On this fine anniversary of Brandon Roy's excellence, we have a sweet slate of NBA games.

Particular games of interest:

Phoenix @ Boston. Looks like a Phoenix loss with the interior advantage Boston has. Nash has played at a high level this season, though, so it should still be a fun matchup of offense vs. defense.

OKC @ Houston. This is a game I'll be viewing quite intently. The starless, tough Houston team against the star-driven, soft OKC Pseudosonics. Fun times. I like Houston to win this... defense is enough to beat the lower echelon of the conference, especially at home.

Cleveland @ NY. James in NY. Everyone freak out.

Denver @ Miami. Denver's early-season play has been fantastic, even with their sharpshooter suspended. I think they win this, despite being on the road. Wade and Melo is a fun matchup.

Toronto @ New Orleans. Are either of these teams for real? New Orleans' core three players have been excellent in the early season but suffer from Byron Scott stubbornly playing Bobby Brown. Chris Paul this year: 30 ppg, >75 TS%, 42 AST%, 54 shots made, 30 shots missed.

Let's get this Friday night of hoops started.

[The following is an official report of CTC, Inc. - Cablinasian]

The Cablinasian Technology Center has learned that the NBA season starts today. We gather that it's a pretty big deal. We advise against venturing out into the main page... now that there is no chance that Travis Outlaw leaves town via a bartering transaction, there will be some spare pitchforks laying around for the riffraff. Proceed at your own discretion.

There is a more pressing issue, though; according to our research, many people read the JD, reading about other people's lives, and.... lurk. The true advantage of the junk drawer is shown in the following graph.

As you can see, it's a pretty foolish decision not to join in.

To give a general idea of how well "bedging" correlates to coolness:

via i577.photobucket.com

via i577.photobucket.com

via i577.photobucket.com

The CTC is aware that many Blazersedge Junk Drawer contributors have been excluded in this rough sketch. Our apologies; we were only able to list a number of recent contributors before space become too cramped to continue.

The CTC would like to extend the formal invitation for all JD lurkers to come in and introduce themselves.

Cablinasian
Cablinasian Research
Cablinasian Technology Center

Well, you heard it. If you're a lurker, stop in and introduce yourself. What fun is it to look through the window when the door is wide open?

The topic is a little different today.. feel free to ignore the reflection and get right to junkin'! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, though. Just something I was thinking about tonight.

I looked up Ben's recap of last year's preseason opener today. Reading it, I was nostalgic. It sounds dumb to say... but there was something special about seeing the team for the first time... of watching Rudy at 3 in the morning during the summer, furiously checking Oden's rehab blog, and watching Nicolas make those first few plays against the Spurs.

Will we ever have another experience like last year? A team that's fun, young, and completely untested? Will we ever see Brandon Roy be the only effective offensive creator in a playoff series, carrying his entire team on his back by using every possession against the best defensive team in the league... and winning two games?

Will we ever exceed the general consensus by eight games again? Will there be that thrill of watching the team, complete, for the first time?

I say this for two reasons. I loved last season, which is why I've saved a number of games to watch in the coming years. It was special. But I also say it because I believe this year will the last one that we look back on in this way. Watching the team win is fantastic, but there's that magical feeling that you get when you see the team grow together. It's addictive. If you don't believe, go read Ben's post for yourself. The comment section is buzzing. You can practically see Ben's hands twitching at his laptop.

Let's all agree to appreciate this season. It may be the last season that we get to be the young team, the underdogs, the team without expectations. Don't wish it was 2011; I kind of like following the team just as it is now.

Before I sign off, I know that people will reply (correctly) that the point of sport is to ultimately win. While that's very true, I personally find watching a young team slowly grow together to be one of the most satisfying sports experiences of all.