After the media interviews on the first day of the new season concluded, Deandre Ayton, the top pick, undeniably became the "most dazzling" rookie of the day.
It could be said that he single-handedly overshadowed all the other rookies in his draft class.
"Many years from now, many people will be ashamed to compare themselves to O'Neal."
This particular quote drew widespread ridicule from various media and fans.
Leading the charge was TNT Sports, O'Neal's exclusive contracted website.
They even published a lengthy article in response to Deandre Ayton, listing all the honors O'Neal had achieved throughout his career and concluding with a soul-searching question for Ayton:
"What makes you think you can surpass a top 5 historical superstar in the league?"
As soon as the article was published, it immediately received enthusiastic responses from fans.
"It's a great honor for the media to even put Ayton and O'Neal in the same sentence."
"Deandre Ayton is all talk!"
"He hasn't even played a single game, and he's already placing himself among the greatest centers in league history?"
"Just watch, Deandre Ayton won't amount to anything in the NBA!"
....
Time flew by, and on October 7th, the NBA preseason officially began!
Out of protection for Kai Chen, the Los Angeles Clippers did not allow him to play too much in the preseason.
After all, the new season was just around the corner, and no one wanted to risk injury by going all out in preseason.
Finally!
On October 17th, the long-awaited 2018–2019 NBA regular season officially kicked off!
On opening day, the NBA scheduled the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics!
This summer, LeBron James moved west to join the Los Angeles Lakers, which also meant the end of his eight-year dominance in the Eastern Conference.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, having lost their core, lacked the absolute strength to defend their division title, and a change of king of the East was inevitable.
As the second and third seeds in the Eastern Conference last season, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers were frequently mentioned as new king candidates, and the two teams met in the new season's opening game.
The Boston Celtics welcomed back the recovered Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving for the new season, with both in the starting lineup.
Compared to Irving, Gordon Hayward's recovery journey was more arduous. After suffering a severe injury in last season's opening game, Hayward, who had been away from the court for a full year, finally turned a new chapter in his career.
In this game, the Boston Celtics, playing at home and led by sophomore Jayson Tatum, defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 105:87, securing a season-opening victory.
In contrast, the performance of the same draft's top pick, Markelle Fultz, was somewhat disappointing; the results of his summer efforts were not fully displayed on the court.
Although Embiid recorded a double-double and Simmons contributed a near triple-double, the 76ers were powerless against the star-studded Celtics.
Following this, last season's defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, held their championship ring ceremony at Oracle Arena.
After the ceremony, the Warriors defeated the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 108:100 at home.
In this game, the Thunder's star player, Russell Westbrook, was absent due to a hand injury.
Paul George, as the sole core, was powerless against the Warriors.
On October 28th, the NBA regular season officially began!
"The King" LeBron James made his Lakers debut.
Their first opponent was the Portland Trail Blazers, who possessed one of the sharpest backcourt duos in the league.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum—this combination was no less formidable than the "Splash Brothers" of the same period.
Last season, under the leadership of their backcourt duo, the Trail Blazers' regular-season ranking once reached the top three in the Western Conference, but in the playoffs, they were upset by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Coupled with the passing of team owner Paul Allen due to cancer and the team's impending change of ownership, this indirectly led to the Trail Blazers' current predicament at the bottom of the league.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, since Kobe's retirement, the team had not had a true star player for three years.
The long rebuilding process accumulated a host of young talents such as Ingram, Pope, Ball, and Kuzma.
With the addition of veteran Paul, whose appearance closely resembled Rondo, and the presence of the top-tier McGee, the Lakers' roster this season was absolutely stacked.
Although this was an away game, LeBron James displayed a strong offensive desire from the very beginning.
In just one quarter, LeBron scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal on 5-of-6 shooting.
Unfortunately, the Lakers' three-point shooting was ice-cold.
Ultimately, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 119:128 on the road, and LeBron James continued his streak of losing in his team debut.
Immediately afterward, the 2018 draft class welcomed another highly anticipated showdown.
The Phoenix Suns hosted the Dallas Mavericks.
The direct confrontation between top pick Deandre Ayton and "European King" Luka Dončić attracted considerable fan attention.
Ultimately, the Phoenix Suns, playing at home, defeated the Dallas Mavericks 110:98.
Deandre Ayton immediately displayed impressive strength, playing 36 minutes and efficiently scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks on 8-of-11 shooting.
Luka Dončić played 32 minutes, scoring 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists on 5-of-16 shooting, including 0-of-5 from three-point range. Although his debut performance was mediocre, he would quickly fulfill his talent.
"I have said more than once that I am the best player this year!"
After the game, Deandre Ayton stated in a media interview, "While players in my draft class are still thinking about how to win Rookie of the Year, I am already thinking about competing for Most Valuable Player."
Los Angeles, Staples Center
At the TNT commentary desk courtside, Smith was already warming up for the game: "Besides Deandre Ayton and Dončić, another rookie with high expectations for Rookie of the Year—Kai Chen—is also facing the first opponent of his NBA career!"
"Today, the Los Angeles Clippers will host the Sacramento Kings!"
"Similar to the Clippers solidifying Kai Chen's core position, the Sacramento Kings have also confirmed Marvin Bagley's core position!"
"As college teammates, today will be their first confrontation on an NBA court!"
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