBA season last night, headlined by Kyrie Irving’s spectacular 50-point Brooklyn Nets debut

Is Cleveland Kyrie back? Are the Philadelphia 76ers a lock for the NBA Finals? Are the New York Knicks actually decent? These three questions stood out last night, after a packed schedule in the association.

After sharing my thoughts on Tuesday’s opening night and the Clippers-Lakers showdown, here are 10 thoughts from last night’s games, specifically focusing on Kyrie’s Nets, his incredible performance, the Sixers dominant win over the Celtics, as well as the reasonably decent Knicks.

1. Kyrie Irving is happy. Forget his Celtics days, cause Cleveland Kyrie is back. Since his announcement pre-game, ‘Uncle Drew’ showed how blessed he feels to be playing in front of his home crowd.

2. His debut performance didn’t disappoint either. It was actually breathtaking. Kyrie Irving went off for 50 points (17-33 FG) (7-14 3FG), eight rebounds, and seven assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves, breaking all kinds of records. He set an NBA record for most points scored in a debut with a new team, surpassing Kiki Vandeweghe‘s 47-point performance in 1984 with the Portland Trail Blazers. Besides, he also became the fifth player in NBA history to log a 50-point performance in a season opener, per Justin Kubatko.

3. And although he was sensational, he missed the game-winning shot at the buzzer. His reaction, however, after his shot hit the rim, says it all. He didn’t care about the 50-piece. He didn’t care about making history. He only cared about getting the win, which eventually didn’t come (127-126).

"[via NBA.com]“Job wasn’t done,” Irving said. “That 50 just goes into just another few numbers that, it holds value, but not really when you don’t get a win.”"

4. We never saw Kyrie get emotional in Boston. In just the first game with the Nets, he got emotional twice. One time prior to the game, and a second-time seconds after he missed the final shot. The 27-year-old is thrilled to be playing for his home town, actually cares about winning, and wants to make a statement with Kevin Durant sidelined.

5. Are the 76ers the real deal? Philly’s team kicked off the 2019-20 NBA season with a convincing, 93-107 win over the Boston Celtics. On a night where Joel Embiid shot 5-14, and the 76ers as a unit 7-29 from deep, they easily got past Boston.

6. The Sixers could end up with the best defense in the Eastern Conference. In their season opener, they forced the Celtics to shoot 36.7 percent from the field, and 26.9 percent from beyond the arc. The trio of Al Horford, Joel Embiid and Josh Richardson are already lethal defensively. In a potential seven-game series with Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Bucks, it could end up being the deciding factor.

7. Ben Simmons is stronger, faster, smarter. Even if he did not attempt a 3-pointer, he controlled the tempo of the game, run in transition, scored in the paint, and got his teammates involved. He flirted with a triple-double, posting 24 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.

"“He [Simmons] is just so gifted physically, but it’s also his mentality,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said on ESPN. “You take that 6’10” body and that athleticism, that physical tank-like mentality, and it’s an alpha combination.”"

8. The Spurs managed to complete a late comeback against the Knicks and eventually got the 111-120 victory, but to the surprise of many, New York’s team was impressive in the first 3-quarters of the game. Gregg Popovich’s team needed an 18-0 run to hold off David Fizdale’s young Knickerbockers.

9. The Knicks finished the game with three players scoring 20+ points. Julius Randle was powerful on the block with a double-double (25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists), while RJ Barrett (21 points, 69.2% FG), and Marcus Morris Sr. (26 points, 50% FG) were highly efficient from the field.

10. Even though they most likely won’t make the playoffs, the Knicks seem to be a fairly decent team, that could surprise many teams this season.