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Weekly RewindEpisode 001 / Opening week

NBA opening week: Top 10, NTA and two very different starts

Ten plays worth rewinding, two footwork debates from Miami, a 3–0 statement from Minnesota and an 0–3 start for the defending champions.

BY BASKETREWIND26 OCTOBER 20265 min read + 5:08 video

Weekly Rewind 001 · English narration and captions · 5:08Watch on YouTube All episodes ↗

Original BasketRewind writing, commentary and graphics. AI-generated English narration. Basketball footage sources are listed below. NTA replays marked 0.5× are slowed relative to the source video, which may already contain broadcaster slow motion.

At a glance

Coverage: NBA game dates October 20–25, 2026; team picks use each team’s first three regular-season games.
BasketRewind’s number-one play: Amen Thompson’s block on Victor Wembanyama.
Our team surprises: Minnesota Timberwolves at 3–0 and +70; defending champions New York Knicks at 0–3 and −19.

The first week gave us plenty to rewind.

A self alley-oop. A spinning finish. A block on Victor Wembanyama with a game still on the line. Our first Weekly Rewind starts with the ten plays we kept coming back to from NBA game dates October 20–25, 2026.

Then the footwork department opens for business. LaMelo Ball and Giannis Antetokounmpo enter NTA before we pick our positive and negative team surprises after each team's first three regular-season games. These are BasketRewind's selections, with the sources and reasoning attached.

Our Top 10: the countdown

Our number one is Amen Thompson's block on Wembanyama. Spectacular elevation makes it a highlight. Denying the potential tying basket makes it our play of the week. Tyrese Haliburton's self alley-oop and Ausar Thompson's spinning finish complete our top three.

The full countdown below follows the episode from number ten to number one. Each entry links to the source clip.

LaMelo Ball
LaMelo spots the runner early and sends the lob over the defense for a finish above the rim.
Watch in the episode · ESPN NBA source ↗
Jalen Williams
Chet Holmgren's block launches Oklahoma City into transition. Jalen Williams supplies the finish at the other end.
Watch in the episode · NBA source ↗
Matas Buzelis
A long gather, full extension and a finish through the challenge. Buzelis attacks before the defense gets set.
Watch in the episode · Bulls on CHSN source ↗
Bilal Coulibaly
Coulibaly turns an open lane into a takeoff strip, using his final stride to close the distance before the dunk.
Watch in the episode · NBA source ↗
Dylan Harper
Harper drives into the middle and rises for the dunk, giving San Antonio two with under a minute left.
Watch in the episode · NBAPerformances (public repost) source ↗
Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen catches, turns and banks in a deep attempt just before the first-quarter buzzer. Almost no time to aim; somehow, three points.
Watch in the episode · NBA source ↗
Kris Dunn
Dunn sees the opening, drives into it and takes off before the recovering defense can get back in position.
Watch in the episode · NBA source ↗
Ausar Thompson
Ausar completes the rotation and still finds a soft finish at the rim. The replay rewards a look at his balance and body control.
Watch in the episode · NBA source ↗
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton bounces the ball ahead, chases it and finishes the self alley-oop. The timing makes it work; the confidence makes it memorable.
Watch in the episode · Indiana Pacers source ↗
Amen Thompson
Amen meets Victor Wembanyama above the rim and blocks the potential tying basket. The elevation earns the replay; the stakes win our week.
Watch in the episode · NBA source ↗

NTA: two Miami moments, two different questions

LaMelo's sidestep three comes with a clear assessment: the National Basketball Referees Association said he took four steps after the gather, when only two were allowed. The basket counted. Great shooting, generous mileage.

Giannis's dunk is a different case. Watch the ball come loose as LaMelo reaches in, then ask when Giannis regains control. That point matters to the step count. We found no official play-specific assessment confirming a violation, so the episode leaves this one open to debate.

Both plays are from Minnesota at Miami on October 21. The close-up comes after our Top 10, at 2:10 in the episode.

Positive surprise: Minnesota, 3–0 and +70

The Timberwolves beat Miami 131–106, Orlando 115–93 and Toronto 117–94. Three wins. Margins of 25, 22 and 23 points. A combined +70, with two of the victories coming on the road.

Minnesota was already a good team: 49–33 and sixth in the West last season, before adding LaMelo Ball. Getting better was a reasonable expectation. Winning this comfortably, this quickly, is what earns our positive-surprise pick.

The next test is what happens when the cushion disappears. Can the Wolves create the right shot when an opponent removes the first option? Three games cannot settle that question, but this start gives us a reason to watch closely.

Negative surprise: New York's title defense starts 0–3

The Knicks won the championship in June. Their first three results as defending champions: a 106–100 loss to Philadelphia, a 107–103 loss in Boston and a 111–102 home defeat against Orlando.

That is 0–3 and a combined −19. The individual gaps matter: six points, four points, nine points. Each game finished within single digits. New York's job is to find the possessions that turn competitive final scores into wins.

A championship raises the expectation, and this opening falls short of it. Our negative-surprise pick is a judgment on the first three games. The response is what comes next: shot selection, defensive stops and execution with a game still there to win.

Your turn to rewind.

Which play belongs at number one? Which team has surprised you most? Find BasketRewind on YouTube and Facebook and bring your picks. We will keep the episode's notes, sources and any corrections on this page.

Read the full English transcript

Ten plays worth rewinding. One team flying out of the gate. And the defending champions still looking for a win. Welcome to BasketRewind: our opening-week countdown, followed by the biggest team surprises after three games.

Ten. LaMelo Ball sees the runner early. The pass goes over the defense, straight into a finish above the rim.

Nine. This starts with Chet Holmgren's block. Oklahoma City immediately runs, and Jalen Williams finishes the lob. Rim protection at one end, lift-off at the other.

Eight. Matas Buzelis attacks before the defense can get set. Watch the long gather and the extension: he commits to the rim and finishes through the challenge.

Seven. Bilal Coulibaly turns an open lane into a takeoff strip. That final stride closes the distance; the finish makes the defenders look a step late.

Six. Dylan Harper pushes straight through the middle and rises for the dunk. No detour, no hesitation. San Antonio gets two with under a minute left.

Five. Lauri Markkanen catches, turns, and beats the first-quarter buzzer from way out. Off the glass and in. Almost no time to aim; somehow, three points.

Four. Kris Dunn spots the gap, drives into it, and takes off. The defense is still trying to recover when he brings the ball down through the rim.

Three. Ausar Thompson gives us the full spin and still finds the finish. Watch the body control on the replay: rotation, balance, and a soft touch at the rim.

Two. Tyrese Haliburton needs a lob partner, so he chooses himself. Bounce, chase, finish. The timing makes it work; the confidence makes it unforgettable.

Our number one: Amen Thompson meets Victor Wembanyama above the rim and denies the potential tying basket. The elevation is spectacular. The timing, with the game on the line, wins our week.

And now, N T A. Two plays from Miami that sent the footwork department into overtime.

First, LaMelo's sidestep three. The referees' association confirmed four steps after the gather, when only two were allowed. The basket still counted. Great shooting, generous mileage. That's a travel, with three points as a souvenir.

Now Giannis: one small step for Giannis, one giant debate for basketball. Watch the ball come loose as LaMelo reaches in. When does control return? That's where the step count matters. The dunk counted. You make the call.

Our positive surprise after three games is Minnesota. The Timberwolves beat Miami one thirty-one to one oh six, Orlando one fifteen to ninety-three, and Toronto one seventeen to ninety-four. Three wins, every margin above twenty. Add them up: plus seventy.

The Wolves finished last season forty-nine and thirty-three, sixth in the West, then added LaMelo Ball. A good team getting better was a reasonable expectation. Winning this comfortably, this quickly, gets our attention. Two of those victories came on the road. And the smallest winning margin was twenty-two points. Minnesota has given itself room to absorb a missed shot or a bad possession without needing the final bounce to go its way.

That is why the margin matters alongside the record. The next thing we want to see is how this group handles pressure when that cushion disappears. Can it still create a good shot when the opponent takes away the first option? For now, Minnesota earns our pick. The speed of this start is the surprise.

Our negative surprise is New York. The Knicks won the championship in June. Three games into their title defense, they are still waiting for win number one. Philadelphia beat them one oh six to one hundred. Boston won one oh seven to one oh three. Then Orlando came into Madison Square Garden and won one eleven to one oh two. That is oh and three, with a combined margin of minus nineteen.

Look at those gaps: six points, four points, nine points. Each game was within reach on the final scoreboard. New York does not have to erase a twenty-point gulf to turn one of these results around. But it does have to find the possessions that change the outcome.

That makes the next response worth watching closely: the shot selection, the defensive stops, the execution when a game is still there to win. A championship sets the expectation. This start falls short of it. Three losses are enough to earn our unwanted award; the work now is turning competitive scores into actual wins.

Which play should have been number one? And who gets your vote for opening week's biggest surprise? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe to BasketRewind. The week. The plays. The madness.

THE RECEIPTS

Sources & context

Sources checked 26 October 2026. Competition rules and formats may change; this page records the sources used for this edition.

Correction record

No corrections recorded for this edition.

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