After the Red Sox lost game 7 to the Rays, I thought to myself, "well, at least I'll be able to get some stuff done." I switched over to ESPN and saw the ad promoting "Celtics/Cavs and Lakers/Portland, opening night, NBA on TNT!" So much for getting anything done.
I'm so happy the NBA regular season means something again. Had the Celtics not had the best record in the league, which led to home court advantage throughout, they would not have won the championship. They didn't win a road game until the third round for crying out loud.
Moral of the story, teams like Detroit and San Antonio can't just coast through the regular season. And this season, there are a lot of hungry teams.
Out west, New Orleans, Portland, Utah and Houston want it real bad. The Aging San Antonio Spurs want to make that final run. The Lakers were absolutely embarrassed in game 6 and I'm sure have revenge in their hearts.
Speaking of the Lakers, you're hearing a lot of hype about them right now. And deservedly so, with the potential to throw 3 7 footers out at one time (Bynum, Odom, Gasol). But unless they stopped being soft and if Bynum actually plays the whole season, I'm not buying it.
They will have a great regular season but I just feel the Lakers were exposed in the Finals.
So who do I like in the West? The Spurs are going to win the West, as much as it pains me to say it. Don't forget, they made it to the Conference Finals last year. I know Manu's hurt, but no team is better at the above mentioned (and hated) cruise control regular season than the Spurs. Watch out.
In the East, it has to be the Celtics. Don't think that Pierce, Garnett, Allen and crew are getting fat and happy over one championship. The last one was about redemption, but those guys are competitors. Between the hunger to repeat and the awesome home crowds, the Celtics won't be stopped.
The big question is the loss of James Posey. They really wouldn't have won without him and Posey just may help the Hornets win one.
The Cavs will fight to the death again, but I just don't know what more Lebron can do for his team and who else is going to pick up the slack. Lebron needs to chill on the 3 pointers as well, unless he learned to shoot them 2 weeks ago.
So, to recap, Celts/Spurs finals. And yes, I will be wayyyy off, as usual.
Tonight's Picks:
I like the home teams. Celtics over Cavs (TNT), Chicago (can't wait to see Rose) over Milwaukee (WGN) and the Lake-Show over Portland (TNT).
I can't wait to see Oden in his first game as well as Derrick Rose. And I can't wait for more Isiah Thomas stories this year. What is going on with that guy??
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Very good insight on the league as well as the Lakers. I agree with a lot of what u said with the exception of your picks. I dont see Boston getting out of the east this year, last year they got extremely lucky in some cases and got away with a lot because they were a vet team. Now they have lost some of the newness to them. Out east you have some hard teams in Philly (elton Brand against Garnet, thats better then a MMA fight), Detroit, Cleveland and Orlando. I also dont see SA coming out of the west, just too many talented teams. Out west u gotta look at LA first, then Houston and Utah.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to watch this year , especially with teams in the hunt; expiring contracts and trades. Remember the Lakers can still move Odom and bring back a nice piece.
All in all I am excited and hope the Laker Nation can finally bring on the next piece of hardware. Lets do it for Chicky baby!
I definitely agree with you about the East. It has gotten a lot better with the addition of Brand to Philly, a re-energized and healthy D-Wade, the consistent Pistons, and so on.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the C's are the team to beat, as far as pre-season predictions go. And I'm obviously biased. The Spurs guess is basically a hunch because the West is out of control, again.
They had the bulls-eye on them tonight and a pissed off Lebron still couldn't take advantage of the Celtics' over-emotional start (did you see that KG airball???).
The Lake-show looked REALLY good tonight. If Bynum continues to mature and stays healthy, I like them. Not to mention a full season with Gasol and a humble Kobe.
I like your Odom comment. He makes that front-line fearsome, but he goes AWOL too often. They need to pick up a tough defender (like an Artest or Posey type).
What are your thoughts on the league? I think the quality of play has gotten much better.
Thanks for the comment~vic
Yes the quality of play has gotten much better throughout the whole league. There are not a lot of weak teams out there anymore, just like the NFL and MLB. I dont really see a dominate team in the league this year. Every contender has a lot of issues. I think the East is going to be just as tough this year as the West. My prediction now would be Boston out of the East and Houston out of the West. I like the pickup of Artest for Houston and think that may put they over the top.
ReplyDeleteHouston, huh? That Artest pick-up is intriguing though. I was thinking about possibly picking them, but that whole "McGrady can't get out of the first round" thing scares me.
ReplyDeleteArtest does give them great balance. Adding his defensive presence to Battier's will make them formidable and that winning streak last year was no accident.
And speaking of Rockets/Celtics, they play each other Sunday.
Go to:
http://www.nba.com/FanNight/
You can pick to have that game nationally televised on tnt.
Anyway, more to come on the NBA, as well as College and the NFL this weekend. That Florida/George game give us lots to talk about.
Thanks for stopping by~Vic
I hear you on Houston and they would be a contender to me if I didnt think they were so fragile physically and mentally. This team has a few issues that will keep them from the finals:
ReplyDeleteInjury bug - It is like clockwork to watch McGrady and Yao go down every year. Thats usually my marker for mid season aside from the all star game
Mental toughness - This is wear Artest can make or break a team. When the guy is focused he is a monster of a team mate, but when he is off he can destroy from the walls within
Coaching toughness - Lets keep in mind that Adelman is running the ship here and this isnt his first time with a talented team in the almighty west. Hmmm who was it that put all of his teams (Queens and Jailblazers)? Oh yeah that LA team.... NOT THE CLIPPERS! Phil has this guys number and plays him like a harp string, can Adelman break out of that and get this team motivated?
Team Chemistry - How do you get all of these guys enough minutes? Do you play Artest at the PF? He can but how well will he do? Can u see him guarding Kobe then Pau? Hmmm, I dont know if thats a good idea, but if u dont do that then u split his minutes with Battier at about 25 minutes per game each? No way Artest is feeling that and he will start to pout. He claims he doesnt need to be the #1 guy but for how long does he say that... This time?
Point guard - As much as I try to like Rafer Alston he just never puts together a full season. And 1 tricks and thuggery aside the dude is not mentally what you want in a point guard, head strong and controlling of the pace.
The flip side - The one thing I like about Houston more then any other team is the fact that they have 2 guys (artest & Battier) that can guard Kobe and not get completely embarrassed. Problem is now Kobe is going into the fight with more then just AK47 now. Dude has some grenades and and shotguns with him! Kobe's supporting cast is the best he has ever had I think, yes even better then the 3peat teams! Barring injuries, I cant see any other team that can match the Lakers depth.
Please recognize I am a NBA fan before a Laker fan and believe it or not KG is my second favorite player in the league. They guy just plays the right way...with heart. This season will be interesting. I got a chance to see a little bit of some other games, my thoughts:
Derrick Rose - Kids gonna be a stud, he just needs to get his jumper together. He knows how to set up players, great job Chicago, I think they are a player or two away. should be fun to watch them
Oden - Hey he looks like he should already have his AARP card. Dude can be a defensive beast in this league if healthy and that Portland teams is just scary. Watch out for them in the playoffs.
Phoenix - Will make the playoffs but I think they may struggle at times. They cant afford to play those old starters too many minutes. How much is left in the Diesel?
Celtics - See above, but hey these guys are in the east. Dont expect a coast like last year, their schedule was so cake last year it was ridiculous, but thats what happens when u win 35 games a year for a few years straight. LOL