Rockets versus Thunder on Opening Night Could Be Best Game of NBA Season

Many other games have been leaked, but so far, it feels like none will carry as much weight as Houston taking on Oklahoma City to start the season. The game will feature so many narratives, with the most prominent being former Thunder superstar Kevin Durant facing his old team on its ring night.

The 36-year-old star is making his debut for his fifth team, but he was never able to capture a ring in Oklahoma City. In 2016, he turned almost all of the basketball world against him by joining the Warriors.

The game will also kickstart a renewed rivalry between the Rockets and Thunder. The two teams have met in the playoffs three times in the last 12 years (2013, 2017 and 2020), and each series has gotten more interesting. Last season, Oklahoma City won the season series 3-2, and the team met Houston in the semifinal of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas.

Now, the Rockets are reloaded with Durant at the helm, along with the young core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and many others. General manager Rafael Stone also managed to bring in key veterans such as Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela.

Based on the games we know about, Rockets-Thunder on opening night should be the most anticipated matchup of the season at the moment. The narratives, stars involved, and the fact that it's the first game of the year mean this could very well be one of, if not the most-watched, games of the entire season.

The magnitude of opening night and the buzz Houston is getting this summer shows that after a rebuild that lasted almost four years, the Rockets are more than relevant in the NBA circle once again. After the James Harden era that saw them get so close to the NBA Finals, they finally have a championship contender this season. It starts on opening night.