All thriller, no filler

KD showdown

Kevin Durant begins his 17th season by experiencing a first when the Suns and Warriors tip off their campaigns at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday night.

Immediately following the Lakers-Nuggets game, when the Denver players will receive their 2023 championship rings, the TNT spotlight will shine on the Suns and Warriors, both of whom will be beginning a quest to dethrone the defending champion.

Seeded fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Western playoffs last year, the Suns and Warriors saw their championship bids end in the conference semifinals, the Suns falling in six games to the Nuggets, the Warriors likewise losing four of six to the Lakers.

The opening matchup also gives the 35-year-old Durant a chance to perform in front of the fans he thrilled for three seasons while leading Golden State to championships in 2017 and 2018.

He eventually left the Warriors in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets, and has made just one return to the San Francisco Bay Area — in February 2021 when fans were not allowed inside Chase Center due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He has never faced the Warriors anywhere since joining the Suns in February in a blockbuster four-team deal.

The new season begins with Durant surrounded by Devin Booker and Suns newcomer Bradley Beal, giving Phoenix as much frontline firepower as any team in the league.

"It will be a change for everybody," Beal said. "None of us have played on the floor with three guys who can score the ball anytime. It will have to be a little sacrifice for everybody."

Durant was last seen teaming with veteran guard Chris Paul. But two offseason trades later, Paul is scheduled to make his Warriors regular-season debut on Tuesday.

Durant, Paul and Golden State star Stephen Curry have been consistently outstanding on Opening Night over their careers.

Durant has scored 20 or more points in his last 12 Opening Night outings, tying Karl Malone for the NBA's longest streak.

Curry will be seeking a 10th straight 20-point opener. If successful, he would tie Kobe Bryant and Bob Lanier for fifth place on that list, with Paul Pierce and Michael Jordan just one more ahead with 11.

Paul, meanwhile, will be attempting to compile his ninth career Opening Night double-double. Only LeBron James has more (10) among active players, all of whom are chasing Tim Duncan, who retired with 14.

Golden State played the preseason without defensive ace Draymond Green, who sprained his left ankle in a pre-camp workout. He remains questionable for the opener but was impressive on Sunday during a scrimmage in the eyes of Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

'Anything can happen'

The video vignettes for the Everyone's Game campaign feature the 76ers' Joel Embiid, Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Nuggets star Murray, among others, and is accompanied by the song How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy.

With 12 separate versions, the season tip-off spots are streaming across the league's social platforms and the NBA app.

The campaign opens with Murray being chased up an LA Coliseum staircase by what symbolically appears to be the rest of the league. Other scenes consist of Embiid, the reigning league MVP, pounding a tire with a heavy anvil; Tatum slickly dribbling the ball on a blacktop; and the Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine parachute training on a beach.

The Suns' Beal, Nuggets' Caldwell-Pope and Kings' De'Aaron Fox also make appearances, while former WNBA star Sue Bird and FIFA World Cup champion Alex Morgan are shown marveling at the players' skills.

"We landed on this concept around Everyone's Game — which is just celebrating everyone who's a fan," said Henault, who joined the league last November from Paramount Global. "And it's also 'everyone's game' from the point of the competition, right? It's a new season and anything can happen."

Agencies - China Daily