Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

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Wednesday 18 OctOber 2017

JUMP BALL!

This Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016 file photo shows Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, left, and Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry battling for a loose ball in the second
half of an NBA basketball game, in Cleveland. Associated Press
The 10 things to know going into this NBA season

By TIM REYNOLDS seven All-Stars who moved, run in the NBA. A coach in in history came last season. In 2014-15, half the league
AP Basketball Writer a record for an NBA offsea- need of a 1-0 start? Try New Don’t expect the 3-ball to — 15 teams — held oppo-
Happy New Year, NBA. son. Orleans’ Alvin Gentry. He’s go away anytime soon, ei- nents under 100 points per
The 72nd regular season Every coach who started dropped five straight open- ther. game. Two seasons later,
starts Tuesday night, when last season will start this sea- ers and is 2-9 on opening 8. LEBRON’S MARKS San Antonio and Utah
Boston heads to Cleveland son. That’s an NBA first. night. Brooklyn, Orlando, LeBron James’ list of mile- were the only teams that
and Houston goes to Gold- Here’s 10 things to know Milwaukee and Utah have stones is about to get lon- managed the feat. The
en State. Fans in Cleveland about the NBA season that the league’s longest cur- ger. He comes into this league’s planned crack-
will boo Kyrie Irving, fans in is finally here: rent opening-night losing season 1,213 points shy of down on traveling this sea-
Oakland will cheer the War- 10. QUICK STARTERS streaks, starting 0-1 in each becoming the seventh NBA son might help, but it’ll be
riors’ latest championship San Antonio, Toronto and of the last four seasons. player to reach 30,000, interesting to see if defen-
banner, and the march to- Miami will likely start 1-0 9. FROM DISTANCE meaning it should happen sive numbers improve in this
ward April will finally be un- — because under cur- Last season was the third by about the All-Star break era of 3-point-reliant, pace-
derway. rent management, San straight where the NBA’s barring any extended ab- and-space basketball.
The offseason was loaded Antonio, Toronto and Mi- team single-season 3-point sence. He’s also on pace to 6. MAYBE MINNESOTA
with changes. Carmelo ami almost always start record fell, starting with eclipse the 8,000-rebound Think about this, with apol-
Anthony and Paul George 1-0. Spurs coach Gregg Houston (933 in 2014-15), and 8,000-assist marks this ogies to fans in the Pacific
went to Oklahoma City, Popovich is 18-2 on open- Golden State (1,077 in 2015- season. The only other play- Northwest: There have
Gordon Hayward and Ir- ing night, Raptors coach 16) and Houston again er in NBA history with 25,000 been more NBA playoff
ving went to Boston, Isaiah Dwane Casey is 7-1 and (1,181 from 2016-17). Be- points, 6,000 rebounds and games in Seattle over the
Thomas got sent to Cleve- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra tween the Rockets, Cleve- 6,000 assists is Kobe Bryant. last 13 years than in Minne-
land, Jimmy Butler is now in is 7-2. Spoelstra has started land, Boston and the War- James already has all those apolis.
Minnesota and Paul Millsap 1-0 in each of the last six riors, four of the five highest numbers, and counting.
calls Denver home. That’s seasons, the longest such single-season 3-point totals 7. WHERE’S THE DEFENSE? Continued on Page 21