Anthony Hamilton

When I was younger, basketball was life for me, and despite playing in high school and college, the NBA season was, and still is my favorite time of year as far as sports are concerned; that’s when I get to watch my lifelong favorites; The Chicago Bulls as they begin their quest for the championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I have also been a big fan of sports bars since my active duty Navy days, when we had the Super 8 Sports Bars on many of our bases. Opening Night was always a major draw for them. This time, my opening night would be spent at Buffalo Wild Wings, with an old friend from Rayville, Louisiana, who happened to be in town doing some contract work at the Texas Walmart Super center.

I was surprised that there weren’t more people at Buffalo Wild Wings on opening night, but for me, the lure of watching the game on the huge televisions while working on a plate of wings and fries was, as the old saying goes, an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The major story lines pregame were that LeBron James had missed a major portion of the preseason to rest a back injury, and hometown hero Derrick Rose, was also injured, having suffered a fractured eye socket in the Bulls’ first practice, courtesy of an accidental elbow from a teammate, however, both vowed to be ready, and both played. There was also a very distinguished visitor at courtside, as President Obama returned to Chicago to watch the game.

The game was a normal opening night game. The teams are usually not sharp, and in the Bulls case, a new head-coach and coaching staff, and a new philosophy of playing the game is a recipe for sloppy play. For those of us who follow the Bulls, it was very evident that they are still learning the new offense. They weren’t very good offensively  at all.

The game did end up being very competitive, and in the end, the trademark defense saved the day as Pau Gasol blocked a layup attempt by James to preserve a 97-95 win over the defending Eastern Conference Champions. It’s only one game, but there is a sense of excitement about the forthcoming season. Here’s to hoping that the tradition of good, entertaining basketball continues this season.