Game Analysis:
After months of waiting, the NBA is finally back. The last time we saw the NBA, the Miami Heat saw their season end just short of a championship, as they fell to the Denver Nuggets in 5 games in the finals. The first test on their road to redemption is an opening night matchup against the Detroit Pistons, who are led by new Head Coach Monty Williams. The Heat are looking to make a statement in this one, and show they are still a contender, while the young Detroit Pistons are looking to show off their progress in the rebuild.
The Detroit Pistons are filled with young talent, such as Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and their rookie Ausar Thompson, who was selected with the 5th pick in the past draft. Cade Cunningham missed most of last season with an injury, so getting him back and healthy should only help this team both immediately, and for the future. About half of this roster is made up of lottery picks, as former 2nd overall picks Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman are looking to untap their potential in a bigger role. Monty Williams was able to take a fairly young and inexperienced Suns team to the finals, and he will be tasked with a similar situation as he begins his stint in Detroit. This team is definitely still far away from being a contender, but look for them to potentially push for a play in spot this season if they can stay healthy and play to their potential.
The Miami Heat were 4 minutes away from missing the playoffs last year, but following a comeback to claim the 8th seed, they went on a Cinderella run all the way to the NBA finals, but finally ran out of steam. Following an offseason where they were rumored to trade for Damian Lillard for months but never pulled the trigger, they will look to show their current roster was no fluke on their playoff run last year. However, they did lose some depth over the offseason, with guards Gabe Vincent and Max Strus signing big free agent deals elsewhere. They will have to rely on their superstar duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo heavily, and Tyler Herro will need to have a big season as well, as they have several aging players such as Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love. However, this team is always a tough out for anyone under their notorious Heat culture. However, they are known for starting slow early in seasons, and I think this is the perfect opportunity for this excited young Pistons team to steal an early season win on the road, or at least keep it close to the wire.
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