Oct 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters (3) celebrates a three-point basket in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
With an exciting first week of FANtastic NBA action in the books, the Friendly Bounce crew came together to gather our thoughts on what transpired.
What was the funnier moment? Vince Carter imitating Chris Copeland, Larry Sanders almost scoring on his own basket, or Dion Waiters begging for the ball?
Jack Maloney (@jackhaveitall): All of these moments were fantastic, but I have to go with Dion begging LeBron for the ball. Oh man, that was so great. Dion’s confidence is astounding.
Chris Barnewall (@ChrisBarnewall) Larry Sanders almost scoring on his own basket is the clear winner here. Just imagine his excitement when he saw a wide open rim, and then the dread when he realized what he almost did.
Matt Cianfrone (@Matt_Cianfrone): A group of truly terrific moments but I can’t get over Dion. Not only does he call for the ball while the best player in the world is being defended by Mike Dunleavy Jr., but he does it in a way that reminds me of a little kid. I watched that vine a lot of times in a row and it was always funny.
Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch): I will always have a soft spot for a player almost scoring on their own basket. There’s so much going on during a game that I almost can’t blame them, except for the fact that YOU’RE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER. YOU ARE PAID TO KNOW WHICH BASKET TO SHOOT AT.
Come on, Larry. You’re not Ricky Davis.
The Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Los Angeles Lakers all remain winless. Who will be the last team to get a win?
Jack: Well Orlando plays Philly on Wednesday, and I think which ever team loses that game will go winless the longest.
Chris: I want to say the Magic out of spite of Vaughn’s coaching so far this season. But it’s probably the Lakers. Have you seen their schedule? Their easiest upcoming game is the Hornets, a likely playoff team.
Matt: The Lakers. This has less to do with talent and schedule and anything and more to do with how funny Kobe Twitter gets as they keep losing. I’m not ready for it to end yet.
Andrew: The 76ers are never going to win a game this season. We all joke and laugh about how bad they are, but when they’re 0-73, who’s going to be laughing then? No one, probably, because we’ll all have decided to collectively ignore the Sixers at that point.
What was your favorite dunk from the first week? (Include vine and/or youtube clip)
Jack: This Anthony Davis one from the other night against the Mavericks. First there’s the fact that he looks like a guard with that drive, and then there’s Omer Asik looking like an offensive lineman clearing the lane.
Chris: Nikola Vucevic has turned into a really solid offensive player, but is forced to use his talents on a very bad Magic team. I like to imagine this dunk was him taking out pent up frustration.
Matt: James Ennis destroyed Rasual Butler. The names in that sentence make the dunk seem boring. It wasn’t.
Andrew: It technically might not count if you’re cold-hearted, since it didn’t occur in a game, but how can you not love Ricky Rubio’s dunk in warmups? He’s so excited, and he just can’t hide it.
O.J. Mayo and O.J. Mayo’s hair have been fire so far. Is he for real?
Jack: O.J. Mayo is definitely for real this year, and it’s no surprise given that he became friends with Young Thug during the offseason. I’m pretty sure that having Thugger’s blessing gives you the ability to do anything in the world.
Chris: I say yes. I don’t care that history tells me otherwise. I’m an optimist.
Matt: I’m a Bucks fan. I’m not believing in OJ Mayo ever again.
Andrew: O.J. Mayo is as real as orange juice-mayonnaise. Technically, yes, this combination of things that make no sense when combined exists and is for real. But if this is existence, you can have it.
What is the best game this upcoming week?
Jack: I’m going with the Clippers-Warriors matchup on ESPN this Wednesday. These two seem to have awesome games every single time they meet.
Chris: Dallas-Portland is the Late Thursday Night TNT game. They might score 220 points combined. A close second is Spurs-Hawks on Wednesday. Two teams that like to move the ball a lot, should see some beautiful basketball.
Matt: I’m going to join Jack on Clippers-Warriors. Those two teams just flat out don’t like each other. Watch out for Pelicans-Spurs on Saturday on NBATV though, Anthony Davis is unstoppable and watching Pop try to stop him should be pretty fun.
Andrew: I’m going with an upset pick: Hawks-Spurs on Wednesday. The Bud Bowl is going to be fun for the foreseeable future, and if you love ball movement — and I know you do — then you’ll want to tune in and watch these two teams try to go six consecutive possessions without the ball ever touching the floor.