"It's just one game"

That is being said somewhere in Cleveland tonight, probably many times. And in San Antonio Tuesday night. Gag me. Yesss, there are 81 more games to go. 

This was not just one game tonight in Philadelphia no different than when you're 15-13 an lose one to make it 15-14. No, it's very different. You are the owners of,

That was just one game, too. That was just the first game, as tonight's was. 

One games are not fungible. They count the same in first grade arithmetic, but their meaning is different. 

I cannot give enough credit to Adam Silver and staff in 645 Fifth. Every night this first week has been stacked with games that cognos and just fans know are more important than "It's just one game." The schedule makes it impossible for anyone to say with any credibility, "It's just one game."

Philadelphia's win in Mamdani City had way more meaning than "We're 1-0." Philadelphia's win tonight at home, overcoming a 29-point deficit, means more than if it had come against a bite team, like New Orleans or Miami. 

The "Heat's" Horror Before Halloween means that after only 0-1, the entire gameplan for the remaining 81 has to be scrapped. 

Oklahama City's pasting of the "Spurs" in San Antonio and neutering of Victor Webanyama, 12 points, 1/13 (0/4) just meanrt more.

Cleveland's opening night revives questions that go beyond 0-1--questions about head coach Kenny Atkinson, questions about Koby Altman and Dan Gilbert and standing pat and keeping Atkinson, questions about Donovan Mitchell, about this entire roster's toughness mentally and physically. I have watched just the first seven minutes of Atkinson's post-game. "What happened?" to that 29-point lead. "They upped their pressure, upped their physicality. They kept pressuring us and we didn't handle the pressure well." You could insert those comments in many Kenny Atkinson pressers over the last two-plus seasons and no one would notice your splicing.

We can say credibly, as a X user said tonight, that the NBA should be scared to death of Phila. 

We can say tonight, after just one game, "Same old Cleveland". 

We could say, and we did say, credibly last night that "This 'Heat' team doesn't work." 

They're not just one games that all mean the same.

FT Phila. (2-0) 114 Sensitive City (0-1) 106. BEHOLD, THE SUPERTEAM!

110-104, :32.8

Fat Lady. 110-102, :44

 

108-102, 1:00 left

I don't like what I'm seeing if I'm a "Sixers" fan. 106-102, 1:22 left

Oh, it was a FTO to challenge a call! The "Sixers" won the challenge and retain the timeout.

106-100, 2:11 left, Nick Nurse doesn't like what he sees and calls another quick FTO

What are you doing if not watching or somehow monitoring this game? You cannot be having as enjoyable an early evening as those of us who are.

I'm with ya', brother

 Sam Block

@theblockspot

Every team in the NBA should be absolutely terrified of the Philadelphia 76ers.

9:38 PM · Oct 22, 2026

·256 Views

Phila. 104 Sensitive City 97, 3:32 4Q, Nick Nurse gathers the troops for the stretch

THE GREAT CLEVELAND COLLAPSE II, 9-point "Sixers" lead

 Adam Aaronson

@SixersAdam

Jaylen Brown has gone nuts here in the fourth quarter. The Sixers have a game-high seven-point lead. "New Level" is blasting. Timeout Cleveland. Absolutely stunning turnaround in this second half.

9:34 PM · Oct 22, 2026

·1,973 Views

102-95! 13-0 RUN, 4:58 LEFT TO PLAY, CADAVERS FULL FUNERAL GATHERING

SUPERTEAM BY 5! 11-0 RUN, 18-5 4Q, 55-26 2H!

98-95! SUPERTEAM 16-5 4Q

PHILADELPHIA LEADS! THEIR FIRST LEAD OF THE ENTIRE GAME! 96-95, 6:32 4Q

Sixers within one! 94-95. Closest they've been since 0-0.

The action at the Angle on South Broad Street has stalled. 79-84, 8:30, now in the final quarter

I just picked up Chinese food and stopped alongside the road to type. A quality NBA game is like the fighting at the Angle at Gettysburg: frenzied, ferocious, bloody hand-to-hand combat.

IMPRESSIVE! Sensitive City closes 6-0, 82-90, end 3

IT'S 82-84! 2:24 3Q

Sensitive City led by TWENTY-NINE

SUPERTEAM COMING! 73-80, 5:18 3rd, Sensitive City Full Counseling Session

Phila. HAS NEVER LED. Astounding.

Sensitive City led by TWENTY-FOUR at HT. Sixers on 17-6 run, 62-75, 8:01 3Q

Phila. 28 Sensitive City THIRTY-FIVE end 1Q

Win your first game in Peoples Square Garden against the World Champs, lose your first game at home..I love the NBA.😂

SENSITIVE CITY 23-13! 3:25 1Q

SENSITIVE CITY 2-0! 😳

Seven Foot Sixers 1-0 (-2.5) vs Sensitive City 0-0, now.

"Heat": Lack of "trust", "effort" at issue in blowout L to Ice :o

Never in a million years would have thought I would read that about a Miami "Heat" team.

"We got to trust each other. When things don't go our way, we got to dig in. We didn't do that tonight"  "Our effort has to be better. It starts with me. My effort has to be better. I set the tone."

-Giannis Antetokounmpo

The lack of trust and waning effort was on display Wednesday night after the Timberwolves' new duo of Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball got hot shooting from 3-point range.

The word "trust" was mentioned at least five times by Antetokounmpo in his postgame locker room session with reporters. 

-Cameron Wolfe, ESPN

"They have two players that can make shots that make your spirit get defeated. You got to keep playing through that. When [Edwards] made shots, we got discouraged and the game got easier for them. When guys get going, we have to be more physical with them."

-Giannis 

I am shocked, not an exaggeration, actually, truly shocked. I would have bet $100 that the new Sixers would have "trust" problems; would have bet $1000 against the "Heat" having "trust" problems and Phila. not. 

And, another thing...

Multiple players said the Heat weren't vocal enough, not talking or communicating much. It has been a focus point all training camp as they added several new veterans...

"MULTIPLE PLAYERS"! Oh my goodness.

And two others...

One worrisome theme to watch going forward is the Heat's lack of shotmaking from supporting teammates. They shot just 24% from 3-point range. The smaller, athletic Timberwolves outrebounded the Heat 52-34, including a humbling 17-4 deficit on the offensive boards.

-Wolfe

"...When we get fatigued, we cannot get bored with our offense. We're a bigger team now. We got to take care of big muscle areas. We got to swarm on defense."

-Bam Adebayo

"...It's just one game. But this is completely different offense and defense than we showed in preseason."

-Giannis

I'm not full 100 on what Giannis means. I think he means that they didn't play in the offensive and defensive scheme as they did in the preseason. I don't think he means that Spo suddenly changed the scheme for opening night.

Lack of outside shooting and rebounding is what I "saw" reading the play-by-play and stats. "Fatigue" and "bored with our offense", I did not. I should have. A run, run, run motion offense can run you down--to no purpose--especially when you're not young anymore. You spend so much energy running on offense that you can't run back on defense, the harder of the two to play. I can see how the constant, meaningless motion of a "wheel" O can be boring.

This was an illuminating article. I gathered the big picture in the posts I wrote last night (early this morning): Eric Spoelstra has to adapt his scheme to the players he has, not force those players into his preferred scheme. "We're a bigger team now", they were bigger than the T-wolves, stronger. Spoelstra should go to a Two Big scheme on offense and defense, post those Bigs up, use the pick-and-roll that he so disdains. 

This was an ominous article for the state of this team.