2016 Record: 23-8
The pick:
ROCKETS -6.5 over LAKERS
The angle: Mike D'Antoni is now free to run his "7 Seconds or Less" offense, and he has a hell of a squad to do it with.
Who exited the preseason with the number 1 scoring offense in the league? The Rockets.
You scoff at the preseason? Don't.
This is the first time in EIGHT YEARS, D'Antoni can get back to his Suns' coaching ways, the prime of his career.
He couldn't run this offense with the Knicks. He wasn't allowed and didn't have the pieces.
He couldn't run it with the Lakers. As soon as they hired him they brought in Dwight which brought such an offense to its knees. And Dwight hated him as well.
He couldn't do it as an assistant with the Sixers. They had no one to speak of.
Now he gets the most electric offensive player in the league outside the Warriors Big 3. And it will show.
Plus you add Ryan Anderson who again, outside of the Warriors squad, averages the most threes per game while shooting over 37.5%. He's accurate and consistent.
Add Eric Gordan, a guy who can average 18-19 points when healthy in the right offense. This is the right offense.
And the biggest addition? Dwight by Subtraction.
I watched Rockets games, where, Harden, who clearly hated his inter-team rival, threw lobs slightly AWAY from Dwight, just to embarrass him. Think I'm kidding? It was subtle but Dwight hinted at such things in the press. It happened.
A self-sabotaging team still went 41-41 and made the playoffs.
Now they are Free of Dwight.
Now their coach is free.
And an added angle?
D'Antoni returning to LA.
Think this doesn't matter to him? His first chance up against the Knicks, his ex-team, in the first game of the preseason, he played his guys near starters' minutes and dropped 130 on them.
This team will score. A lot.
When you can score a lot, you can make up for no defense. And there will be little defense on this team.
BUT this is the first game so for ONE GAME, we can see a little effort from the Beard on the other side of the ball. It isn't game 40 after all where he can excuse himself because of the grind.
IN addition, D'Antoni kept his starters home as his team was sent to China in the last preseason game. Great. No travel weary Rockets here.
And on the other side of the ball? A rookie coach coming from the most dominant season ever with big expectations.
His lip service has been tempered, given all the fans want right now (Paraphrasing):
"Early on, we may struggle a little to find a rhythm. But we will get there eventually. Fans just have to be patient."
That's not what you want to hear against an offense of 7 seconds or less.
In addition, Walton may actually start Nick Young next to D'Angelo. Even if he doesn't the tension is there. It will always be there...an added layer of intrigue to get us over this number.
And get over it we will. We also have Brewer Capela and Ariza. No chopped liver there.
All vs. a young Laker squad that has to integrate Ingram into the lineup.
D'Antoni is a genius. He will look to stick it to his ex-team which almost sabotaged his career with lousy personnel choices making him spend a very long year in the hell that is Philly to 10 wins. And a year away from the game that he loves.
Tomorrow his is free to show the world what the Suns D'Antoni is all about. And he, along with Harden, doesn't have Dwight clogging up the paint to penetrate with ease.
This will be Suns 2.0 with a lead that can score far more than Nash. At least for one night. And that's all that matters.
Laying 6.5 on the road? With all that I just said? Hell yes. Freedom is what this one's about. Freedom to stick it to your old GM in LA. And who doesn't love that?
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