So, who had the Bobcats, Magic, Bucks and Knicks all winning tonight? Of course you did. There were lots of upsets around the league, but who are the PBT Three Stars of the Night? Who is hanging out with Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan in the record books? And where in the world is Carmen San Diego? We’ve got Three Stars (and most of the answers) right here:
Third Star: Kemba Walker (30 points on 10-for-21 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists)
The nice thing about a new coach is you get a fresh start, and really, you have the green light until it’s taken away. Kemba Walker shot 36% from the field in his rookie year, and as a 6-foot-1 scoring guard, the degree of difficulty on many of his shots last year ranged from tough to impossible. But it’s a new year, and with defensive guru Mike Dunlap scheming to keep the Pacers off balance tonight, it was Walker who shouldered the load offensively by drawing fouls and being aggressive off the bounce.
Second Star: Kevin Durant (23 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists)
Barbershop, pickup game, school – if you’re an NBA fan, you’ve had the argument. Who is the best player in the league? There’s the “count the rings!” contingent that still think that it’s Kobe, and the “he’s not clutch!” group who rally against LeBron. And even though everyone loves Kevin Durant, the knock on him is that “all he does is score.” Well, uh, no. Durant may not be the overall talent LeBron is (newsflash: no one is) but let’s not push him as a one-dimensional player, either. Durant put everything on display tonight, gobbling up 17 rebounds and forcing a pretty good player in Nic Batum into a 1-for-11 outing.
First Star: James Harden (45 points on 14-for-19 shooting, 7 rebounds)
Oh me, oh my. Not only did Harden set a new personal career high for points, but he also entered some rare territory only two of the NBA’s greatest players occupy. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have scored more than 82 points in the first two games of the season – and now Harden is right there with them. And don’t for a second think this is a guy chucking up shots on a bad team, because Harden scored his 45 points on only 19 attempts, and the Rockets got the win. With Jeremy Lin flirting with triple-doubles and Omer Asik wiping the glass clean, the Rockets could be a lot better a lot faster than just about anyone thought.
