On the opening night of the 2016-17 season, fans got to experience the season's greatest appeal firsthand—uncertainty.
Because none of the three games played that day unfolded the way fans had expected.
After receiving their championship rings at home, the defending champion Golden State Warriors were immediately beaten so badly by the Duncan-less Spurs that they were left utterly humiliated.
In this game, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and Leonard scored 25. One shot 50%, the other 47.6%.
Efficient, unflashy, and capable of winning—the "Twin De" pairing truly seemed to have taken the banner of the Spurs from Duncan's shoulders.
The Warriors, meanwhile, shocked everyone with a team three-point percentage of just 21.2%. Durant and Curry put up 27 and 26 points respectively, but the Warriors' overall efficiency was simply abysmal.
Today, the Warriors looked extremely relaxed—so relaxed that they seemed to be underestimating their opponent. It was as if they thought they could wipe out the Spurs just by casually going through the motions.
Yet by the time the Spurs had beaten them so badly that they wanted to get serious, they could no longer summon that extra gear.
In the end, the Spurs massacred the defending champions 129-100 on the road.
The facts proved that even a ridiculously stacked team like the Warriors could not afford to let its guard down.
The moment they relaxed even slightly, they would be knocked off their pedestal!
The other game, between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors, also gave fans quite a surprise.
Although the Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers won as everyone had expected, the path to victory was incredibly difficult.
People had thought that James, along with Irving and Love, would have no trouble handling the Raptors.
However, DeMar DeRozan outshone James, Irving, and all the other star players