Tricks and Treats on Full Display on Opening Night in the NBA

I really hate to make a lot of assumptions after only one game, but I will admit that I was forcefully reminded that many of the predictions I wrote about the four teams that played on Halloween night (which also doubles as my birthday) are going to be nearly right on the mark - with just a couple of slight exceptions.
Here are my observations from Tuesday evening's games.

Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat

Chicago
I knew the Bulls would be very good this season, but if their 108-66 opening night win over the Heat was any indication, then the entire eastern conference could be in real trouble. The Bulls have a wonderful mix of veteran players, many of which are just entering the primes of their respective careers, and spry athletic youngsters who look like they could run for days on end.
It almost unfair that the Bulls could add two obviously gifted young players like Tyrus Thomas (thanks New York) and Thabo Sefalosha (duh Philly) to an already incredible mix of players like Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng.

Oh, by the way, did I forget to mention that Chicago also has a player in the middle in Ben Wallace now whose sole purpose is to defend anything that comes inside of the painted area and one who would clearly throw his own mother to the ground for a rebound?

I loved the Hinrich quote about how adding Wallace was like "getting beat up on a street basketball court and then having your big brother show up."

Miami
Once again, I am certainly not going to go crazy after only one game, especially after I said the Heat would most likely sleep-walk through the majority of the regular season before waking up just in time for the playoffs, but I am going to say that the Heat are clearly in need of some youth on their roster.

I'll be totally honest and add that, if the Dallas Mavericks weren't so inexperienced in last season's championship series, they, and not Miami, would be the league's current champions. I wrote last season that I was surprised that even Antoine Walker couldn't mess up the Heat's championship run, but maybe this is the year. Walker's skills are rapidly declining and his defensive, which was never good, is totally non-existent now.

Shaquille O'Neal looks a year older as well and really, besides, Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem, is there a player on this team that you would love to have on your roster in, say, five years?

I don't think so. Outside of backup power forward, Wayne Simien and possibly Jason Kapono, the Heat don't have any young players who could be difference-makers in a few years.

I know I picked the Heat to reach the eastern conference finals before falling to the Detroit Pistons this year, but I'm starting to think I made a major boo-boo by not selecting the Bulls to e the other participants in the eastern finals.
I know it's a long season, but in retrospect, I suddenly think my selection of the Heat reaching the Eastern conference finals looks very ghoulish, I mean foolish.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns

Phoenix
I know the Suns lost this game after taking control early on in the contest, but I wouldn't be too worried if I were a Suns fan. As long as Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw and Mike D'Antoni are joined at the hip, this team is going to win more than its share of games.

The Suns had better hope that Amare Stoudemire can bounce back to pre-injury form, which to be honest about it, was downright scary. If he doesn't, the Suns look like they will be a very good team, but one without an interior offensive presence. Of course, they will get a huge boost in the post from the presence of veteran Kurt Thomas, but he is certainly no Stoudemire.
Whatever the case, the Suns will once again provide the most entertaining brand of basketball the league has seen sine its heydays of the 1980s, featuring, the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles
Here's a statement you won't read anywhere else; the Los Angeles Lakers are only going to be as good or go as far as … Lamar Odom takes them. That's right - Lamar Odom.

I already wrote in my preseason preview that the additions of veterans Vladimir Radmanovic and Maurice Evans were going to help the Lakers immensely - and everyone knows what Kobe Bryant brings to the table.

However, I believe it is Odom who is the key to the Lakers long-term success. If Odom comes to play like he did against the Suns on a regular basis, the Lakers are going to be very tough to beat.

If he comes with his usual half-hearted efforts about 50 percent of the time, the Lakers will suffer. Everyone knows Odom is supremely gifted athletically. If he can finally get his mind to catch up to the rest of his ability, the Lakers could be very surprising. I will say that, a lot of times, it takes some guys years to mature and learn the mental aspects of the game. This could very well be the case with Odom.

On a final note, I have to add that, although he was playing against one of the softer interior defensive teams, I have to say that 19-year-old center, Andrew Bynum looks like he could turn out to be a fine player at some point in his career - and anything positive that he gives the Lakers right now is a huge bonus from a player who wasn't expected to really contribute for a couple of years.