Nets spank Warriors: 3 overreactions to the NBA's season opener

The Nets and Warriors tipped off the NBA's 2020-21 season Tuesday night, with Brooklyn cruising to a 125-99 victory that appeared inevitable by the second quarter. Though both teams have 71 games remaining, let's dive into what can be gleaned from the season opener.

KD's back

In our season preview piece, I wrote if Kevin Durant returns to the court wielding anything resembling his peak powers, then none of the concerns swirling around the Nets will matter. They'll be an immediate title contender, and should be considered Eastern Conference favorites.

Well, if our first glimpse of Durant is any indication, then I'm ready to say Brooklyn's the team to beat in the East.

The 7-of-16 shooting line doesn't do his performance justice. He looked comfortable testing his legs and attacking the basket, got to his spots at will, unloaded his jumper over helpless Warriors defenders, and used his length on the defensive end. In other words, he pretty much looked like the same Kevin Durant the basketball world has come to know over the last 13 years.

All told, he finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block in just under 25 minutes of action.

Though he may ultimately prove capable, the Nets don't need Durant to play 35 minutes per night at an MVP level in the regular season. They're a surefire playoff team that shouldn't be concerned with seeding. If Durant simply continues to get his legs back under him and builds himself up by the postseason, Brooklyn will go into any Eastern Conference playoff series with the best player on the floor.

What should terrify the rest of the East after Tuesday night's proceedings is that it looks like Durant is just about there already.

Nash's Nets are stacked

Durant wasn't even the best player on the floor for Brooklyn in its season opener, as Kyrie Irving dazzled viewers and flummoxed Warriors defenders en route to 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 25 minutes.

Usually, when a team has two superstars as dynamic as Irving and Durant, coaches opt to stagger their time on the floor to ensure at least one is on the court for every meaningful minute. However, Steve Nash has been spoiled with a Nets team so rich in talent, depth, and shot creation, the rookie coach can maximize their minutes together.

The first time Durant and Irving rode the bench together late in the first quarter on Tuesday, the Nets were still able to field a lineup featuring Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, and Landry Shamet. Durant started in a frontcourt sandwiched between Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan. At one point in garbage time, with the Nets up 38, Nash had LeVert out there with Jeff Green, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Rodions Kurucs, before replacing LeVert with Tyler Johnson.

There are still valid defensive questions to be asked of Nash's Nets. The volatility of Brooklyn's locker room will be tested at least once. The team's high-octane offense will face much stiffer tests than the shell of the Warriors they saw Tuesday night. But Nash will be able to field versatile lineups capable of filling the bucket virtually every minute of the season. Good luck trying to keep up.

The Warriors are in trouble

Let's try to be reasonable about this. Draymond Green was sidelined, James Wiseman showed some promising flashes, and it's almost impossible for Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre to be worse than they were against Brooklyn, when they combined for 19 points on 39 possessions. It's quite possible we're judging the Warriors based on what might prove to be their worst performance of the entire season.

Still, it's hard not to feel queasy if you're a Warriors fan right now.

Green's return will bring some much needed defensive stability, playmaking, and basketball IQ. But this version of the Warriors just might not be good enough to create space for Steph Curry to operate, and simply might not be smart enough to exploit the space Curry creates for them. In terms of on-ball creation, who are the Warriors' best, non-Curry options? Wiggins? Oubre? Brad Wanamaker? Who's their second-best shooter? Wanamaker? Damion Lee?

Excluding Curry's 21 field-goal attempts and the 10 field goals he assisted on, the Warriors shot 20-of-68.

Steve Kerr has his work cut out for him. The Warriors' ceiling might be that of a fringe contender if everything breaks right, but Tuesday's opener was a sobering reminder that this team is probably playing for nothing more than a play-in spot this season.