While every home team won its opening matchup, and while some were some were laughers and others were stinkers, plenty of the first round will still continue to be must-see, entertaining action.
It looks like both the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder should probably break out their brooms. It's not surprising that both No. 1 seeds are primed for sweeps, but the latter—James Harden vs. his old teammates, Houston's uptempo style vs. OKC's athletes—will be disappointing if it only goes four games.
Atlanta looks overmatched against Indiana, and Joakim Noah's (lack of) health appears to be a problem for Chicago against the Brooklyn Nets.
David Lee may be lost for the rest of the season, but Denver and Golden State are 1-for-1 in providing slow-motion buzzer beaters by point guards who were born during the Ford administration.
Game 1 of the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies was a stinker, but the latter wasn't done in by a lack of talent. They simply defended the pick-and-roll poorly and were dominated on their own glass. Those problems can be easily reversed, and the rest of the series should be evidence of that.
Over in the East, the Knicks-Celtics matchup may not showcase a lot of points, but it will continue to be hard-fought battle between two solid, veteran teams.
The first round isn't off to a blazing start, but the NBA's unique entertainment will be present each and every day going forward.
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