10 Things to Look For (In the final 2 Months of the NBA Season, even if they are a little crazy)

10. The Hornets falling off:
You can’t help but think that the Hornets have been playing just slightly over their heads for the better part of this season. They have barely hit a rough patch in the road, going 36-15 into the All-Star break. Hate to spoil the party. The Hornets are due to fall off. They are still a fairly young squad, and while they have been undoubtedly one of the greatest stories this year, I feel like they will slip to the 5th or 6th seed out West. The conference, and division for that matter, is too deep. It’s possible that four teams from their division will be playoff teams, so every game from this point on will be difficult. They do have a great point guard (Paul) and two dominant big men (West, Chandler) to get them into the playoffs and possibly very deep. Just look for them to fade a bit on the stretch run.

9. Dwight Howard will be unstoppable:
Not that he wasn’t already, but if there’s something that will set this guy off, it’s harsh words from his coach. Dwight Howard takes pride in his game, and the best should be yet to come for the big man in the final 30 or so games; Especially after that ridiculous showing at the Dunk Contest on Saturday Night. What I see in his near future? How about a 30-30 game? Look for one of those to end his season. Also, look for his Orlando Magic as a 4-seed come playoff time. It seems there’s nothing this kid can’t do.

8. The Pistons will lose one of the Big 4 down the stretch:
I hate to predict terrible things like this, but the Pistons have been one of the healthiest teams the past few seasons. While it seems every other powerhouse team in the league has been hit with a major injury to derail their championship hopes, the Pistons have stayed lucky. Not this year. I feel like a major injury could strike this team down the stretch. However, Detroit is far too talented and playoff-ready to allow an injury to take them out for good. They might get hit with the bug, but they still should make at least the Conference Semi’s in the shallow Eastern pool.

7. The 76ers will win more games than they lose:
The Sixers are a nice young franchise that had been playing superb in the past few weeks leading up to the break. They are standing at 23-30, which is right now good enough for 8th place in the East. Amazingly, seven-under .500 gets you a playoff berth. What I see for Philadelphia is a 15-14 record to finish the year. Whether or not that gets them in is another story for another time. But that definitely should help. Atlanta just acquired Mike Bibby from Sacramento, making it even more difficult. But if Jason Kidd goes to Dallas, the Nets could fall off. And the Sixers could be in.

6. Shaq won’t disappoint:
Hear me out on this. I was as just as bewildered as the next person after the Suns traded franchise-staple Shawn Marion to the Heat for Shaquille O’Neal. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Phoenix gets killed on the glass. If Shaq can give them 25-29 minutes per game down the stretch, he should clean up some of those rebounds that the Suns have been losing, due to their lack of height in the small-ball scheme. Phoenix is 29th in the league in opponents rebounding, usually because they are worried about the offense. However, Big Daddy gives them those rebounds back (if he stays on the court). That means a strong stretch run…and even farther into the playoffs.

5. Spurs will not repeat:
They still have Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker. They just signed Stoudamire. Finley can still stroke. But you can’t help but think this team is getting too old. Injuries have plagued them this season, especially with Tony Parker out the past few weeks. The Western Conference is possibly the best it has ever been, meaning the teams will continue to beat up on each other. In my mind, the Spurs will finally fall off. I don’t think they will be able to keep up with all of the youth out West. Look for them to make a quicker-than-normal exit come playoff time.

4. The Cavaliers will go back to the Eastern Conference Finals:
LeBron James will not allow his lack of a point guard and shabby supporting cast slow him from the ultimate goal. The Cavs will be back in the East Finals, beating out the Pistons in round two. Last year, LeBron did it without an elite point guard, so why not this year? He is far too brilliant. Look for them to meet up with the Celtics in the Finals, finally bowing out in six games. Sorry, LeBron.

3. But….LeBron will win the MVP this year:
So the Cavs might not make the Finals again, but LeBron will get his first Most Valuable Player award at the end of this campaign. He is averaging an outstanding 30+, 7+, 7+ per game. He is the life preserver wrapped around Quicken Loans Arena. Without the King, that place would be sinking in Lake Erie. Give him his first MVP; nobody else has done more with less.

2. Suns/Jazz out West, Celts/Cavs in the East:
I’m with Charles Barkley; The Jazz are a heck of a team. He picked them to be the team to make it out of the incredible Western Conference this year. I do believe they are an elite squad and will face off with the Suns in the West Finals. In the East, Kevin Garnett and the Celtics will face off against LeBron and the Cavs, making the Eastern Finals fun again.

1. The Suns will win the NBA Championship, Nash will be the MVP:
That’s right, you heard it here. The Suns will beat the Celtics in 7 games to win the NBA Title. Steve Nash will be your Finals MVP. I think the trade for Shaq will seal up the leaks in the middle, just enough that the Suns can do their usual run-and-gun thing. Kevin Garnett will make it farther than he ever has with the Celtics, but unfortunately, it will not be enough. Look for an amazing Finals series to go 7 games and finally, the Suns will run their way to the championship. Steve Nash deserves this and all the hard work will pay off. Proving the naysayers wrong by winning with the up-tempo style, the Suns are your new champs.


So, maybe one or more of these bold statements will be wrong in the upcoming days, weeks, and months. It’s still fun to try and figure it all out though, especially for arguments sake. So keep watching. It’s shaping up to be a good ending.

Wild, Wild, West

If we look at the standings in the Western Conference as of Sunday night, the match-ups that would take place in the playoffs in a little over two months would be unbelievable. The “Bestern” conference has been far and away better all season. As of this writing, the West boasts 10 teams with 28 or more wins, compared to just four in the East. As an NBA fan, it’s time to start getting excited about what could shape up to be an entertaining Western Conference playoffs come April. Let’s take a look at what we could be expecting.

Round 1 Matchups:

(1) Phoenix Suns v. (8) Golden State Warriors: Talk about firepower. This would be far and away one of the most entertaining and fast paced playoff series since the 1980’s. Think of the speed and the points that would be put up here. With the two highest scoring teams in the NBA under one roof for seven games, we could see 130-125 almost every game. We can only hope that it remains this way through April, and NBA fans around the country can rejoice. Because this is one pairing I would pay to watch.

(2) Dallas Mavericks v. (7) Denver Nuggets: Slightly slower pace than the series above, but a hell of a pair of teams nonetheless. Dirk, Melo, Camby, Howard, AI, Avery. How fun would this be? Dallas has slowed the pace considerably since the days of Don Nelson, but they can still run with the best. Denver loves to run and gun, and they are very good at it. Put me down as a fan of seeing this one as well.

(3) New Orleans Hornets v. (6) LA Lakers: When you have Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul on the floor at the same time in a seven-game series, good things can only come out of it. Both are MVP candidates right now, and both are leading their teams to heights that only seemed like a dream before the season started. The Hornets look to be slipping, but if they can hold on to this spot, this 3-6 match up would be amazing as well.

(4) Utah Jazz v. (5) San Antonio Spurs: Last, but certainly not least, would be a rematch of last seasons Western Conference Finals. Utah came out of nowhere last year to get as far as they did, but this year they will look for certain revenge against the Spurs team that went on to take the title. The Jazz are a fun, fast paced team led by Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. The Spurs are the Spurs. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. If they can stay healthy, this would be yet another great series to see come playoff time.


As you can see, the West would set itself up for one wild ride through the postseason. If you’re a fan, hold on.

This should be fun.

The Most Overrated NBA Teams

Every year, there are certain teams whose record looks better than they actually are. Teams that fall apart in the end after possibly a great season. Happens all the time. Here are my teams that I believe are playing better right now than their records show.

1. Denver Nuggets: The Nugs are filled with me first players, plus two superstars. They have a very good record right now (26-16), but have beaten up on the weaker opponents in their division going 4-0 against Minnesota and 1-0 against Seattle. Two shoot first superstars on the same team can be a tough match, but AI and Melo have done an admirable job of working together. However, I don't think they play enough defense to get deep into the playoffs and are a ticking timebomb. AI can snap at any moment and JR Smith is a budding headcase himself. Even Melo can get pissy from time to time. Love George Karl, but i just don't see the Nuggets getting far.

2. Boston Celtics: Here me out. 34-7 is an amazing record for 42 games into the season. From now on, teams all over will be gunning for them because they are the new force in the NBA. Every team will get up for this challenege because everyone wants to beat the so called best. Don't get me wrong, they are a great team, just not as amazing as the record indicated. They still have a young point guard and center and a shky bench as well. Brian Scalabrine should not even be in YMCA Rec leagues for christ sake. They can make a run at the title with this team, they are just overrated right now.

3. San Antonio Spurs: I might be crazy for saying this, but this year will be different. They are getting old, with their bench the equivalent of a bingo hall on a tuesday night. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili have been beat up all year and now the West is as good as ever. I see an uphill battle for this team. They are overrated because everyone believes that they will show up huge and make another run. This year, I just do not see it. Too old.

4. Miami Heat: Yes they are overrated. I think they are far worse than their record indicated. Shaq is virtually washed up on this team (he may be better suited in another role somewhere else). D-Wade can't do it all himself. With Ricky Davis and wash ups like him, the Heat could actually be worse then their record says. This team is a one D-Wade injury away from never winning again. Pat Riley should quit like I know he wants to because this won't be getting any better. Do yourself a favor and hang it up Riles.

Sixers Prove Me Right and Wrong

The enigma that is the Philadelphia 76ers continued today. Andre Miller jumped in the first seat, followed by Sam Dalembert and Andre Iguodala. And then Willie Green got in behind them. And then Lou Williams jumped on just before they closed the gates. And the 76ers rode another roller coaster. They must be getting sick to their stomach riding so often.

The Sixers proved me right, jumping out to a high energy, quick-paced first quarter that is brought on by their youth and ignorance when playing superior teams. They did this tonight against Houston and last night against San Antonio. Then the malaise sets it as a fan when between the 2-minute mark of the first quarter and the 9-minute mark of the second, they become lazy and disinterested and start firing up ill-advised shots and refraining from playing what is now known as defense. Sometimes this happens in the middle of the third quarter, or maybe even late in that period. But it seems to happen far too often.

But tonight against Houston they dug deep and played a hell of a ball game and proved me wrong as well. Riding the coaster from 16 down in the 3rd, and taking the lead on a huge run had to give a spark of confidence to a team trying to find an identity. Houston is a bubble playoff team in the West, which means they are a damn good team. But the 76ers showed poise, led of course by the elder statesman Andre Miller, and with some help from the young guns, got a victory. The scored a ton of fastbreak points in the 4th quarter, and made the game look fun. It's doubtful that they can sustain any type of even kiel for the season. But Sixer fans can only hope this is a positive sign of things to come.