<On your feet>

할로윈 NBA 개막전 [불스 108-66 히트]가 남기는 것들.

#1. 디펜딩 챔프의 개막전 최대 떡실신: 이전에 있던 가장 가까운 기록(15점차)의 거의 세 배에 달함. (1982 년 워리어스가 레이커스를 132-117 로 이겼는데 공교롭게도 그당시 레이커스 감독도 라일리였음)

#2. 디펜딩 챔프건 아니건을 떠나서 개막전(굳이 NBA 개막일이 아니라도 양 팀의 시즌 첫 경기)에서 이 지경까지 떡실신 난 경기는 하나밖에 없었음. 1987. 11. 6. 덴버에서 너겟츠가 클리퍼스를 139-93 으로 격파. 따라서 이번 마이애미vs불스의 경기는 원정팀의 최다 점수차 개막승.

#3. 42 점차 패배는 라일리 감독의 1,741 정규시즌 경기들 중 있었던 최대 점수차 패배 기록과 매치. 1992. 4. 22. 포틀랜드에서 레이커스가 130-88로 패배.

#4. 42점차 승리는 불스 히스토리에서 정규 시즌 두번째로 높은 원정 승리 점수차. 1971년 148-104로 필라델피아에서 승리했던 것에 2점 모자름.

그렇습니다. 사실 42 점차라는 것이 한 시즌 내에서 찾아보기가 쉬운 것이 아닌 것이며, 그 패배 당사자가 디펜딩 챔피언 마이애미 히트, 라인업 변화는 거의 없다시피한 동일팀이라는 점에서 그 의미가 큰 것이겠죠.

불스 팬들 입장에선 장미빛 시즌을 예견해 주는 경기라 할 수 있겠고, 응원하는 선수들이 반지 받는 날 기대에 부푼 히트 팬들에겐 허탈한 경기라 할 수 있습니다.

분명한 건, 히트는 비난을 면치 못한다는 점. 반지 받는 날 이렇게 당해버린다는 것 밖에서 보기에 시합보다는 마음이 다른 곳에 있었다라는 생각을 하기에 딱이기 때문입니다. 여기에 대한 별도의 팀 미팅이 있어야 할 겁니다.

그렇다고 이들이 그렇게 만만해졌다고는 볼 수 없겠죠. 지난 시즌도 히트는 정규시즌동안 이런 저런 쓴소리를 많이 받았고, 심지어 진지하게 우승후보로도 점찍히지 않았으니까요. 지난 시즌 정규시즌에 댈러스에게 한차례 떡실신을 당한 그때부터 본격적으로 말입니다.

3연패 레이커스가 그러했듯이 히트는 이번 시즌에도 정규시즌동안 많은 굴곡이 있을 겁니다. 웨이드가 펄펄 날뛰고는 있지만 샤크를 비롯 나이가 제법 무시못할 수준에 든 선수들이 많으니까요. 애초에 히트가 정규시즌 성적이 초엘리트급이 될꺼란 생각은 하지도 않았습니다.

이날의 경기가  indication이 될지 아닐지는 앞으로 한참은 지켜봐야 할 겁니다.

그나저나 선즈는 어쩌다가 1쿼터의 그 점수차에서 스리슬쩍 역전을 당했대요. -.-

He didn't consider when No. 880 would come, either.

He didn't even consider his coach being just 11 wins shy of snapping the most hallowed record in college basketball coaching, until he was asked about during Thursday's Big 12 media day.

"I just started thinking about it," said the senior guard.

But the possibility of being on the team that breaks the record leaves him "speechless."

"It's a great honor just to be there for that," said Jackson, who is easily one of the most talented, but least recognizable, national-name guards returning this season.

"[Playing for Knight] has been a great experience," Jackson said. "He's a great teacher as well as a coach. He's teaching me how to survive in life, not just basketball."

Jackson said he loves Knight's sense of humor, his competitive fire and his "mental toughness."

"You know he's going to get on you, so you have to be mentally tough about it," Jackson said.

Projecting when, rather than if, Knight may break the record isn't at all farfetched; this is an NCAA Tournament team and the Red Raiders will win plenty of their nonconference games. Jackson and Martin Zeno are the two core guards returning, but the addition of juco transfer Charlie Burgess strengthens the perimeter even more. Don't be surprised to see Texas Tech go with three guards.

The best thing is that the Red Raiders have a rotation now where they can hang playing time over players' heads if they're not performing.

"This team is real hungry and that's what he preaches to us every day," Jackson said. "[Last season] left a sour taste in our mouths. We just have to be more focused."

Texas Tech knew it was in a tough situation last year around midseason, and that's when the shift in recruiting developed. The plan was to go back to juco players (although the recruiting class for 2007 was a high-schooler home run for the Red Raiders), so getting Burgess was a must.

Final nuggets
• Add Texas A&M to the list of schools (along with Georgia Tech and Louisville) that never thought Hasheem Thabeet would be able to get eligible. Thabeet is still attempting to become eligible at Connecticut, but the shot-blocker from Tanzania, who finished up his high school work in Houston (hence the A&M connection) is still going through the NCAA Clearinghouse.

ESPN.com has yet to come across a coach who recruited Thabeet who thought getting him eligible would be possible. Louisville didn't think he would get his visa (which he did) while the others questioned if the transcripts from Africa would be approved here.

The 7-3 Thabeet would change games defensively if he plays for the Huskies. If he doesn't, he could join Kansas' C.J. Giles -- suspended and possibly gone from the Jayhawks -- as players who may declare for the NBA draft before the first tip this season.

The Huskies have depth inside with Jonathan Mandeldove and Gavin Edwards (who still has a redshirt possibility). They also don't need to go with a true post, with Jeff Adrien, Curtis Kelly and Stanley Robinson all capable of spending time inside while also scoring in the lane facing the basket.

• A few more Bob Huggins quips on his return to Kansas State: "I'm not going to lie to you, I had a bad taste in my mouth after everything we accomplished [at Cincinnati]. I wasn't going to [get back into coaching] just to do it. I want to enjoy the process.

"I wanted to go out the way I want to go out and wanted to go out on my terms," Huggins said.

As for Huggins' influence on Kansas State's chances for an NCAA berth simply because he's the coach: "The last field goal I made was sometime in 1977 and the last time I had an impact on a game defensively was 1977. They're going to have score, make free throws, guard and rebound. I can't do that. There have been days I wanted to, but those are past and I don't have the urge anymore."

• Texas A&M's Acie Law gets the best-dressed award, looking dapper in his dark suit. That shouldn't be surprising, since Aggies' coach Billy Gillispie said he is a more vocal person than when he arrived two years ago.

"He totally changed," Gillispie said of his point. "He wouldn't talk two years ago, but he learned talking [as a leader] is important for us to win."

• One more from Kansas coach Bill Self on the importance of the NCAA Tournament to fans (this after two straight first-round losses): "You get people hanging their hats on an institution and they get let down when the team doesn't perform well. It becomes a big deal because of the multi-million dollar contract with CBS. It's always going to be a big deal. But there is more parity now [in the NCAA Tournament] than 15 years ago."