By Tre’ Smith
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Yes, it’s the middle of the week, no no one over here cares about that. The NBA is a very entertaining league and a lot goes down. With that being said, the action is going to be documented every week by Hip Hop Vibe with a new segment that we call HHV’s NBA Wrap Up and this is week one.
1. Miami’s white-hot start
The Chris Bosh led-Miami Heat (and it’s so weird to say that) have shot out of the gate with a 3-1 start with wins over Washington, Philadelphia and Toronto, until losing to Houston last night. Six players are averaging double figures over that span, led by Bosh’s 25.7 per contest, which includes 11.3 rebounds. The Heat, the top team in the Eastern Conference, have a road game Sunday against the Mavericks, so there will be more of an assessment of how good this team can be.
2. Klay Thompson for the All-Star Game?
Last week, Thompson received a four-year extension worth $70 million from the Golden State Warriors, and in the two games since signing on the dotted line, he played like a 12th man trying to make the most of his opportunity. Thompson lit up the Lakers for 41 points on Saturday and played lockdown defense on Kobe Bryant down the stretch. The next day in a win over Portland, Thompson scored 29, including a vicious dunk over Robin Lopez. The Warriors are 3-0, joining Houston and Memphis as the only undefeated teams in the West.
3. More injuries for the Thunder
It was bad enough knowing Kevin Durant will be out until December with a broken foot. Now, Russell Westbrook joins Durant on the injured list after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand. Westbrook will be gone for four weeks and a team with serious title aspirations is now 1-3. If there’s any consolation for Oklahoma City, Reggie Jackson, who has developed as another scoring threat, is back, scoring 23 in a loss to Brooklyn Monday night. Jackson missed the first three games of the season due to a sprained ankle.
4. Who will be the first to win a game?
While 26 NBA teams have won at least one contest, Detroit (0-3), Orlando (0-3), Philadelphia (0-4) and the Los Angeles Lakers (0-4) have yet to put a “W” in the column. The Magic and Sixers play each other Wednesday, so someone will be off that list. The Pistons will play the Knicks, Bucks and Jazz this week, all at home, so there’s optimism there. The Lakers have two games at home this week against the Suns and Hornets, with Phoenix blasting them 119-99 on Oct. 29 in Arizona.
5. Speaking of the Hornets…
Charlotte is 1-3, with none of the margins higher than ten points. In their opening game, the Hornets rallied from 24 down to beat Milwaukee before succumbing to the undefeated Grizzles 71-69 and the New York Knicks who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the much-anticipated return of LeBron James. Charlotte played New Orleans, last night, and lost, and has home games against Miami, tonight, and Atlanta before going on a four-game West Coast trip.
Follow Tre’ Smith on Twitter @MicrowaveNC.
