The 2011-12 NBA season has finally arrived and with 66-games in only 118 days, this season will be a very exciting one. I am going to title this season as (THE YEAR TO PROVE SOMETHING). Lebron James finally will have to put up or shut up, which is why I believe he will win the MVP Award over Kevin Durant. Andrew Bynum will either have a great year in LA, or a monster year in Orlando, if he ultimately gets traded for Dwight Howard, so I am picking him to win the NBA's MIP (Most Improve Player Award). Kyrie Irving will slightly edge out Kemba Walker for the NBA's ROY(Rookie Of The Year) Award, and quite frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if Kemba Walker ends up winning the award. With 3 straight Defensive Player Of The Year Award under his belt, I think the voters will shy away from Dwight Howard, which is why I expect Lebron to also win this award. You can expect the Miami Heat to have an awesome record with Lebron winning the Defensive Player Of The Year and MVP Award, which will lead to Heat's coach Eric Spoeltra winning the NBA COTY (Coach Of The Year Award).
The list goes on...
2011-12 NBA CHAMPION
Miami Heat
FINALIST
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALIST
Miami Heat
Chicago Bulls
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALIST
Oklahoma City
LA Lakers
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI FINALIST
Miami Heat
Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
New York Knicks
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI FINALISTS
Oklahoma City Thunder
LA Lakers
Dallas Mavericks
LA Clippers
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS
1. Miami
2. Chicago
3. New York
4. Boston
5. Atlanta
6. Orlando
7. Philadelphia
8. Indiana
8. Charlotte
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS
1. San Antonio
2. Oklahoma
3. LA Lakers
4. LA Clippers
5. Dallas
6. Memphis
7. Denver
8. Portland
8. Golden State
MVP
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Chris Paul
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (ROY)
Kyrie Irving
Kemba Walker
Derrick Williams
SIXTH MAN AWARD (SMA)
Lamar Odom
Mo Williams
Thaddeus Young
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (DPY)
LeBron James
Dwight Howard
Tony Allen
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (MIP)
Andrew Bynum
DeAndre Jordan
Paul George
COACH OF THE YEAR (COTY)
Erik Spoelstra
Vinny Del Negro
Scoot Brooks
All-NBA 1ST TEAM
Derrick Rose
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
ALL-NBA 2ND TEAM
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony
Amare Stoudemire
Dwight Howard
All-NBA 1ST DEFENSIVE TEAM
Chris Paul
Tony Allen
Lebron James
Serge Ibaka
Dwight Howard
ALL-NBA 2ND DEFENSIVE TEAM
Rajon Rondo
Dywane Wade
Paul George/Luol Deng
Josh Smith
DeAndre Jordan
All-ROOKIE TEAM
Kyrie Irving
Jimmer Fredette
Kemba Walker
Derrick Williams
Tristan Thompson
Saturday, December 24, 2011
NBA WIZARD POWER RANKING: WEEK1
RK LAST RK LAST REC
1 (3) HEAT 58-24
The Heat pretty much stayed pat and made very few changes. They added Shane Battier, Eddy Curry and Rookie Norris Cole, but as we all know, the Heat success boils down to their big 3, mainly Lebron James. This is put up or shut time time for Lebron, which is why I expect him to have his best season this year.
2 (4) MAVERICKS 57-25
The Mavs are the defending NBA Champions, so you probably wondering why I'm ranking them second, especially after getting Lamar Odom for practically nothing from LA and adding Vince Carter. The answer is Tyson Chandler. He was the Mavericks starting center who anchored their defense last year, but now he's he New York and believe me, the Mavericks will be miss dearly.
3 (1) BULLS 62-20
The Bulls believe adding veteran guard Rip Hamilton may be the final piece to their championship puzzle, but I think by late February, it will become evident that his addition is enough. It wouldn't surprise me then to see the Bulls trade Noah and Boozer, or Noah and Deng for Dwight Howard if he's still available by the trade deadline.
4 (5) THUNDER 55-27
Kevin Durant was perhaps the most active player during the lockout, participating in summer league games from Ruckers to Oklahoma and he's returning this season with Dirk's one legged fade away jumper added to his already impressive offensive arsenal. Kendrick Perkins is returning 25 pounds lighter and vowed to Durant that he'll be ready this season. My only concern is the Thunder are returning with the same team from last year, and I really don't think Durant's improvement and Perkins weight loss will be enough to put the Thunder over the hump.
5 (6) CELTICS 56-26
The Celtics improved their interior by trading Glen Davis for Brandon Bass, but losing Jeff Green, who is out for the entire season due to a heart condition, will be extremely difficult to recover from. Adding former all-star David West, would have filled the void created by Green's absence, but West ended up signing with the Pacers instead of the Celtics a few weeks ago.
6 (7) LAKERS 57-25
The Lakers had the worst luck of any team over the last month. For starters, LA traded Gasol and Odom for all-star point guard Chris Paul, only to have the NBA's commissioner David Stern void the trade. This obviously resulted in a very disgruntle Lamar Odom, who was eventually traded to Dallas for a trade exception, which left Lakers fans puzzled. Add that to Kobe's recent divorce followed by his bad wrist and you have to feel bad for the Lakers. Well, don't feel too bad, because the Lakers fortune could instantly change if they trade for Dwight Howard. If they can get Dwight and still keep Gasol, the Lakers could find themselves back on top in no time.
7 (11) GRIZZLIES 46-36
The Grizzlies handled their first order of business by signing center Marc Gasol to an extension. Losing him would have set them back and destroyed the momentum they built during last year's playoff. Having a healthy Rudy Gay back in the lineup should help them maintain a top 10 ranking throughout this season.
8 (2) SPURS 61-21
Spurs owner Peter Holt was one of the hardliners from a small market team during the NBA lockout so I had to ask myself, would he have taken a hard line stance 5 or even 10 years ago when Tim Duncan was in his prime? Of course not! Age catches up with everyone and the Spurs are year older and slower. I would be shocked to see this current Spurs roster finish the season.
9 (13) KNICKS 42-40
The Knicks are definitely better with the addition of Tyson Chandler and rookie Iman Shumpert, but I still believe the Heat, Bulls and a healthy Celtics team has an edge over them. I think in the long run, Iman Shumpert will prove to be an even bigger addition than Tyson Chandler.
10 (23) CLIPPERS 32-50
Without question, the LA Clippers came out ahead during a very short 2 weeks free agency period. Their first move was matching the Warriors 4 year/$43 million offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan, which was expected. What came as the biggest surprise, was their acquisition of Chauncey Billups. After being amnestied by New York, Billups threatened to retire if any team picked him up during waivers, but the Clippers called his bluff and had made the highest bid. The icing on the cake obviously, came when they upstaged the LA Lakers by getting CP3 in a trade. Look out, "Lob City" will be in full effect!
11 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 48-34
The Blazers can't seem to catch a break. Greg Oden is still out, not a surprise, but losing Brandon Roy, who retired because of two bad knees had to be a major blow. To help fill the void, the Blazer signed Jamal Crawford to a 2 year/$10 million deal. However, Oden will have to return and stay healthy if the Blazers expect to take the next step.
12 (9) NUGGETS 50-32
The Nuggets took care of home by re-signing their two key free agents Arron Afflalo and Nene. With Andre Miller and Ty Lawson sharing point guard duties, the Nuggets should have enough to challenge the Warriors and the TrailBlazers for one of the last playoff spots in the West.
13 (8) MAGIC 52-30
Magic general manager Otis Smith is doing everything to save his job by holding on to Dwight Howard for as long as he can and that's not a bad move. The most idiotic thing he could do however, is not trading Dwight in anticipation of re-signing him next summer. If Dwight makes it to free agency, the Magic can forget about trading him to LA for Bynum, because I think at that point he would rather sign with the Mavs or the Nets.
14 (14) HAWKS 44-38
Losing Jamal Crawford will prove to be costly for the Hawks, he was their instant offense off the bench. On top of that, the Hawks didn't make any moves over the last two weeks, so I really don't know what direction the Hawks are heading. If they're just content making the playoffs fine, but a trade has to be made if they expect to contend for a title.
15 (16) ROCKETS 43-39
With Kevin McHale on board as the Rockets new head coach, it made perfect sense why the Rockets went after Pau Gasol. McHale is a big man's coach and Gasol's game would have been the perfect replacement for the retired Yao Ming. Unfortunate for the Rockets, the trade was voided, but to the Rockets credit, they were able to sign free agent center Samuel Dalembert. Something tells me though that the Rockets are not done dealing.
16 (17) PACERS 37-45
Signing David West was an excellent addition for the Pacers. My only concern is whether he will return back to the player he was before his surgery when he averaged 19ppg and 7.6rpg. I also expect the Pacers Paul George to make a major impact and to contend for the NBA's MIP Award this season.
17 (15) 76ERS 41-41
The Sixers made a strong showing last year, but with no key additions they are on the cusp of going either way. You can expect the trade chatter surrounding Igou to start if the Sixers get off to a slow start.
18 (12) HORNETS 46-36
I think most NBA observers would agree that the trade bringing in Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, would have made the Hornets a playoff team, but the commission opted instead to put the team in a better position financially for the next buyer. I know a starting lineup of Eric Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, Okafor and Jerrett Jack could eventually develop into playoff team, but I don't see them making the playoff this year.
19 (20) WARRIORS 36-46
Rookie Klay Thompson has a bright future and new head coach Mark Jackson will make the Warriors a much better defensive team. Unfortunately, the Clippers matched the Warriors offer to center DeAndre Jordan, leaving them to settle for "butter fingers" center Kwame Brown. I expect them to battle the Nuggets and Blazers for one of the last two playoffs spots.
20 (18) SUNS 40-42
Poor Steve Nash is all I can say. Phoenix will not make the playoffs and unfortunate for Nash, his value is not what it used to be. His numbers were still amazing last season at 14.7ppg and a league leading 11.4apg, but Nash will be 38 in February. I think the best thing Phoenix can do is trade him, at least so he has a chance to win a title, especially since they are not even going to make the playoffs this season.
21 (22) BOBCATS 34-48
Watch out for Kemba Walker! I expect him to battle Kyrie Irving for the NBA's ROY Award. I am going on record right now to predict that Kemba will average 17.5 to 20ppg along with 6apg. His field goal percentage will probably be in the low 40s, but by the end of the season this kid will end up being the biggest steal in this year's draft, I guarantee it!
22 (19) JAZZ 39-43
The Jazz are going through a transition and though I believe Enes Kanter has a bright future, he is still very raw. If you're a Jazz fan, I hate to say, but your team is at least 2 seasons away from being a playoff team. But don't be discouraged, because things can change very quickly in this league. Just look at the LA Clippers.
23 (21) BUCKS 35-47
I expect Stephen Jackson to bring his winning ways to Milwaukee, but in order for them to make the playoffs starting point guard Brandon Jennings must excel in two areas. He must increase his field goal percentage from 39 to at least 45 percent and his assist must increase to 8 plus a game. He'll average 20 plus points if he shoots 45 percent from the field and 8 assists per game would mean he's getting the entire team involved. Basically, Brandon Jennings will have to play like an all-star for the Bucks to have any chance of making the playoffs.
24 (25) KINGS 24-58
Say what you want about not being able to play defense, but one thing rookie Jimmer Fredette can do and that's shoot the basketball. He is going to average over 12ppg or more off the bench and I wouldn't be surprise if he's in the starting lineup by mid season. If you're wondering why the Kings didn't sign Samuel Dalembert, well, the answer is DeMarcus Cousins. I expect him to average 20ppg and 10 rebounds this year. The Kings will not make the playoffs this year, but they will be very exciting to watch thanks to the Jimmer and a breakout season by DeMarcus Cousins.
25 (26) WIZARDS 29-53
After a breakout season last year Wizards shooting guard Nick Young expected to get a nice contract, but that was before the lockout and the challenge brought on by his own teammate Jordan Crawford, the player who claimed he's better than the real Jordan. The competition between the two shooting guards should make the Wizards a better team, but John Wall will have to have a breakout year in order for the Wizards to have a shot at making the playoffs. By his standard, Wall with have to average 22 or more points per game with at least 10apg.
26 (27) NETS 24-58
Brook Lopez will be out 6 to 8 weeks recovering from a foot surgery and his absence will have two effect. The Nets will obviously miss his 20 points and 6 rebounds per game, but more importantly, the Nets hopes of trading for Dwight Howard will have to be put on hold until Lopez recovers. I still expect Howard to end up in New Jersey, unless Lakers are willing to trade both Gasol and Bynum for Howard, in which case, he'll be a Lakers for sure.
27 (30) TIMBERWOLVES 17-65
Ricky Rubio has finally arrived, Love is in his contract year and Derrick Williams will challenge Beasley for the starting forward spot. Those will be the three story lines coming out of Sota this season.
28 (27) PISTONS
Brandon Knight is a stud, but the Pistons will regret not drafting Kemba Walker. The Pistons are clearly in rebuilding mode. Rip left and Tayshaun was re-signed, but I expect him to get traded eventually. The one player the Pistons should be excited about is Austin Daye, I expect him to have a breakout season.
29 (29) CAVALIERS 19-63
The Cavaliers are at the bottom of the totem pole right now, but this could all change by next season. For starter, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will make the all-nba rookie first team and are two great building blocks for the Cavaliers. Secondly, the Cavs will be $28 million under the cap, putting them in position to sign two max free agents. Imagine if they end up with a bad enough record and end up drafting Anthony Davis next summer to pair up with Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thomas. And then just for kicks, offered Dwight Howard and Deron Williams max contracts, they would immediately become serious contenders for years.
30 (28) RAPTORS 22-60
As of today, I believe the Raptors are the worst team in basketball. Hopefully, new head coach Dwyane Casey's defensive schemes are adopted by his team, because it will be a miracle with their current roster. I'm sure the Raptors will improve because I have a lot of faith in Dwyane Casey's coaching ability, but as of Dec 24th, 2011, the Raptors are the 30th ranked team in the NBA.
1 (3) HEAT 58-24
The Heat pretty much stayed pat and made very few changes. They added Shane Battier, Eddy Curry and Rookie Norris Cole, but as we all know, the Heat success boils down to their big 3, mainly Lebron James. This is put up or shut time time for Lebron, which is why I expect him to have his best season this year.
2 (4) MAVERICKS 57-25
The Mavs are the defending NBA Champions, so you probably wondering why I'm ranking them second, especially after getting Lamar Odom for practically nothing from LA and adding Vince Carter. The answer is Tyson Chandler. He was the Mavericks starting center who anchored their defense last year, but now he's he New York and believe me, the Mavericks will be miss dearly.
3 (1) BULLS 62-20
The Bulls believe adding veteran guard Rip Hamilton may be the final piece to their championship puzzle, but I think by late February, it will become evident that his addition is enough. It wouldn't surprise me then to see the Bulls trade Noah and Boozer, or Noah and Deng for Dwight Howard if he's still available by the trade deadline.
4 (5) THUNDER 55-27
Kevin Durant was perhaps the most active player during the lockout, participating in summer league games from Ruckers to Oklahoma and he's returning this season with Dirk's one legged fade away jumper added to his already impressive offensive arsenal. Kendrick Perkins is returning 25 pounds lighter and vowed to Durant that he'll be ready this season. My only concern is the Thunder are returning with the same team from last year, and I really don't think Durant's improvement and Perkins weight loss will be enough to put the Thunder over the hump.
5 (6) CELTICS 56-26
The Celtics improved their interior by trading Glen Davis for Brandon Bass, but losing Jeff Green, who is out for the entire season due to a heart condition, will be extremely difficult to recover from. Adding former all-star David West, would have filled the void created by Green's absence, but West ended up signing with the Pacers instead of the Celtics a few weeks ago.
6 (7) LAKERS 57-25
The Lakers had the worst luck of any team over the last month. For starters, LA traded Gasol and Odom for all-star point guard Chris Paul, only to have the NBA's commissioner David Stern void the trade. This obviously resulted in a very disgruntle Lamar Odom, who was eventually traded to Dallas for a trade exception, which left Lakers fans puzzled. Add that to Kobe's recent divorce followed by his bad wrist and you have to feel bad for the Lakers. Well, don't feel too bad, because the Lakers fortune could instantly change if they trade for Dwight Howard. If they can get Dwight and still keep Gasol, the Lakers could find themselves back on top in no time.
7 (11) GRIZZLIES 46-36
The Grizzlies handled their first order of business by signing center Marc Gasol to an extension. Losing him would have set them back and destroyed the momentum they built during last year's playoff. Having a healthy Rudy Gay back in the lineup should help them maintain a top 10 ranking throughout this season.
8 (2) SPURS 61-21
Spurs owner Peter Holt was one of the hardliners from a small market team during the NBA lockout so I had to ask myself, would he have taken a hard line stance 5 or even 10 years ago when Tim Duncan was in his prime? Of course not! Age catches up with everyone and the Spurs are year older and slower. I would be shocked to see this current Spurs roster finish the season.
9 (13) KNICKS 42-40
The Knicks are definitely better with the addition of Tyson Chandler and rookie Iman Shumpert, but I still believe the Heat, Bulls and a healthy Celtics team has an edge over them. I think in the long run, Iman Shumpert will prove to be an even bigger addition than Tyson Chandler.
10 (23) CLIPPERS 32-50
Without question, the LA Clippers came out ahead during a very short 2 weeks free agency period. Their first move was matching the Warriors 4 year/$43 million offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan, which was expected. What came as the biggest surprise, was their acquisition of Chauncey Billups. After being amnestied by New York, Billups threatened to retire if any team picked him up during waivers, but the Clippers called his bluff and had made the highest bid. The icing on the cake obviously, came when they upstaged the LA Lakers by getting CP3 in a trade. Look out, "Lob City" will be in full effect!
11 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 48-34
The Blazers can't seem to catch a break. Greg Oden is still out, not a surprise, but losing Brandon Roy, who retired because of two bad knees had to be a major blow. To help fill the void, the Blazer signed Jamal Crawford to a 2 year/$10 million deal. However, Oden will have to return and stay healthy if the Blazers expect to take the next step.
12 (9) NUGGETS 50-32
The Nuggets took care of home by re-signing their two key free agents Arron Afflalo and Nene. With Andre Miller and Ty Lawson sharing point guard duties, the Nuggets should have enough to challenge the Warriors and the TrailBlazers for one of the last playoff spots in the West.
13 (8) MAGIC 52-30
Magic general manager Otis Smith is doing everything to save his job by holding on to Dwight Howard for as long as he can and that's not a bad move. The most idiotic thing he could do however, is not trading Dwight in anticipation of re-signing him next summer. If Dwight makes it to free agency, the Magic can forget about trading him to LA for Bynum, because I think at that point he would rather sign with the Mavs or the Nets.
14 (14) HAWKS 44-38
Losing Jamal Crawford will prove to be costly for the Hawks, he was their instant offense off the bench. On top of that, the Hawks didn't make any moves over the last two weeks, so I really don't know what direction the Hawks are heading. If they're just content making the playoffs fine, but a trade has to be made if they expect to contend for a title.
15 (16) ROCKETS 43-39
With Kevin McHale on board as the Rockets new head coach, it made perfect sense why the Rockets went after Pau Gasol. McHale is a big man's coach and Gasol's game would have been the perfect replacement for the retired Yao Ming. Unfortunate for the Rockets, the trade was voided, but to the Rockets credit, they were able to sign free agent center Samuel Dalembert. Something tells me though that the Rockets are not done dealing.
16 (17) PACERS 37-45
Signing David West was an excellent addition for the Pacers. My only concern is whether he will return back to the player he was before his surgery when he averaged 19ppg and 7.6rpg. I also expect the Pacers Paul George to make a major impact and to contend for the NBA's MIP Award this season.
17 (15) 76ERS 41-41
The Sixers made a strong showing last year, but with no key additions they are on the cusp of going either way. You can expect the trade chatter surrounding Igou to start if the Sixers get off to a slow start.
18 (12) HORNETS 46-36
I think most NBA observers would agree that the trade bringing in Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, would have made the Hornets a playoff team, but the commission opted instead to put the team in a better position financially for the next buyer. I know a starting lineup of Eric Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, Okafor and Jerrett Jack could eventually develop into playoff team, but I don't see them making the playoff this year.
19 (20) WARRIORS 36-46
Rookie Klay Thompson has a bright future and new head coach Mark Jackson will make the Warriors a much better defensive team. Unfortunately, the Clippers matched the Warriors offer to center DeAndre Jordan, leaving them to settle for "butter fingers" center Kwame Brown. I expect them to battle the Nuggets and Blazers for one of the last two playoffs spots.
20 (18) SUNS 40-42
Poor Steve Nash is all I can say. Phoenix will not make the playoffs and unfortunate for Nash, his value is not what it used to be. His numbers were still amazing last season at 14.7ppg and a league leading 11.4apg, but Nash will be 38 in February. I think the best thing Phoenix can do is trade him, at least so he has a chance to win a title, especially since they are not even going to make the playoffs this season.
21 (22) BOBCATS 34-48
Watch out for Kemba Walker! I expect him to battle Kyrie Irving for the NBA's ROY Award. I am going on record right now to predict that Kemba will average 17.5 to 20ppg along with 6apg. His field goal percentage will probably be in the low 40s, but by the end of the season this kid will end up being the biggest steal in this year's draft, I guarantee it!
22 (19) JAZZ 39-43
The Jazz are going through a transition and though I believe Enes Kanter has a bright future, he is still very raw. If you're a Jazz fan, I hate to say, but your team is at least 2 seasons away from being a playoff team. But don't be discouraged, because things can change very quickly in this league. Just look at the LA Clippers.
23 (21) BUCKS 35-47
I expect Stephen Jackson to bring his winning ways to Milwaukee, but in order for them to make the playoffs starting point guard Brandon Jennings must excel in two areas. He must increase his field goal percentage from 39 to at least 45 percent and his assist must increase to 8 plus a game. He'll average 20 plus points if he shoots 45 percent from the field and 8 assists per game would mean he's getting the entire team involved. Basically, Brandon Jennings will have to play like an all-star for the Bucks to have any chance of making the playoffs.
24 (25) KINGS 24-58
Say what you want about not being able to play defense, but one thing rookie Jimmer Fredette can do and that's shoot the basketball. He is going to average over 12ppg or more off the bench and I wouldn't be surprise if he's in the starting lineup by mid season. If you're wondering why the Kings didn't sign Samuel Dalembert, well, the answer is DeMarcus Cousins. I expect him to average 20ppg and 10 rebounds this year. The Kings will not make the playoffs this year, but they will be very exciting to watch thanks to the Jimmer and a breakout season by DeMarcus Cousins.
25 (26) WIZARDS 29-53
After a breakout season last year Wizards shooting guard Nick Young expected to get a nice contract, but that was before the lockout and the challenge brought on by his own teammate Jordan Crawford, the player who claimed he's better than the real Jordan. The competition between the two shooting guards should make the Wizards a better team, but John Wall will have to have a breakout year in order for the Wizards to have a shot at making the playoffs. By his standard, Wall with have to average 22 or more points per game with at least 10apg.
26 (27) NETS 24-58
Brook Lopez will be out 6 to 8 weeks recovering from a foot surgery and his absence will have two effect. The Nets will obviously miss his 20 points and 6 rebounds per game, but more importantly, the Nets hopes of trading for Dwight Howard will have to be put on hold until Lopez recovers. I still expect Howard to end up in New Jersey, unless Lakers are willing to trade both Gasol and Bynum for Howard, in which case, he'll be a Lakers for sure.
27 (30) TIMBERWOLVES 17-65
Ricky Rubio has finally arrived, Love is in his contract year and Derrick Williams will challenge Beasley for the starting forward spot. Those will be the three story lines coming out of Sota this season.
28 (27) PISTONS
Brandon Knight is a stud, but the Pistons will regret not drafting Kemba Walker. The Pistons are clearly in rebuilding mode. Rip left and Tayshaun was re-signed, but I expect him to get traded eventually. The one player the Pistons should be excited about is Austin Daye, I expect him to have a breakout season.
29 (29) CAVALIERS 19-63
The Cavaliers are at the bottom of the totem pole right now, but this could all change by next season. For starter, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will make the all-nba rookie first team and are two great building blocks for the Cavaliers. Secondly, the Cavs will be $28 million under the cap, putting them in position to sign two max free agents. Imagine if they end up with a bad enough record and end up drafting Anthony Davis next summer to pair up with Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thomas. And then just for kicks, offered Dwight Howard and Deron Williams max contracts, they would immediately become serious contenders for years.
30 (28) RAPTORS 22-60
As of today, I believe the Raptors are the worst team in basketball. Hopefully, new head coach Dwyane Casey's defensive schemes are adopted by his team, because it will be a miracle with their current roster. I'm sure the Raptors will improve because I have a lot of faith in Dwyane Casey's coaching ability, but as of Dec 24th, 2011, the Raptors are the 30th ranked team in the NBA.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 NBA FINALS PREDICTION
NBA FINALS
MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25)
It all started 216 days ago with 30 teams all vying for that elusive NBA title, and now it’s down to two teams, the Dallas Mavericks and the overly scrutinized Miami Heat. Before the 2010-11 season started I predicted that the Heat would be in the NBA Finals and eventually win it all, but I also predicted that their Finals opponents would be the Lakers, but as we all know the Dallas Mavericks changed that outcome with their 4-game sweep of the two time defending champs.
The Mavs used a three pronged method to post a 12-3 record in the playoffs this year, and until now have been successful in orchestrating it. First, there’s the Re-Dirkulous factor. The guy has been an absolute beast. When it seem like he couldn’t get any better, he took his game to the next level in the Conference Finals when he averaged 32.2ppg on 55.7 percent shooting while making 96.7 percent of his free throws. The Miami Heat would be in a lot of trouble if they allow Dirk to average those type of numbers against them in the Finals.
The second reason for the Mavericks success is because of how well they’ve shot the ball from the perimeter. In their final game against the Lakers, they made 20 of 32 free throws with Mavericks guard Jason Terry making 9 of 10 from down town. Up until now, the Mavs have been deadly from the perimeter, which allowed them to space the floor well given Dirk all the room to operate.
Finally, the Mavericks rebounding, especially on the offensive end has been one of the key to their success. I understand they were outrebounded by OKC in the last series, but at very crucial times, they came up with huge offensive rebounds, which has been their staple throughout the playoffs.
The Miami Heat on the other end also have a 12-3 record in this year’s playoffs and their success comes down to two things; their defense and their “big 3” in particular, the play of Lebron James, the NBA’s best player.
The Miami Heat trio enters the Finals averaging 68.3 points in 15 playoff games. Their average would have probably been a little higher, but took a dip due to D-Wade’s 18.8 point average against the Bulls in the Conference Finals. However, those numbers were against the NBA’s best defensive team, a staple that the Mavericks cannot hang their hat on.
The Heat will go as far as their “big 3” takes them, but the team’s defense is what they hang their hat on and as the old saying goes, “offense wins games and defense wins championships.” Against the Bulls, the Heat took their defense to another level and completely shut down D-Rose, the NBA’s youngest MVP. Their stifling defense held Rose to 35 percent shooting. Rose only managed to get 117 points on 120 shots. Rose only made 2 of the 13 shots he attempted with Lebron guarding him and completely disappear in the fourth quarters in games 2 through 5.
For the Mavs it basically comes down to the three things I mentioned earlier. Can Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Barea and Peja continue making perimeter shots to give Dirk room to dominate? Can Dirk continue dominating at the torrid pace that he’s been on throughout the playoffs? Finally, will the Mavs dominate the rebounding department, especially offensive rebounding? All three of these scenarios must work in the Mavs favor in order for them to defeat the Heat in Finals.
On Miami side, their “big 3” must average 70 or more points with 22 plus rebounds for the entire series. Also, their defense must slow down the Mavericks perimeter players and force them to put the ball on the floor as oppose to shooting wide open uncontested 3s. Finally, just like in the last series, they must battle the Mavericks on the boards and limit them from getting too many second chance opportunities.
If both teams play their best basketball, two things will then determine who wins the series. Defense and which team ultimately has the best player would,in which case the Heat will have the advantage. If you look at every NBA Finals dating back to over 30 years ago, the winner of every championship has always had the best player in the series. I believe Lebron James will have a better series than Dirk and finally solidify that he is the NBA’s best player.
HEAT in 6
MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25)
It all started 216 days ago with 30 teams all vying for that elusive NBA title, and now it’s down to two teams, the Dallas Mavericks and the overly scrutinized Miami Heat. Before the 2010-11 season started I predicted that the Heat would be in the NBA Finals and eventually win it all, but I also predicted that their Finals opponents would be the Lakers, but as we all know the Dallas Mavericks changed that outcome with their 4-game sweep of the two time defending champs.
The Mavs used a three pronged method to post a 12-3 record in the playoffs this year, and until now have been successful in orchestrating it. First, there’s the Re-Dirkulous factor. The guy has been an absolute beast. When it seem like he couldn’t get any better, he took his game to the next level in the Conference Finals when he averaged 32.2ppg on 55.7 percent shooting while making 96.7 percent of his free throws. The Miami Heat would be in a lot of trouble if they allow Dirk to average those type of numbers against them in the Finals.
The second reason for the Mavericks success is because of how well they’ve shot the ball from the perimeter. In their final game against the Lakers, they made 20 of 32 free throws with Mavericks guard Jason Terry making 9 of 10 from down town. Up until now, the Mavs have been deadly from the perimeter, which allowed them to space the floor well given Dirk all the room to operate.
Finally, the Mavericks rebounding, especially on the offensive end has been one of the key to their success. I understand they were outrebounded by OKC in the last series, but at very crucial times, they came up with huge offensive rebounds, which has been their staple throughout the playoffs.
The Miami Heat on the other end also have a 12-3 record in this year’s playoffs and their success comes down to two things; their defense and their “big 3” in particular, the play of Lebron James, the NBA’s best player.
The Miami Heat trio enters the Finals averaging 68.3 points in 15 playoff games. Their average would have probably been a little higher, but took a dip due to D-Wade’s 18.8 point average against the Bulls in the Conference Finals. However, those numbers were against the NBA’s best defensive team, a staple that the Mavericks cannot hang their hat on.
The Heat will go as far as their “big 3” takes them, but the team’s defense is what they hang their hat on and as the old saying goes, “offense wins games and defense wins championships.” Against the Bulls, the Heat took their defense to another level and completely shut down D-Rose, the NBA’s youngest MVP. Their stifling defense held Rose to 35 percent shooting. Rose only managed to get 117 points on 120 shots. Rose only made 2 of the 13 shots he attempted with Lebron guarding him and completely disappear in the fourth quarters in games 2 through 5.
For the Mavs it basically comes down to the three things I mentioned earlier. Can Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Barea and Peja continue making perimeter shots to give Dirk room to dominate? Can Dirk continue dominating at the torrid pace that he’s been on throughout the playoffs? Finally, will the Mavs dominate the rebounding department, especially offensive rebounding? All three of these scenarios must work in the Mavs favor in order for them to defeat the Heat in Finals.
On Miami side, their “big 3” must average 70 or more points with 22 plus rebounds for the entire series. Also, their defense must slow down the Mavericks perimeter players and force them to put the ball on the floor as oppose to shooting wide open uncontested 3s. Finally, just like in the last series, they must battle the Mavericks on the boards and limit them from getting too many second chance opportunities.
If both teams play their best basketball, two things will then determine who wins the series. Defense and which team ultimately has the best player would,in which case the Heat will have the advantage. If you look at every NBA Finals dating back to over 30 years ago, the winner of every championship has always had the best player in the series. I believe Lebron James will have a better series than Dirk and finally solidify that he is the NBA’s best player.
HEAT in 6
Monday, May 16, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 PLAYOFFS PREDICTION CONFERENCE FINALS
Before the playoffs started, I predicted that the Oklahoma City Thunder would face the Lakers in the Western Conference Final, but I backed off that prediction after the Grizzlies manhandled the Spurs. Going into the Semi-Finals, I truly believed that the Grizzlies would win in 6 games, and they probably might have, had they won the triple overtime thriller in game 4. The Thunder were able to win the series and find themselves in the Western Conference Finals as I initially predicted before the playoffs, and have a date with the Dallas Mavericks, which is a huge surprise considering the Lakers were the overwhelming favorite.
Let’s be honest, outside of Dallas, I don’t think anyone anticipated the Lakers losing to the Mavs, let alone being swept. Phil Jackson, the Lakers head coach with 11-championship rings had never been swept in a playoff series and was expected to lead his team to the NBA Finals at the very least, but the Mavericks pulled off the improbable by sweeping the Lake-show. I think if I had to point to one reason why the Mavs won, I’ll sum it up by saying they simply refused to take their feet of the pedal. I think this was personified by Dirk, who on several occasions, was quoted saying how he “would never forget how they were up 2-0 against the 2006 Miami Heat championship, but eventually ended up losing the series.” Now Dirk has inched one step closer to his goal of ultimately winning the championship, but Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may have something to say about it.
Unlike the West, I looked like an absolutely genius with my prediction in the Eastern Conference. I picked the Bulls over the Hawks in 6 and the Heat over the Celtics in 5 and I was right on the money. As for the Hawks, I believe they overachieved and went as far as they could, but they simply weren’t good enough to beat the Bulls. The Hawks definitely need to shake up their roster, if they expect to compete with the upper echelon teams in the East.
In the other series, the Miami Heat finally defeated their nemesis, the Boston Celtics and watching Lebron Kneel on the court at the end of the game will eventually go down as his most memorable moment in this year’s playoffs. If the Heat wins the NBA championship, that moment would be described as the moment they finally got over the hump, if they lose, Lebron will forever be criticized for celebrating before ever winning the championship. As for the Celtics, I believe they still have another run left in them and the addition of a perimeter defender along with a solid big should put them in the position to contend next season. With the Heat and Bulls moving on, I anticipate a very exciting Conference Finals, which I am predicting will go 6 games.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(2) DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25) vs (4) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27)Sometimes winning the championship comes down to facing the best matchups and the Mavericks are certainly happy to be facing the Thunder rather than the Grizzlies. The Mavs were only 1-3 against the Grizzlies during the regular season, but two of those losses were only by a point, so ultimately I would have still picked the Mavs to advance to the NBA Finals. With that said, the Mavs have date with the Oklahoma City Thunder and this series is going to be a dog fight, but I am picking the Mavs because they have one ingredient that will counter the Thunder greatest strength on defense and that will be displayed in the Dirk-Ibaka matchup.
The Thunder have dominated on defense in the playoffs not because of the addition of Kendrick Perkins, but mainly because of the insertion of Serge Ibaka into the starting lineup. Ibaka is leading the NBA playoffs with 3.6 blocks in only 28.8 minutes and if he’s not blocking, changes every shot attempt at the rim and when I say every, I mean “every shot.” The problem with that is in this series he will more than likely be matched up against Dirk who can get you 40 points on only jumpers. With Ibaka guarding Dirk on the perimeter, the Thunder interior defense will not be the same. If he chooses to protect the paint instead, then you can expect Dirk to average over 30 points in this series.
In addition to the Dirk-Ibaka matchup, I believe the Mavs have an advantage because they simply have way too many scorers. The only way I see the Thunder winning this series is if their trio of Durant-Westbrook-Harden averages 75 or more points for their entire series in addition to Ibaka making Dirk a volume shooter, meaning having Dirk take 25 more shots to get 25 or more points. Personally I think the Mavericks scoring will simply be too much for the Thunder to overcome.
MAVERICKS in 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs (2) MIAMI HEAT (58-24)
The Bulls were 3-0 against the Heat in the regular season, winning all 3 games by a combined 8 points. The Heat did not have Lebron in one of those games and in the second game, Bosh made only 1 of the 18 shots he took, so I am not going to put too much on the regular season. This series is going to be very different from the regular season and I expect the Heat to emerge victorious for several reasons.
Miami will go as far as their big 3 of Wade-Lebron-Bosh will take them, but I think we need to look at it from a matchup standpoint. The first thing that needs to happen, is Chris Bosh must outplay Carlos Boozer if the Heat expects to win the series. I don’t think the Heat will win the series if Bosh evens out Boozer, because Boozer’s backup Gibson more than fills in at the power forward spot off the bench. So if Bosh only cancels out Boozer and Gibson plays well, then the Bulls will win the power forward matchup, which is why it is imperative that Bosh outplays Boozer. The only way the Heat wins this matchup with Bosh playing average is if Haslem averages a double-double in points and rebounds off the bench. The problem with that is Haslem only recently returned after missing 77 regular season and playoff games. The Heat with definitely need Haslem energy off the bench, regardless of the fact that he just returned, if they expect to win the power forward matchup. I don’t expect Haslem to be much of a factor scoring wise, but his energy will be a factor before this series is over.
The second matchup that will determine this series will be Wade-Lebron vs. D-Rose-Deng-Noah. Due to the fact that the Heat have a weaker bench than the Bulls, I have to include Noah even though he is not a perimeter player like the other four. The only way the Heat can make up for Noah’s offensive rebounding an overall activity, is if Wade and Lebron can outplay Rose, Deng and Noah. By this I mean that Lebron and Wade will have to outscore and outrebound Rose, Deng and Noah if they expect to win the series, if they cannot, then someone from their bench must bring in the energy and rebounding. The key number is 50 plus points and 22 or more rebounds. The question is can Lebron and Wade average that for the entire series or, is it more likely that the Bulls trio of Rose, Deng and Noah will be the ones averaging 50-22 for the series?
If you notice, in both matchups scenarios, the one involving Boozer and Bosh, and the one involving Wade, Lebron against Rose, Deng and Noah, the key will come down to two things. One, can Wade and Lebron duplicate the performance they had against the Celtics? And two, will Haslem be the X factor that takes the Heat over the hump? Meaning, can Haslem average 8 points and 8 or more rebounds (with 3 plus offensive rebounds per game) off the bench even though he missed 77 games this season and has only play 7 minutes this post season? I doubt Haslem will be able to do that, but I strongly believe Lebron and Wade are the two best players in this series, with Rose being the third, which is why I am picking the Heat to win this series.
HEAT in 6
Let’s be honest, outside of Dallas, I don’t think anyone anticipated the Lakers losing to the Mavs, let alone being swept. Phil Jackson, the Lakers head coach with 11-championship rings had never been swept in a playoff series and was expected to lead his team to the NBA Finals at the very least, but the Mavericks pulled off the improbable by sweeping the Lake-show. I think if I had to point to one reason why the Mavs won, I’ll sum it up by saying they simply refused to take their feet of the pedal. I think this was personified by Dirk, who on several occasions, was quoted saying how he “would never forget how they were up 2-0 against the 2006 Miami Heat championship, but eventually ended up losing the series.” Now Dirk has inched one step closer to his goal of ultimately winning the championship, but Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may have something to say about it.
Unlike the West, I looked like an absolutely genius with my prediction in the Eastern Conference. I picked the Bulls over the Hawks in 6 and the Heat over the Celtics in 5 and I was right on the money. As for the Hawks, I believe they overachieved and went as far as they could, but they simply weren’t good enough to beat the Bulls. The Hawks definitely need to shake up their roster, if they expect to compete with the upper echelon teams in the East.
In the other series, the Miami Heat finally defeated their nemesis, the Boston Celtics and watching Lebron Kneel on the court at the end of the game will eventually go down as his most memorable moment in this year’s playoffs. If the Heat wins the NBA championship, that moment would be described as the moment they finally got over the hump, if they lose, Lebron will forever be criticized for celebrating before ever winning the championship. As for the Celtics, I believe they still have another run left in them and the addition of a perimeter defender along with a solid big should put them in the position to contend next season. With the Heat and Bulls moving on, I anticipate a very exciting Conference Finals, which I am predicting will go 6 games.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(2) DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25) vs (4) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27)Sometimes winning the championship comes down to facing the best matchups and the Mavericks are certainly happy to be facing the Thunder rather than the Grizzlies. The Mavs were only 1-3 against the Grizzlies during the regular season, but two of those losses were only by a point, so ultimately I would have still picked the Mavs to advance to the NBA Finals. With that said, the Mavs have date with the Oklahoma City Thunder and this series is going to be a dog fight, but I am picking the Mavs because they have one ingredient that will counter the Thunder greatest strength on defense and that will be displayed in the Dirk-Ibaka matchup.
The Thunder have dominated on defense in the playoffs not because of the addition of Kendrick Perkins, but mainly because of the insertion of Serge Ibaka into the starting lineup. Ibaka is leading the NBA playoffs with 3.6 blocks in only 28.8 minutes and if he’s not blocking, changes every shot attempt at the rim and when I say every, I mean “every shot.” The problem with that is in this series he will more than likely be matched up against Dirk who can get you 40 points on only jumpers. With Ibaka guarding Dirk on the perimeter, the Thunder interior defense will not be the same. If he chooses to protect the paint instead, then you can expect Dirk to average over 30 points in this series.
In addition to the Dirk-Ibaka matchup, I believe the Mavs have an advantage because they simply have way too many scorers. The only way I see the Thunder winning this series is if their trio of Durant-Westbrook-Harden averages 75 or more points for their entire series in addition to Ibaka making Dirk a volume shooter, meaning having Dirk take 25 more shots to get 25 or more points. Personally I think the Mavericks scoring will simply be too much for the Thunder to overcome.
MAVERICKS in 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs (2) MIAMI HEAT (58-24)
The Bulls were 3-0 against the Heat in the regular season, winning all 3 games by a combined 8 points. The Heat did not have Lebron in one of those games and in the second game, Bosh made only 1 of the 18 shots he took, so I am not going to put too much on the regular season. This series is going to be very different from the regular season and I expect the Heat to emerge victorious for several reasons.
Miami will go as far as their big 3 of Wade-Lebron-Bosh will take them, but I think we need to look at it from a matchup standpoint. The first thing that needs to happen, is Chris Bosh must outplay Carlos Boozer if the Heat expects to win the series. I don’t think the Heat will win the series if Bosh evens out Boozer, because Boozer’s backup Gibson more than fills in at the power forward spot off the bench. So if Bosh only cancels out Boozer and Gibson plays well, then the Bulls will win the power forward matchup, which is why it is imperative that Bosh outplays Boozer. The only way the Heat wins this matchup with Bosh playing average is if Haslem averages a double-double in points and rebounds off the bench. The problem with that is Haslem only recently returned after missing 77 regular season and playoff games. The Heat with definitely need Haslem energy off the bench, regardless of the fact that he just returned, if they expect to win the power forward matchup. I don’t expect Haslem to be much of a factor scoring wise, but his energy will be a factor before this series is over.
The second matchup that will determine this series will be Wade-Lebron vs. D-Rose-Deng-Noah. Due to the fact that the Heat have a weaker bench than the Bulls, I have to include Noah even though he is not a perimeter player like the other four. The only way the Heat can make up for Noah’s offensive rebounding an overall activity, is if Wade and Lebron can outplay Rose, Deng and Noah. By this I mean that Lebron and Wade will have to outscore and outrebound Rose, Deng and Noah if they expect to win the series, if they cannot, then someone from their bench must bring in the energy and rebounding. The key number is 50 plus points and 22 or more rebounds. The question is can Lebron and Wade average that for the entire series or, is it more likely that the Bulls trio of Rose, Deng and Noah will be the ones averaging 50-22 for the series?
If you notice, in both matchups scenarios, the one involving Boozer and Bosh, and the one involving Wade, Lebron against Rose, Deng and Noah, the key will come down to two things. One, can Wade and Lebron duplicate the performance they had against the Celtics? And two, will Haslem be the X factor that takes the Heat over the hump? Meaning, can Haslem average 8 points and 8 or more rebounds (with 3 plus offensive rebounds per game) off the bench even though he missed 77 games this season and has only play 7 minutes this post season? I doubt Haslem will be able to do that, but I strongly believe Lebron and Wade are the two best players in this series, with Rose being the third, which is why I am picking the Heat to win this series.
HEAT in 6
Sunday, May 1, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 PLAYOFF PREDICTION SEMI-PREDICTION
The First Round is over and done with and to my surprise there were two upsets. I predicted a Magic win in 7-games, so it didn’t really surprise me when the Hawks defeated them in 6 games. However, I think I speak for just about every none Grizzlies fan when I say I was definitely shocked to see them upset the Spurs in 6-games. It marked the second time that an eighth seed had defeated a number one seed in a 7-game series (the first was when the Warriors defeated the Mavs in 2007).
I expect the Spurs to break up their entire team next season, but in order to do that, two of the three “big 3” will have to be traded. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tony Parker and Tim Duncan where the two players traded. As far as the Magic goes, there are only two directions the team can take. The first would be to blow up the entire team once again, but unfortunately the likelihood of that happening is very slim because the Magic are loaded with bad contracts. The second scenario seems much more likely and that is the team may try to trade Dwight Howard, similarly to what the Nuggets did with Carmelo and as you would expect, every team will be interested. I think this is the Magic best course of action, because they could leverage Dwight to unload some of their other bad contracts. You can expect the Lakers to put a package together that will include Bynum, the Knicks a package that include Stoudemire, the Nets a package that will include Lopez, the Heat a package that will include Bosh and the list goes on. But this is all speculation and as of now, there are eight teams left and the Semi-Finals in both Conferences starts later today.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(2) LOS ANGELES LAKERS (57-25) vs (3) DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25)
This is going to be a very exciting series and I must say I am really afraid for the Lakers, mainly because of how soft Pau Gasol was against the Hornets. The Mavericks will not go easy on Pau, especially after watching him play the Hornets. I expect the Lakers to win the series, but it will definitely be a dogfight which will eventually come down to Kobe vs Dirk.
The key for the Lakers will have to be the interior play of Pau, Lamar and Bynum. In 3 regular season games the Lakers trio averaged a combined 51.7 points and 25.4 rebounds per game. There is absolute no way the Mavericks can beat Lakers if they allow the Lakers big men to average anywhere close to what they did in the regular season.
On the Mavericks side, you can expect Dirk to cancel out Kobe, which means the two Jasons and their two headed centers will have to be the keys to them winning the series. In the backcourt Jason Kidd and Jason Terry will have to average at least 30points and 12 assists per game between them. The Mavs center combo of Tyson Chandler and Brandon Haywood will have to average at least 20 points and 20 plus rebounds. If that happens and Dirk outplays Kobe, the Mavericks will defeat the Lakers in the series.
The reason I am picking the Lakers is because I believe Kobe has a slight edge over Dirk. Also, the Lakers bigs are more likely to average 50 points and 25 rebounds than it is for the Mavs Jasons to average 30 points and 12 assist along with Chandler and Haywood posting a combined 20/20 average for the entire series.
LAKERS in 7
(4) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27) vs (8) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (46-36)
Kevin Durant is going to be facing an entirely different defense when the Thunder faces the Grizzlies. He will be defended by both Tony Allen and Shane Battier and that combination will bring out the best in Durant. Against the Nuggets, especially in the closeout game when Durant scored 41 points, there were some media folks already proclaiming that he was the best player in the league, wow! As if Lebron, Kobe, D-Wade or Dwight never had big closeout games, or maybe it’s simply because the kid is only 22 years old with talents off the charts.
The key for OKC has to be the play of Kevin Durant. During the regular season he averaged 30.5ppg and 8rpg against the Grizzlies, but the Thunder did lose 3 of 4 games. However, the Thunder did not have Kendrick Perkins in the lineup for any those games. Can Perkins, Mohammed and Ibaka continue to protect the paint as well as they did against the Nuggets? Also, can they provide some much needed points in the paint?
The Key for the Grizzlies will obviously be the interior play of Gasol and Randolph. The Grizzlies will win the series if Gasol and Randolph average a combined 45 points and 25 or more rebounds. That’s the first part at least, because the Griz will have to hold Westbrook and Durant to an average of under 60 points per game for the entire series.
Will Gasol and Randolph average 45-25, or will Westbrook and Durant average over 60 points? I hate to go against Durant, but I think the Grizzlies are extremely confident and still high of their win against the Spurs. Durant will have to average over 35 points in this series along with Westbrook averaging over 25 points and 10 or more assist for the Thunder to beat the Grizzlies and I just don’t see that happening.
GRIZZLIES in 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs (5) ATLANTA HAWKS (44-38)
The Chicago Bulls just got a lucky break as if they needed any, because they may be facing the Hawks without Kirk Hinrich in the lineup, due to a hamstring injury. Hopefully Kirk can return by the time the Hawks return home by game 3, if not, you can expect this to be a very quick series. Without Hinrich, who is an excellent defender, D-Rose will return back to his MVP form because there is no other player on the Hawks that can slow him down.
The key for the Bulls has to be the offensive output of Carlos Boozer. During the First Round, Carlos did not perform up to his $80 million contract the Bulls signed him to last summer. He did average 10.6 rebounds in five games, but only manage to score 10 points per game against Indy. Ironically, in two games against the Hawks in the regular seasons, Boozer performed even worse when he averaged 8.5ppg and 5rpg. If Boozer keeps playing terrible, the Bulls will be in a lot of trouble and his turf toe injury is sure to slow him down.
The Bulls will need another MVP-type performance out of Derrick Rose for the entire series if Boozer continues to play bad. Rose will also have to shoot better in this series. If his shooting percentage is in the high 30s like it was against the Pacers (37.1 percent) or the Hawks during the regular season (38.5 percent), the Bulls will have to rely on their defense and rebounding, which has not failed them yet. For the Bulls to lose Boozer will have to continue playing terrible, D-Rose will have to continue shooting in the high 30s, they will have to be outrebounded by Atlanta and at least three players from Hawks will have to dominate the series.
The key for the Hawks has to be Jamal Crawford, first and foremost. Can he duplicate the performance he had against the Magic, when he averaged 20.5 points per game? Assuming he does, Kirk Hinrich, the Hawks starting point guard will have to return by game 3. In addition to Crawford playing well, Josh Smith and Al Horford will have to outplay Boozer and Noah for the Hawks to upset the Bulls. Too many things have to go right for the Hawks while at the same time, everything will have to go wrong for the Bulls in order for us to see an upset in this series, which is I am picking Chicago to win this series.
BULLS in 6
(2) MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs. (3) BOSTON CELTICS (56-26)
The Boston Celtics have one of if not the best half court offenses in the league, mainly because they have Rondo, their all-star point guard who pushes the ball in transition leading to wide open 3s for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Celtics also used to have perhaps the best and most intimidating defense in the league when they had Kendrick Perkins. Shaq and Jermaine are still on board to fill that void, but though they may have size, they are far from the intimidating presence that Perkins was.
Two things must happen for the Celtics to win the series. First, Shaq and Jermaine must play a combine 40 plus minutes and be very effective both on offense and defense. A combined average of 20 points per game should suffice on offense. Defensively, they must combine to average 3 blocks and 15 or more rebounds. The problem with that is Shaq has been out for several months due to injuries so I don’t expect him to be very effective when he returns, at least not right away. The second key is obviously Rondo, the player referred to as the “head of the snake.” In this series, Rondo must average 12 or more points, 6 plus rebounds with over 14 assist for the entire series.
On the Miami side, Lebron is without question the key to the Heat winning the series. I expect him to average over 32-8-8 and shoot over 50 percent from the field. Anything less will be unacceptable, considering the Celtics have sent him on vacation in 3 of the last 4 years. One thing I will say, Lebron always looks to score against the Celtics, but in this series he will have to be efficient. The second key for the Heat will be the play of Chris Bosh. He must outplay Kevin Garnett and he might be able to by averaging 18 plus points and 10 or more rebounds. Third, Wade needs to overwhelm Allen defensively for the entire series. He needs to outplay him and he’s the better player, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t. Lastly, the Heat must turn Rondo into a scorer. If he averages over 14 assist for the series, that means the Celtics offense was in full gear, but if he averages 18 points with around 7 assists per game that means D-Wade and Lebron were able to shut down Pierce and Allen.
HEAT in 5
I expect the Spurs to break up their entire team next season, but in order to do that, two of the three “big 3” will have to be traded. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tony Parker and Tim Duncan where the two players traded. As far as the Magic goes, there are only two directions the team can take. The first would be to blow up the entire team once again, but unfortunately the likelihood of that happening is very slim because the Magic are loaded with bad contracts. The second scenario seems much more likely and that is the team may try to trade Dwight Howard, similarly to what the Nuggets did with Carmelo and as you would expect, every team will be interested. I think this is the Magic best course of action, because they could leverage Dwight to unload some of their other bad contracts. You can expect the Lakers to put a package together that will include Bynum, the Knicks a package that include Stoudemire, the Nets a package that will include Lopez, the Heat a package that will include Bosh and the list goes on. But this is all speculation and as of now, there are eight teams left and the Semi-Finals in both Conferences starts later today.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(2) LOS ANGELES LAKERS (57-25) vs (3) DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25)
This is going to be a very exciting series and I must say I am really afraid for the Lakers, mainly because of how soft Pau Gasol was against the Hornets. The Mavericks will not go easy on Pau, especially after watching him play the Hornets. I expect the Lakers to win the series, but it will definitely be a dogfight which will eventually come down to Kobe vs Dirk.
The key for the Lakers will have to be the interior play of Pau, Lamar and Bynum. In 3 regular season games the Lakers trio averaged a combined 51.7 points and 25.4 rebounds per game. There is absolute no way the Mavericks can beat Lakers if they allow the Lakers big men to average anywhere close to what they did in the regular season.
On the Mavericks side, you can expect Dirk to cancel out Kobe, which means the two Jasons and their two headed centers will have to be the keys to them winning the series. In the backcourt Jason Kidd and Jason Terry will have to average at least 30points and 12 assists per game between them. The Mavs center combo of Tyson Chandler and Brandon Haywood will have to average at least 20 points and 20 plus rebounds. If that happens and Dirk outplays Kobe, the Mavericks will defeat the Lakers in the series.
The reason I am picking the Lakers is because I believe Kobe has a slight edge over Dirk. Also, the Lakers bigs are more likely to average 50 points and 25 rebounds than it is for the Mavs Jasons to average 30 points and 12 assist along with Chandler and Haywood posting a combined 20/20 average for the entire series.
LAKERS in 7
(4) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27) vs (8) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (46-36)
Kevin Durant is going to be facing an entirely different defense when the Thunder faces the Grizzlies. He will be defended by both Tony Allen and Shane Battier and that combination will bring out the best in Durant. Against the Nuggets, especially in the closeout game when Durant scored 41 points, there were some media folks already proclaiming that he was the best player in the league, wow! As if Lebron, Kobe, D-Wade or Dwight never had big closeout games, or maybe it’s simply because the kid is only 22 years old with talents off the charts.
The key for OKC has to be the play of Kevin Durant. During the regular season he averaged 30.5ppg and 8rpg against the Grizzlies, but the Thunder did lose 3 of 4 games. However, the Thunder did not have Kendrick Perkins in the lineup for any those games. Can Perkins, Mohammed and Ibaka continue to protect the paint as well as they did against the Nuggets? Also, can they provide some much needed points in the paint?
The Key for the Grizzlies will obviously be the interior play of Gasol and Randolph. The Grizzlies will win the series if Gasol and Randolph average a combined 45 points and 25 or more rebounds. That’s the first part at least, because the Griz will have to hold Westbrook and Durant to an average of under 60 points per game for the entire series.
Will Gasol and Randolph average 45-25, or will Westbrook and Durant average over 60 points? I hate to go against Durant, but I think the Grizzlies are extremely confident and still high of their win against the Spurs. Durant will have to average over 35 points in this series along with Westbrook averaging over 25 points and 10 or more assist for the Thunder to beat the Grizzlies and I just don’t see that happening.
GRIZZLIES in 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs (5) ATLANTA HAWKS (44-38)
The Chicago Bulls just got a lucky break as if they needed any, because they may be facing the Hawks without Kirk Hinrich in the lineup, due to a hamstring injury. Hopefully Kirk can return by the time the Hawks return home by game 3, if not, you can expect this to be a very quick series. Without Hinrich, who is an excellent defender, D-Rose will return back to his MVP form because there is no other player on the Hawks that can slow him down.
The key for the Bulls has to be the offensive output of Carlos Boozer. During the First Round, Carlos did not perform up to his $80 million contract the Bulls signed him to last summer. He did average 10.6 rebounds in five games, but only manage to score 10 points per game against Indy. Ironically, in two games against the Hawks in the regular seasons, Boozer performed even worse when he averaged 8.5ppg and 5rpg. If Boozer keeps playing terrible, the Bulls will be in a lot of trouble and his turf toe injury is sure to slow him down.
The Bulls will need another MVP-type performance out of Derrick Rose for the entire series if Boozer continues to play bad. Rose will also have to shoot better in this series. If his shooting percentage is in the high 30s like it was against the Pacers (37.1 percent) or the Hawks during the regular season (38.5 percent), the Bulls will have to rely on their defense and rebounding, which has not failed them yet. For the Bulls to lose Boozer will have to continue playing terrible, D-Rose will have to continue shooting in the high 30s, they will have to be outrebounded by Atlanta and at least three players from Hawks will have to dominate the series.
The key for the Hawks has to be Jamal Crawford, first and foremost. Can he duplicate the performance he had against the Magic, when he averaged 20.5 points per game? Assuming he does, Kirk Hinrich, the Hawks starting point guard will have to return by game 3. In addition to Crawford playing well, Josh Smith and Al Horford will have to outplay Boozer and Noah for the Hawks to upset the Bulls. Too many things have to go right for the Hawks while at the same time, everything will have to go wrong for the Bulls in order for us to see an upset in this series, which is I am picking Chicago to win this series.
BULLS in 6
(2) MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs. (3) BOSTON CELTICS (56-26)
The Boston Celtics have one of if not the best half court offenses in the league, mainly because they have Rondo, their all-star point guard who pushes the ball in transition leading to wide open 3s for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Celtics also used to have perhaps the best and most intimidating defense in the league when they had Kendrick Perkins. Shaq and Jermaine are still on board to fill that void, but though they may have size, they are far from the intimidating presence that Perkins was.
Two things must happen for the Celtics to win the series. First, Shaq and Jermaine must play a combine 40 plus minutes and be very effective both on offense and defense. A combined average of 20 points per game should suffice on offense. Defensively, they must combine to average 3 blocks and 15 or more rebounds. The problem with that is Shaq has been out for several months due to injuries so I don’t expect him to be very effective when he returns, at least not right away. The second key is obviously Rondo, the player referred to as the “head of the snake.” In this series, Rondo must average 12 or more points, 6 plus rebounds with over 14 assist for the entire series.
On the Miami side, Lebron is without question the key to the Heat winning the series. I expect him to average over 32-8-8 and shoot over 50 percent from the field. Anything less will be unacceptable, considering the Celtics have sent him on vacation in 3 of the last 4 years. One thing I will say, Lebron always looks to score against the Celtics, but in this series he will have to be efficient. The second key for the Heat will be the play of Chris Bosh. He must outplay Kevin Garnett and he might be able to by averaging 18 plus points and 10 or more rebounds. Third, Wade needs to overwhelm Allen defensively for the entire series. He needs to outplay him and he’s the better player, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t. Lastly, the Heat must turn Rondo into a scorer. If he averages over 14 assist for the series, that means the Celtics offense was in full gear, but if he averages 18 points with around 7 assists per game that means D-Wade and Lebron were able to shut down Pierce and Allen.
HEAT in 5
Friday, April 15, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 PLAYOFF PREDICTION
The 2011 NBA Playoffs is finally here and it’s going to be very exciting! I expect the Spurs, Lakers, Mavericks and Thunder to advance to the Semi-Finals. I predict that the Thunder will defeat the Spurs and the Lakers will defeat the Mavericks and meet in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers will defeat the Thunder in game-7 and move on to the NBA Finals. In the East, I expect the Bulls, Heat, Celtics and Magic to advance to the Semi-Finals. I expect the Bulls to defeat the Magic and the Heat to defeat the Celtics and then face each other in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat will defeat the Bulls in game 6 and move on to face the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Heat and Lebron James will defeat the Lakers in game 6 to win the NBA Championship.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) SAN ANTONIO SPURS (61-21) vs (8) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (46-36)
The Spurs and the Grizzlies split 4 games during the season with each team winning 2 games at home. If this trend continues in the playoffs, the Spurs would have game 7 at home. The Spurs biggest concern is the health of Manu Ginobili, who is expected to miss game 1. Ultimately, I expect Manu to play in the series, but going up against the Grizzlies Shane Battier and Tony Allen will be very challenging.
The key players for the Grizzlies will be Z-Bo, who averaged 23 points and 14.8 rebounds in 4 games against the Spurs in the regular season and O. J. Mayo, who has replaced Rudy Gay in the starting lineup since Gay’s injury. For the Grizzlies to win this series, Mayo will have to average over 22 points per game in the series and I doubt that will happen which is why I favor the Spurs.
The Key players for San Antonio are Manu and Tony Parker. If Manu is not close to 100 percent, then Parker will have to carry most of the load in the backcourt, which I believe he is capable of doing. I expect the Parker-Ginobili combo to average 40 or more points in the series, which should be enough to hold off the Griz.
PREDICTION: SPURS in 6
(2) LOS ANGELES LAKERS (57-25) vs (7) NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (46-36)
The Lakers won all 4 games against the Hornets during the regular season and in three of those games, the Hornets had their former all-star forward David West in the lineup. West is expected to undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL, so he will not be in the lineup to challenge the Lakers big front line.
There is no reason to focus on the key players for this series, because unless the Hornets Chris Paul averages 30 or more points and 15 plus assist, the Hornets will not win the series. Of all the series in the playoffs, this one is the most unlikely to have an upset. I will be very surprised if the Hornets were even able to win a game in this series.
PREDICTION: LAKERS Sweep
(6) DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25) vs (3) PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (48-34)
I anticipate this series being an absolute dogfight and I expect it to go down to the wire. This is definitely going to be a 7-game series, but the Mavericks will end up being victorious. The acquisition of Gerald Wallace made the Blazers a better defensive team, especially on the wing, which is where the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki lives. And it doesn’t stop there, because even if Dirk goes down low, he will be equally challenged by LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Key player for the Mavericks will have to be Tyson Chandler. In 3 games during the regular season, Chandler averaged 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds against the Blazers and I expect him to average around the same in the series. If the Blazers are successful in slowing down Dirk, Chandler will have to pick up the slack. By that I mean, if Dirk averages say around 20 points, Chandler will have to average at least 15 points and over 10 rebounds to make up for the difference. I think he is capable of doing that.
The Key players for the Blazers will have to be LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Gerald Wallace. In order for the Blazers to upset the Mavericks two things with have to happen. First, their forward trio will have to average over 55 points and 20or more rebounds. Second, they will have to contain Dirk and Tyson Chandler.
PREDICTION: MAVERICKS in 7
(4) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27) vs (5) DENVER NUGGETS (50-32)
This is going to be a very exciting series, but I don’t think it is going to be as competitive as people think. I understand the Nuggets can score with the best of them, but the Thunder are on a mission and not having a go-to-player will prove to be too very difficult for the Nuggets. The Nuggets only chance will be to speed up the game, but regardless of that, I still expect the Nuggets to lose in 6 games.
The key players for the Nuggets will have to be their backcourt, Felton and Lawson. Like I said, for the Nuggets to beat the Thunder, they must speed up the game and it will come down to their two point guards.
As far as the Thunder goes, you don’t have to look any further than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. I think Westbrook is probably more important, because he will determine the tempo of the game.
PREDICTION: THUNDER in 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs (8) INDIANA PACERS (37-45)
The Indiana Pacers made the playoffs by winning only 37 games, the lowest win total since 2005. The Bulls on the other hand have Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau, my prediction for the NBA’s MVP and Coach of the Year Award respectively. I expect the Bulls to win this series convincingly, but the Pacer will get a win or probably two. During the regular season, the Bulls won 3 of 4 against the Pacers in convincing fashion and I expect this trend to continue.
The key players for the Pacers are Tyler Hansbrough and Darren Collison. Hansbrough averaged 20.5 points and made 57.1 percent of his field goal percentage in two games against the Bulls, while Collison struggled. If Hansbrough maintains his regular season average and Collison can figure out a way to average over 20 points, 8 plus assists and shoots at least 48 percent from the field, the Bulls will be in serious trouble. In all honesty, I don’t see that happening, but obviously that’s what it’s going to take for the Pacers to upset the Bulls.
The key players for the Bulls are obviously, Rose on the perimeter and Boozer and Noah on the interior. More importantly, their stifling defense will simply be too much for the Pacers to overcome.
PREDICTION: BULLS in 5
(2) MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs. (7) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (41-41)
I think the best comment that I heard came from Philadelphia’s head coach Doug Collins, when he said his team must win at least 80 percent of the 50-50 loose balls in order for them to have a chance against the Heat. If they do this, the Sixers will win two games, but in reality the Heat are equally active on defense, which will make winning 80 percent of 50-50 balls almost impossible for an entire series.
I think the Sixers will win a game, but this is a 5-game series.
Once again there’s no reason to focus on key players here because the Sixers are simply outmatched by the Heat and you’ll have to be a Sixers fan to think otherwise. Andre Iguodala will have to outplay Lebron James for the Sixers to have any chance of upsetting the Heat. During the regular season Lebron averaged only 22.7 points against the Sixers, so if Lebron maintains his regular season average and Iguodala have a career series, then outplaying Lebron might be possible, though highly unlikely. The bigger problem is that the Sixers have absolutely no answer for D-Wade, who torched them for 30.7 points in 3 regular season games, while making 51.6 percent of his shots.
PREDICTION: HEAT in 5
(3) BOSTON CELTICS (56-26) vs (6) NEW YORK KNICKS (42-40)
The New York Knicks have two of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, but that still didn’t stop the Celtics from beating the Knicks four straight times during the regular season. The Celtics stumbled down the stretch of the regular season, as the Knicks improved to move into the sixth seed. That said, the Knicks will win only one game in this series, and if Amare dominates, maybe they might be able to win two.
The key players for the Knicks are obviously Amare, Carmelo and Chauncey. In order for the Knicks to upset the Celtics, Amare and Carmelo will have to average a combined 60 or more points and over 18 rebounds. In addition, Chauncey will have to outplay the Celtics Rondo. Though it may be possible, I don’t expect that to happen, which is why I predict that the Celtics will win in 5 games.
The key player for the Celtics is Rondo. He has to turn things around in order for the Celtics to be successful. The Celtics may be good enough to advance to the Semi-Finals with Rondo playing average, but if they expect to advance past the Semis, Rondo will have to return back to the form he had post Kendrick Perkins trade.
PREDICTION: CELTICS in 7
(4) ORLANDO MAGIC (50-32) vs (5) ATLANTA HAWKS (44-38)
This series is the Eastern Conference version of the Blazers-Mavericks, in that it is going to be very physical and bruising. The Magic have their work cut out, but they have Dwight Howard, who I expect to win his third straight Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Hawks are very confident and why not? They won 3 of the 4 regular season games they played against the Magic and were very effective against Dwight Howard. In the 4 games, Howard averaged 19.3 points and 14.8 rebounds, but made only 43.1 percent of his shots. I don’t expect that trend to continue in the playoffs.
For the Hawks, it will come down to whether their center tandem of Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia can continue to shut down Dwight Howard with their defense and also, whether Joe Johnson and Al Horford will put up all-star type numbers. For the Hawks to upset the Magic, Johnson and Horford will have to average a combined 45 points plus points with 18 or more rebounds.
The Key players for the Magic are obviously Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. I expect Dwight to play better. His field goal percentage is going to be over 50 percent for sure, but it’s Jameer Nelson that will ultimately be the difference. Nelson played in only 2 of their 4 regular season games, but I expect him to be at full strength during the playoffs.
PREDICTION: MAGIC in 7
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) SAN ANTONIO SPURS (61-21) vs (8) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (46-36)
The Spurs and the Grizzlies split 4 games during the season with each team winning 2 games at home. If this trend continues in the playoffs, the Spurs would have game 7 at home. The Spurs biggest concern is the health of Manu Ginobili, who is expected to miss game 1. Ultimately, I expect Manu to play in the series, but going up against the Grizzlies Shane Battier and Tony Allen will be very challenging.
The key players for the Grizzlies will be Z-Bo, who averaged 23 points and 14.8 rebounds in 4 games against the Spurs in the regular season and O. J. Mayo, who has replaced Rudy Gay in the starting lineup since Gay’s injury. For the Grizzlies to win this series, Mayo will have to average over 22 points per game in the series and I doubt that will happen which is why I favor the Spurs.
The Key players for San Antonio are Manu and Tony Parker. If Manu is not close to 100 percent, then Parker will have to carry most of the load in the backcourt, which I believe he is capable of doing. I expect the Parker-Ginobili combo to average 40 or more points in the series, which should be enough to hold off the Griz.
PREDICTION: SPURS in 6
(2) LOS ANGELES LAKERS (57-25) vs (7) NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (46-36)
The Lakers won all 4 games against the Hornets during the regular season and in three of those games, the Hornets had their former all-star forward David West in the lineup. West is expected to undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL, so he will not be in the lineup to challenge the Lakers big front line.
There is no reason to focus on the key players for this series, because unless the Hornets Chris Paul averages 30 or more points and 15 plus assist, the Hornets will not win the series. Of all the series in the playoffs, this one is the most unlikely to have an upset. I will be very surprised if the Hornets were even able to win a game in this series.
PREDICTION: LAKERS Sweep
(6) DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25) vs (3) PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (48-34)
I anticipate this series being an absolute dogfight and I expect it to go down to the wire. This is definitely going to be a 7-game series, but the Mavericks will end up being victorious. The acquisition of Gerald Wallace made the Blazers a better defensive team, especially on the wing, which is where the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki lives. And it doesn’t stop there, because even if Dirk goes down low, he will be equally challenged by LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Key player for the Mavericks will have to be Tyson Chandler. In 3 games during the regular season, Chandler averaged 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds against the Blazers and I expect him to average around the same in the series. If the Blazers are successful in slowing down Dirk, Chandler will have to pick up the slack. By that I mean, if Dirk averages say around 20 points, Chandler will have to average at least 15 points and over 10 rebounds to make up for the difference. I think he is capable of doing that.
The Key players for the Blazers will have to be LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Gerald Wallace. In order for the Blazers to upset the Mavericks two things with have to happen. First, their forward trio will have to average over 55 points and 20or more rebounds. Second, they will have to contain Dirk and Tyson Chandler.
PREDICTION: MAVERICKS in 7
(4) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27) vs (5) DENVER NUGGETS (50-32)
This is going to be a very exciting series, but I don’t think it is going to be as competitive as people think. I understand the Nuggets can score with the best of them, but the Thunder are on a mission and not having a go-to-player will prove to be too very difficult for the Nuggets. The Nuggets only chance will be to speed up the game, but regardless of that, I still expect the Nuggets to lose in 6 games.
The key players for the Nuggets will have to be their backcourt, Felton and Lawson. Like I said, for the Nuggets to beat the Thunder, they must speed up the game and it will come down to their two point guards.
As far as the Thunder goes, you don’t have to look any further than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. I think Westbrook is probably more important, because he will determine the tempo of the game.
PREDICTION: THUNDER in 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs (8) INDIANA PACERS (37-45)
The Indiana Pacers made the playoffs by winning only 37 games, the lowest win total since 2005. The Bulls on the other hand have Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau, my prediction for the NBA’s MVP and Coach of the Year Award respectively. I expect the Bulls to win this series convincingly, but the Pacer will get a win or probably two. During the regular season, the Bulls won 3 of 4 against the Pacers in convincing fashion and I expect this trend to continue.
The key players for the Pacers are Tyler Hansbrough and Darren Collison. Hansbrough averaged 20.5 points and made 57.1 percent of his field goal percentage in two games against the Bulls, while Collison struggled. If Hansbrough maintains his regular season average and Collison can figure out a way to average over 20 points, 8 plus assists and shoots at least 48 percent from the field, the Bulls will be in serious trouble. In all honesty, I don’t see that happening, but obviously that’s what it’s going to take for the Pacers to upset the Bulls.
The key players for the Bulls are obviously, Rose on the perimeter and Boozer and Noah on the interior. More importantly, their stifling defense will simply be too much for the Pacers to overcome.
PREDICTION: BULLS in 5
(2) MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs. (7) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (41-41)
I think the best comment that I heard came from Philadelphia’s head coach Doug Collins, when he said his team must win at least 80 percent of the 50-50 loose balls in order for them to have a chance against the Heat. If they do this, the Sixers will win two games, but in reality the Heat are equally active on defense, which will make winning 80 percent of 50-50 balls almost impossible for an entire series.
I think the Sixers will win a game, but this is a 5-game series.
Once again there’s no reason to focus on key players here because the Sixers are simply outmatched by the Heat and you’ll have to be a Sixers fan to think otherwise. Andre Iguodala will have to outplay Lebron James for the Sixers to have any chance of upsetting the Heat. During the regular season Lebron averaged only 22.7 points against the Sixers, so if Lebron maintains his regular season average and Iguodala have a career series, then outplaying Lebron might be possible, though highly unlikely. The bigger problem is that the Sixers have absolutely no answer for D-Wade, who torched them for 30.7 points in 3 regular season games, while making 51.6 percent of his shots.
PREDICTION: HEAT in 5
(3) BOSTON CELTICS (56-26) vs (6) NEW YORK KNICKS (42-40)
The New York Knicks have two of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, but that still didn’t stop the Celtics from beating the Knicks four straight times during the regular season. The Celtics stumbled down the stretch of the regular season, as the Knicks improved to move into the sixth seed. That said, the Knicks will win only one game in this series, and if Amare dominates, maybe they might be able to win two.
The key players for the Knicks are obviously Amare, Carmelo and Chauncey. In order for the Knicks to upset the Celtics, Amare and Carmelo will have to average a combined 60 or more points and over 18 rebounds. In addition, Chauncey will have to outplay the Celtics Rondo. Though it may be possible, I don’t expect that to happen, which is why I predict that the Celtics will win in 5 games.
The key player for the Celtics is Rondo. He has to turn things around in order for the Celtics to be successful. The Celtics may be good enough to advance to the Semi-Finals with Rondo playing average, but if they expect to advance past the Semis, Rondo will have to return back to the form he had post Kendrick Perkins trade.
PREDICTION: CELTICS in 7
(4) ORLANDO MAGIC (50-32) vs (5) ATLANTA HAWKS (44-38)
This series is the Eastern Conference version of the Blazers-Mavericks, in that it is going to be very physical and bruising. The Magic have their work cut out, but they have Dwight Howard, who I expect to win his third straight Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Hawks are very confident and why not? They won 3 of the 4 regular season games they played against the Magic and were very effective against Dwight Howard. In the 4 games, Howard averaged 19.3 points and 14.8 rebounds, but made only 43.1 percent of his shots. I don’t expect that trend to continue in the playoffs.
For the Hawks, it will come down to whether their center tandem of Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia can continue to shut down Dwight Howard with their defense and also, whether Joe Johnson and Al Horford will put up all-star type numbers. For the Hawks to upset the Magic, Johnson and Horford will have to average a combined 45 points plus points with 18 or more rebounds.
The Key players for the Magic are obviously Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. I expect Dwight to play better. His field goal percentage is going to be over 50 percent for sure, but it’s Jameer Nelson that will ultimately be the difference. Nelson played in only 2 of their 4 regular season games, but I expect him to be at full strength during the playoffs.
PREDICTION: MAGIC in 7
Monday, April 11, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 NBA POWER RANKING WEEK 25
Entering the final week of the season, the Bulls are tied with the Spurs for the league’s best record and it appears that the Cavaliers will not end up with the worst record in the league. That distinction will probably go to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Heat will end up with the second best record in the Eastern Conference and have home court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs, which may turn out to be the deciding factor when they face the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. As for the Celtics, Rondo has to get his act together. His play has really suffered since the team traded his best friend Kendrick Perkins, but unless he gets his act together, the Celtics will not be a serious threat in the playoffs. The Lakers are sporting a 5-game losing streak, but I strongly believe they will be ready in the playoffs. The Lakers Lamar Odom will win the NBA’s 6-Man Award and his talents will be on full display in the playoffs. Derrick Rose will win the NBA MVP Award and his rookie coach Tom Thibodeau will win the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award. The Magic Dwight Howard will win his third straight Defensive Player of the year Award.
The Rockets, Suns and Jazz will all miss the playoffs in the Western Conference, but between the three teams, only the Rockets seem to have a direction. The Bobcats and Bucks will miss the playoffs in the East and both teams don’t seem to have a direction. The Bucks may be further along the curve and should be much better next season with a healthy Andrew Bogut, their starting center and forme. As far as the Bobcats, I really don’t know what Michael Jordan plans are for his team. The Pistons have will have new owners next season and that stability will make Joe Dumars more confident to make decisions next season.
The Clippers, Warriors, Kings, Wizards and Cavaliers are all in position to make major strides next year, but at this point it is simply too early to make predictions. I think with two lottery picks and the $15 expiring contract of Antawn Jamison, the Cavaliers are in the position to make the biggest leap of any team next season, but that will depend on their luck in the lottery.
Later this week, I will have a detail list of my Award winners as well as my predictions for the NBA playoffs.
RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) BULLS 60-20
2 (3) SPURS 60-20
3 (4) HEAT 56-24
4 (6) MAVERICKS 55-25
5 (7) THUNDER 54-26
6 (5) CELTICS 55-25
7 (2) LAKERS 55-25
8 (8) MAGIC 50-30
9 (9) NUGGETS 49-31
10 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 47-33
11 (11) GRIZZLIES 46-34
12 (12) HORNETS 46-34
13 (16) KNICKS 42-38
14 (13) HAWKS 44-36
15 (15) 76ERS 41-39
16 (14) ROCKETS 42-38
17 (18) PACERS 37-44
18 (17) SUNS 38-42
19 (20) JAZZ 37-43
20 (19) WARRIORS 35-45
21 (22) BUCKS 33-47
22 (21) BOBCATS 33-48
23 (23) CLIPPERS 31-50
24 (25) PISTONS 29-51
25 (24) KINGS 24-56
26 (28) WIZARDS 22-58
27 (25) NETS 24-56
28 (26) RAPTORS 22-58
29 (30) CAVALIERS 17-63
30 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 17-63
The Rockets, Suns and Jazz will all miss the playoffs in the Western Conference, but between the three teams, only the Rockets seem to have a direction. The Bobcats and Bucks will miss the playoffs in the East and both teams don’t seem to have a direction. The Bucks may be further along the curve and should be much better next season with a healthy Andrew Bogut, their starting center and forme. As far as the Bobcats, I really don’t know what Michael Jordan plans are for his team. The Pistons have will have new owners next season and that stability will make Joe Dumars more confident to make decisions next season.
The Clippers, Warriors, Kings, Wizards and Cavaliers are all in position to make major strides next year, but at this point it is simply too early to make predictions. I think with two lottery picks and the $15 expiring contract of Antawn Jamison, the Cavaliers are in the position to make the biggest leap of any team next season, but that will depend on their luck in the lottery.
Later this week, I will have a detail list of my Award winners as well as my predictions for the NBA playoffs.
RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) BULLS 60-20
2 (3) SPURS 60-20
3 (4) HEAT 56-24
4 (6) MAVERICKS 55-25
5 (7) THUNDER 54-26
6 (5) CELTICS 55-25
7 (2) LAKERS 55-25
8 (8) MAGIC 50-30
9 (9) NUGGETS 49-31
10 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 47-33
11 (11) GRIZZLIES 46-34
12 (12) HORNETS 46-34
13 (16) KNICKS 42-38
14 (13) HAWKS 44-36
15 (15) 76ERS 41-39
16 (14) ROCKETS 42-38
17 (18) PACERS 37-44
18 (17) SUNS 38-42
19 (20) JAZZ 37-43
20 (19) WARRIORS 35-45
21 (22) BUCKS 33-47
22 (21) BOBCATS 33-48
23 (23) CLIPPERS 31-50
24 (25) PISTONS 29-51
25 (24) KINGS 24-56
26 (28) WIZARDS 22-58
27 (25) NETS 24-56
28 (26) RAPTORS 22-58
29 (30) CAVALIERS 17-63
30 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 17-63
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 NBA POWER RANKING WEEK 24
RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (3) BULLS 56-20
The Bulls are ranked at the top spot and deservingly so. Slippage by the Spurs enabled this to happen. D-Rose is going to win the MVP Award now, but the Bulls may have peaked too soon. I don’t expect them to win the championship this season and as other teams improve, winning the championship will prove to be more difficult, despite Michael Jordan’s prediction that he expects this current Bulls team to wins 4-6 championships. That being said, after 76 games in the 2010-2011 season, the Bulls are the number ranked team in the land.
2 (2) LAKERS 55-21
The Lakers, or should I say the coasters had their 9-game win streak ended by the Nuggets, but in all honesty it really doesn’t matter because this team is very confident that they can beat the Spurs anywhere. I think having home court advantage against the Heat in the Finals might prove to be very important for the Lakers in due time.
3 (3) SPURS 58-19
What seemed like an impossible feat only a few weeks ago has become a reality for the Lakers and Bulls and that is having the best record in the league. The Spurs had a comfortable lead just a few weeks ago, but due to some nagging injuries to their star players they ended up losing 6 straight games. I still expect them to end up with the overall best record in the league, but their recent losing streak shows that they are vulnerable and this is not the time of the season to be looking vulnerable.
4 (4) HEAT 54-23
The Heat are running their offense through D-Wade down the stretch in games and it has had a positive effect. The reason this is happening has nothing to do with Wade being a better closer. Running the offense through Wade and having Lebron set picks, has two effects. First, Lebron has to leave the 3-point line and becomes an active participant. Second, James Jones, Mike Bibby or, Mike Miller are usually WIDE OPEN as a third options, which make the Heat unstoppable. Kudos to coach Spo for making James finally buy into a formula that works.
5 (6) CELTICS 53-23
The Celtics are playing better, but I am going on record to say that they will not recover from the loss of Kendrick Perkins. Kevin Garnett used to walk around like a He-Man and still pretends to, but with an injured Shaq, Garnett is nothing more than a 7-foot skinny dude. Against the Bulls and Heat, he will not be as effective as he’s been in the past, which is why I am convinced that the Heat will reach the NBA Finals. In probably 2 years from now, everyone will be talking about the Kendrick Perkins trade. First, the team knows they are not as physical, and Shaq recent hammy will certainly hurt. But even further, Perkins was beloved by the entire team, which is why the team will fall short, PERIOD!
6 (5) MAVERICKS 53-24
The Mavs are not going to beat the Lakers and from the looks of things, they are not going to beat Blazers either, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mavs get booted out by the Blazers in the first round. Yes! I said it, booted out in the first round!
7 (7) THUNDER 50-26
OKC have a nice storyline going with their acquisition of Perkins and Mohammed to beef up the middle, but let’s be real, they will not defeat the Lakers in a 7-game series, point blank. Yeah they might make it interesting, but if the series goes to game 7 in L.A, Artest will shut down Durant and then what? The Lakers are going to the NBA Finals and there’s nothing the Spurs, Thunder, Mavericks or Blazer can do about it.
8 (8) MAGIC 48-29
Orlando Magic must hope Dwight Howard can average 30-15 while the team shoots forty percent or better from the 3-point line for the entire playoffs, if they expect to face the Lakers in the NBA Finals and that is just not going to happen. I am sorry Dwight, but this is not your year.
9 (9) NUGGETS 47-29
The Nuggets added another notch to their belt, yes, going into L.A and ending the Lakers 9-game win streak, but does that means the Nuggets are ready? No! As we all know, the playoffs is a totally different series, which is usually played at a slower half court pace. Unless Nene, the Nuggets center can average 25ppg and 12rpg for the entire playoffs, I don’t see how this team can defeat the Thunder and the Spurs before facing the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. I just don’t see how.
10 (11) TRAIL BLAZERS 45-32
The Dallas Mavericks needs to be real concern, because I really think the Blazers will upset the Mavs in the first round. I think this is going to be possible for two reasons. First, losing forward Caron Butler will prove to be the deciding factor. Second, having Batum and now Wallace beating up Dirk for an entire series might prove to be too much, not to mention LaMarcus Aldridge. I think the Blazers will defeat the Mavericks in the First Round, I am sure of it.
11 (13) GRIZZLIES 44-33
I think it’s fair to say that the Rockets and the Suns will miss the playoffs and the Griz will end up with the seventh or eighth seed. The addition of Shane Battier was the best move the Griz could have made after losing Rudy Gay. I believe acquiring Battier assured the Grizzlies a playoff berth.
12 (12) HORNETS 44-33
I think the Hornets will end up with the eighth and final playoffs spot in the West, but a first round exit against the Spurs is almost certain. Losing forward David West for the rest of the season and playoffs gives the Hornets no chance against the Spurs, the team I expect them to be matched up against in the First Round.
13 (10) HAWKS 44-33
The Hawks are another one of those teams that could end up with an upset against the Magic. I think this will be Stan Van Gundy’s last season coaching the Magic if the Hawks are able to pull off this feat. The reason I think this is possible, is because the Hawks are one of the few teams in the league that can play Dwight Howard straight up. Well if you don’t double Howard, the Magic don’t get open 3s and if the Magic don’t get open 3s, Howard will have to average between 35-40 points along with 15 plus rebounds for the series and I just don’t see that happening.
14 (14) ROCKETS 41-36
Good fight, good run down the stretch, but I think we have a case of a little too late. With only a few games left, I am going to predict that the Rockets will miss the playoffs. I don’t think there is any way they wrestle the eighth seed from the Griz, however, you must commend their effort down the stretch.
15 (15) 76ERS 40-37
The Sixers have played beyond their potential and head coach Doug Collins will certainly garner some votes for Coach of the Year, but I don’t see this team upsetting the Celtics or Heat in the first round. There is no way that happens. C-Webb tends to think they may have a chance of an upset if they face the Heat, but that is just not going to happen, PERIOD!
16 (17) KNICKS 38-38
I think the Heat will have their work cut out for them facing the Knicks in the First Round and even though I don’t see the Knicks upsetting the Heat, I really expect this series to be very competitive. In the playoffs when everything slows down, the Knicks will be able to score with anyone and I believe this may pose a threat to the Heat.
17 (17) SUNS 37-39
The Suns used and abused two-time MVP Steve Nash and milked him for everything he was worth, but at the end of the day, the Suns will miss the playoffs for the first time in a long time and I don’t think it was fair to Nash. The Suns should have traded him before the deadline, but they didn’t which means no one benefited. Actually, maybe management did, but certainly not Steve Nash.
18 (20) PACERS 35-43
I expect the Pacers to end up with the eighth seed and make the playoff in the Eastern Conference. Obviously I expect them to be a first round out against the Bulls, but at least in terms of pride they will be able to say they made the playoffs. The two teams behind them, the Bobcats and the Bucks will fall short.
19 (19) WARRIORS 33-44
The Warriors have some decisions to make and they could go in three directions this offseason. First, do they keep their new head coach Keith Smart? I think that is highly doubtful. Second, do they trade Ellis or Curry? I think they would likely trade Ellis, because they might be able to get a dominant post presence to play alongside forward David Lee. Finally, do they keep both Curry and Ellis? I think this is the least likely scenario.
20 (18) JAZZ 36-41
Like I said last week, I think the Jazz will be a completely different team next season. I believe they will use the next four games and the summer as an evaluation measuring stick considering they are going to miss the playoffs this year.
21 (21) BOBCATS 32-44
I think when the Bobcats look back on this season, they will remember their 97-91 loss to the Wizards in Washington as the game that ended their playoffs hopes. The Bobcats are 2-games behind the idle Pacers with six games left which means it will take a miracle for them to make it to the playoffs.
22 (22) BUCKS 31-45
If the Bobcats chance of making the playoffs seems unlikely then the Bucks chances may be lingering around impossible with six games left and 3 games out. Brandon Jennings, the team’s main offensive option is shooting 38.7 and that is simply not going to get it done.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 30-47
The Clippers are not playoffs bound and with their lottery pick going to Cleveland, must rely on their current roster to get it done. I think they are extremely young, but in due time court emerge as the NBA’s next Oklahoma City Thunder.
24 (25) KINGS 22-54
The Kings are preparing for next season, whether in Sacramento which is highly doubtful, or Anaheim, California, which seems like their likely destination. Personally, for as large as the L.A market is, I think having three NBA teams might be just a bit too much.
25 (24) PISTONS 26-50
Rip Hamilton continues to fill up the stat sheet and enhance his farewell tour and the team seems to be okay with that. Obviously the Pistons are not going to make the playoffs this year and if Rip continues playing well, he will only enhance his trade value come next season, which will only benefit the Pistons.
26 (27) RAPTORS 21-55
The Raptors have been without their leading scorer Andrea Bargnani for 3 of their last 5 games and have posted a 1-4 record during that stretch. I think shutting him down for the remainder of the season may be the best thing to do.
27 (26) NETS 23-53
I expect the Nets to shut down Deron Williams for the remainder of the season. Word out of New Jersey is that he is scheduled to see a specialist for his hand and he should. Winning a few more games means nothing at this point, I think it is very important for management to show that they are committed to Williams at this point.
28 (28) WIZARDS 20-56
The Wizards are winners of their last two games and although they will not make the playoffs this year, the team has clearly taking a step in the right direction. The Clippers are my sleeper team for next season, but the Wizards are my sleepers for the 2012-2013 season. This team will be awesome in two years.
29 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 17-60
I think the Wolves might simply shut down Kevin Love for the remainder of the regular season. I think they were trying to play Love in hopes of not finishing with the league’s worst record, but at this point it doesn’t matter if you finish 29th or 30th, because you are still a pretty bad team
30 (30) CAVALIERS 15-61
If Love doesn’t return to the Wolves as I am expecting, the Cavaliers could sneak up and end up with the second worst record in the league. Since beating Miami, the Cavs are sporting a 3-game losing streak, but they have certainly played a lot better as of late.
1 (3) BULLS 56-20
The Bulls are ranked at the top spot and deservingly so. Slippage by the Spurs enabled this to happen. D-Rose is going to win the MVP Award now, but the Bulls may have peaked too soon. I don’t expect them to win the championship this season and as other teams improve, winning the championship will prove to be more difficult, despite Michael Jordan’s prediction that he expects this current Bulls team to wins 4-6 championships. That being said, after 76 games in the 2010-2011 season, the Bulls are the number ranked team in the land.
2 (2) LAKERS 55-21
The Lakers, or should I say the coasters had their 9-game win streak ended by the Nuggets, but in all honesty it really doesn’t matter because this team is very confident that they can beat the Spurs anywhere. I think having home court advantage against the Heat in the Finals might prove to be very important for the Lakers in due time.
3 (3) SPURS 58-19
What seemed like an impossible feat only a few weeks ago has become a reality for the Lakers and Bulls and that is having the best record in the league. The Spurs had a comfortable lead just a few weeks ago, but due to some nagging injuries to their star players they ended up losing 6 straight games. I still expect them to end up with the overall best record in the league, but their recent losing streak shows that they are vulnerable and this is not the time of the season to be looking vulnerable.
4 (4) HEAT 54-23
The Heat are running their offense through D-Wade down the stretch in games and it has had a positive effect. The reason this is happening has nothing to do with Wade being a better closer. Running the offense through Wade and having Lebron set picks, has two effects. First, Lebron has to leave the 3-point line and becomes an active participant. Second, James Jones, Mike Bibby or, Mike Miller are usually WIDE OPEN as a third options, which make the Heat unstoppable. Kudos to coach Spo for making James finally buy into a formula that works.
5 (6) CELTICS 53-23
The Celtics are playing better, but I am going on record to say that they will not recover from the loss of Kendrick Perkins. Kevin Garnett used to walk around like a He-Man and still pretends to, but with an injured Shaq, Garnett is nothing more than a 7-foot skinny dude. Against the Bulls and Heat, he will not be as effective as he’s been in the past, which is why I am convinced that the Heat will reach the NBA Finals. In probably 2 years from now, everyone will be talking about the Kendrick Perkins trade. First, the team knows they are not as physical, and Shaq recent hammy will certainly hurt. But even further, Perkins was beloved by the entire team, which is why the team will fall short, PERIOD!
6 (5) MAVERICKS 53-24
The Mavs are not going to beat the Lakers and from the looks of things, they are not going to beat Blazers either, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mavs get booted out by the Blazers in the first round. Yes! I said it, booted out in the first round!
7 (7) THUNDER 50-26
OKC have a nice storyline going with their acquisition of Perkins and Mohammed to beef up the middle, but let’s be real, they will not defeat the Lakers in a 7-game series, point blank. Yeah they might make it interesting, but if the series goes to game 7 in L.A, Artest will shut down Durant and then what? The Lakers are going to the NBA Finals and there’s nothing the Spurs, Thunder, Mavericks or Blazer can do about it.
8 (8) MAGIC 48-29
Orlando Magic must hope Dwight Howard can average 30-15 while the team shoots forty percent or better from the 3-point line for the entire playoffs, if they expect to face the Lakers in the NBA Finals and that is just not going to happen. I am sorry Dwight, but this is not your year.
9 (9) NUGGETS 47-29
The Nuggets added another notch to their belt, yes, going into L.A and ending the Lakers 9-game win streak, but does that means the Nuggets are ready? No! As we all know, the playoffs is a totally different series, which is usually played at a slower half court pace. Unless Nene, the Nuggets center can average 25ppg and 12rpg for the entire playoffs, I don’t see how this team can defeat the Thunder and the Spurs before facing the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. I just don’t see how.
10 (11) TRAIL BLAZERS 45-32
The Dallas Mavericks needs to be real concern, because I really think the Blazers will upset the Mavs in the first round. I think this is going to be possible for two reasons. First, losing forward Caron Butler will prove to be the deciding factor. Second, having Batum and now Wallace beating up Dirk for an entire series might prove to be too much, not to mention LaMarcus Aldridge. I think the Blazers will defeat the Mavericks in the First Round, I am sure of it.
11 (13) GRIZZLIES 44-33
I think it’s fair to say that the Rockets and the Suns will miss the playoffs and the Griz will end up with the seventh or eighth seed. The addition of Shane Battier was the best move the Griz could have made after losing Rudy Gay. I believe acquiring Battier assured the Grizzlies a playoff berth.
12 (12) HORNETS 44-33
I think the Hornets will end up with the eighth and final playoffs spot in the West, but a first round exit against the Spurs is almost certain. Losing forward David West for the rest of the season and playoffs gives the Hornets no chance against the Spurs, the team I expect them to be matched up against in the First Round.
13 (10) HAWKS 44-33
The Hawks are another one of those teams that could end up with an upset against the Magic. I think this will be Stan Van Gundy’s last season coaching the Magic if the Hawks are able to pull off this feat. The reason I think this is possible, is because the Hawks are one of the few teams in the league that can play Dwight Howard straight up. Well if you don’t double Howard, the Magic don’t get open 3s and if the Magic don’t get open 3s, Howard will have to average between 35-40 points along with 15 plus rebounds for the series and I just don’t see that happening.
14 (14) ROCKETS 41-36
Good fight, good run down the stretch, but I think we have a case of a little too late. With only a few games left, I am going to predict that the Rockets will miss the playoffs. I don’t think there is any way they wrestle the eighth seed from the Griz, however, you must commend their effort down the stretch.
15 (15) 76ERS 40-37
The Sixers have played beyond their potential and head coach Doug Collins will certainly garner some votes for Coach of the Year, but I don’t see this team upsetting the Celtics or Heat in the first round. There is no way that happens. C-Webb tends to think they may have a chance of an upset if they face the Heat, but that is just not going to happen, PERIOD!
16 (17) KNICKS 38-38
I think the Heat will have their work cut out for them facing the Knicks in the First Round and even though I don’t see the Knicks upsetting the Heat, I really expect this series to be very competitive. In the playoffs when everything slows down, the Knicks will be able to score with anyone and I believe this may pose a threat to the Heat.
17 (17) SUNS 37-39
The Suns used and abused two-time MVP Steve Nash and milked him for everything he was worth, but at the end of the day, the Suns will miss the playoffs for the first time in a long time and I don’t think it was fair to Nash. The Suns should have traded him before the deadline, but they didn’t which means no one benefited. Actually, maybe management did, but certainly not Steve Nash.
18 (20) PACERS 35-43
I expect the Pacers to end up with the eighth seed and make the playoff in the Eastern Conference. Obviously I expect them to be a first round out against the Bulls, but at least in terms of pride they will be able to say they made the playoffs. The two teams behind them, the Bobcats and the Bucks will fall short.
19 (19) WARRIORS 33-44
The Warriors have some decisions to make and they could go in three directions this offseason. First, do they keep their new head coach Keith Smart? I think that is highly doubtful. Second, do they trade Ellis or Curry? I think they would likely trade Ellis, because they might be able to get a dominant post presence to play alongside forward David Lee. Finally, do they keep both Curry and Ellis? I think this is the least likely scenario.
20 (18) JAZZ 36-41
Like I said last week, I think the Jazz will be a completely different team next season. I believe they will use the next four games and the summer as an evaluation measuring stick considering they are going to miss the playoffs this year.
21 (21) BOBCATS 32-44
I think when the Bobcats look back on this season, they will remember their 97-91 loss to the Wizards in Washington as the game that ended their playoffs hopes. The Bobcats are 2-games behind the idle Pacers with six games left which means it will take a miracle for them to make it to the playoffs.
22 (22) BUCKS 31-45
If the Bobcats chance of making the playoffs seems unlikely then the Bucks chances may be lingering around impossible with six games left and 3 games out. Brandon Jennings, the team’s main offensive option is shooting 38.7 and that is simply not going to get it done.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 30-47
The Clippers are not playoffs bound and with their lottery pick going to Cleveland, must rely on their current roster to get it done. I think they are extremely young, but in due time court emerge as the NBA’s next Oklahoma City Thunder.
24 (25) KINGS 22-54
The Kings are preparing for next season, whether in Sacramento which is highly doubtful, or Anaheim, California, which seems like their likely destination. Personally, for as large as the L.A market is, I think having three NBA teams might be just a bit too much.
25 (24) PISTONS 26-50
Rip Hamilton continues to fill up the stat sheet and enhance his farewell tour and the team seems to be okay with that. Obviously the Pistons are not going to make the playoffs this year and if Rip continues playing well, he will only enhance his trade value come next season, which will only benefit the Pistons.
26 (27) RAPTORS 21-55
The Raptors have been without their leading scorer Andrea Bargnani for 3 of their last 5 games and have posted a 1-4 record during that stretch. I think shutting him down for the remainder of the season may be the best thing to do.
27 (26) NETS 23-53
I expect the Nets to shut down Deron Williams for the remainder of the season. Word out of New Jersey is that he is scheduled to see a specialist for his hand and he should. Winning a few more games means nothing at this point, I think it is very important for management to show that they are committed to Williams at this point.
28 (28) WIZARDS 20-56
The Wizards are winners of their last two games and although they will not make the playoffs this year, the team has clearly taking a step in the right direction. The Clippers are my sleeper team for next season, but the Wizards are my sleepers for the 2012-2013 season. This team will be awesome in two years.
29 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 17-60
I think the Wolves might simply shut down Kevin Love for the remainder of the regular season. I think they were trying to play Love in hopes of not finishing with the league’s worst record, but at this point it doesn’t matter if you finish 29th or 30th, because you are still a pretty bad team
30 (30) CAVALIERS 15-61
If Love doesn’t return to the Wolves as I am expecting, the Cavaliers could sneak up and end up with the second worst record in the league. Since beating Miami, the Cavs are sporting a 3-game losing streak, but they have certainly played a lot better as of late.
Monday, March 28, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 NBA POWER RANKING WEEK 23
RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) SPURS 57-16
I’m not going to demote the Spurs, at least not yet. I understand they are on a 3-game losing streak, but they are 3.5 games ahead of Chicago, for the best record. Timmy will probably be out for another two weeks and Manu may miss a game or two because of the collision he suffered with the Grizzlies Mark Gasol, but it will take a longer losing streak by the Spurs for me to promote anyone to the number one spot.
2 (4) LAKERS 53-20
The Los Angeles Lakers are clearly the favorite to repeat and I must say, if Miami does not make it to the finals, the Lakers will 3-peat. I am going on record right now to predict that there is no other team in the East other than Miami that can defeat the Lakers in a 7-game series and that includes the Celtics, who have clearly taken a step backwards since trading their defensive center Kendrick Perkins.
3 (3) BULLS 53-19
The Bulls may end up with the best coach and the league’s MVP in a Derrick Rose, but I will go on record right now to say the Bulls will not be the NBA Champions this season. The entire media world have anointed Derrick Rose as the league MVP and he probably will end up with the award, but if you review the numbers by points, assist, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, you’ll realize that Lebron, Dwight and Wade are way ahead of D-Rose. I think everyone ignores two things. First, Rose is only shooting 43.9%, the second lowest for an MVP if he wins (Iverson 42%), second, Tom Thibodeau has been an absolute genius as a coach on defense and he’s really doesn’t get enough credit. Everyone talks about how many games Boozer and Noah have missed, but if Rose was to miss the Bulls next 10 games, at the very worst, they’ll end up with a 6-4 record.
4 (5) HEAT 51-22
For the second time in a non overtime game in the history of the NBA, three players from the same team posted at least 30 points and 10 or more rebounds and that is exactly what Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh did against the Rockets. The only team I thought could beat the Heat in a 7-game series was the Celtics, but with their recent slippage, I think the Heat might make it to the finals and if they do, they will win the NBA Title.
5 (6) MAVERICKS 52-21
The Mavericks are in an excellent position to upset the Spurs, but as we all know, the championship will go through L.A and the Mavericks will not beat the Lakers 4 times in a 7-game series. I expect them to battle the Lakers in the Western Conference Semi -Finals, but that is where I expect their season to end.
6 (2) CELTICS 51-21
The Celtics are stumbling and though management may not admit it, trading Kendrick Perkins was the worst mistake. To compound that mistake, Rondo is injured and unless Shaq returns and plays better than he did in last year’s playoffs, the Celtics will lose to the Miami Heat in the second round of the Eastern Conference.
7 (7) THUNDER 48-24
Kevin Durant’s MVP credentials are continuing to fall and it has nothing to do with the play of D-Rose, Lebron and Dwight, it has everything to do with his own teammate Russell Westbrook. Against the Blazers when Durant was completely shut down by the Blazers Gerald Wallace, it was Westbrook that stepped up and hit some timely 3s that led to a 99-90 victory against the Blazers. Without Westbrook, the Thunder are barely a .500 team, which is why Durant is not seriously being considered an MVP candidate this season despite leading the league in scoring.
8 (8) MAGIC 47-26
The Magic have gone about their business quietly and are currently on a 5-game winning streak. Dwight Howard has been an absolute beast during the streak averaging 25.8ppg, 16.4rpg, 3.6bpg while shooting a whopping 69.5 percent from the field, but somehow the NBA is on a super hyper promotion of Derrick Rose, whose numbers dwarf’s Dwight.
9 (9) NUGGETS 44-29
The Nuggets stumbled a little bit with two losses, but are right back on track and currently on a 3-game winning streak. This team is much better off without Carmelo Anthony, but the real test will be how they perform in the playoffs.
10 (10) HAWKS 42-32
The feeling I get is that Hawks are more interested in the off-season than the playoffs and are not operating like a confident bunch. There is no way this team makes it out of the Eastern Conference Semis. It wouldn’t surprise me to them knocked out by the Sixers in the first round either.
11 (11) TRAIL BLAZERS 42-31
I don’t expect the Blazers to overtake the Nuggets for the fifth seed in the Western Conference, but I expect them to hold on to the sixth. I know the Hornets are breathing down their necks, but when it’s all said and done, the Blazers will finish sixth in the West. The addition of Gerald Wallace has really been a plus for the Blazers. He is capable of putting up huge numbers and gave a sample of that by scoring 40 points against the Thunder.
12 (12) HORNETS 42-32
Losing forward David West for the rest of the season was a major blow, but I still expect the Hornets to make the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference. Without West, the Hornets will be a quick first round out, but they will definitely make the playoffs.
13 (13) GRIZZLIES 41-33
The Memphis Grizzlies are fighting for dear life, but with a 2.5 game lead over the Rockets making the playoffs seems very likely. Losing Rudy Gay for the rest of the season will not stop them from making the playoffs, but it will lead to an early playoff exit.
14 (14) ROCKETS 38-35
The Rockets were sporting a 5-game winning streak before facing the Miami Heat and did everything they could before losing 119-125 to the Heat in Miami. The road doesn’t get any easier with 3 of their next 5 games coming against teams with .500 or better winning records. The good thing is that 3 of those 5 games will be at home.
15 (15) 76ERS 37-36
Losing to the Heat in Miami is acceptable, but their 114-111 overtime loss to Sacramento was a major blow. The only positive is that they are currently 2 games ahead of the Knicks who are sporting a 6-game losing streak. Regardless of what happens down the stretch, I expect the Sixers to end up with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
16 (17) SUNS 36-36
The schedule dealt the Suns a very difficult blow and it happened at the worst time of the season. Three of their last four games (all losses) were against the Lakers, Hornets and Mavericks. The news doesn’t get any better for the Sun either, because 6 of their last 10 games of the regular season are against title contenders. The Suns will have to finish with an 8-2 record or better for them to have any chance of making the playoffs and that seems highly doubtful considering their schedule over the next 10 games.
17 (16) KNICKS 35-38
The Knicks are sporting a 6-game losing streak, but they are still 4.5 games ahead of the Bobcats with only 9 games left, so I definitely expect them to make the playoffs. I think once they get to the playoffs, you’ll finally see why the Knicks got Carmelo. He is a big game player and in a 7-game series where the game is slowed down, the Knicks will have a guy who is capable of making big shots down the stretch. I don’t think that will be enough to advance, but it will certainly be interesting to see how things unfold.
18 (18) JAZZ 36-38
The Jazz will miss the playoffs this year and I expect them to go into major rebuilding mold this off-season. At this point, I think every player on this team is expandable, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see a completely new starting lineup come next season.
19 (20) WARRIORS 32-42
GSW took advantage of the schedule and manhandled two sub .500 teams, the Raptor and Wizards. After losing their previous 6 games, the Warriors beat the Raptors and Wizards by a combined 48 points. Monte Ellis was a beast in both games and averaged 32ppg and 11.5apg on 56 percent shooting from the field.
20 (19) PACERS 32-42
The Pacers are in serious trouble and if they keep alternating wins and losses, they could find themselves out of the play race very quickly. To assure a playoff berth, the Pacers will have to finish the season with a 6-2 record.
21 (22) BOBCATS 30-42
The Bobcats must finish the season with a record of 7-3 or better in order for them to make the playoffs. They are currently sporting a 2-game winning streak and I think they are more capable of going on a run than the Pacers, which is why I expect the Bobcats to beat out the Pacers for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
22 (21) BUCKS 29-43
The Bucks are 2 games out of the playoffs and I think by the time the regular season ends, they will still be out of the playoffs. I watch their game against the Bulls, a 99-90 loss, and I know the Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but that Bucks had the game under control until down the stretch. They fell apart in a game that they had to win to keep their playoffs hopes alive and at that moment it became obvious to me that the Bucks will not make the playoffs.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 29-45
The Clippers have an 8-5 record over their last 13 games and have adjusted very well to Mo Williams, their newly acquired point guard. Baron Davis was a better all around point guard, but Williams is definitely a better shooter. His shooting along with Eric Gordon has really helped open the floor for Griffin and Kaman, a trend that will obviously improve come next season.
24 (24) PISTONS 26-47
The Pistons are playing better basketball as of late and Rip Hamilton in particular has returned back to his old form averaging 17.8ppg over the last 5 games. My guess is Rip will finish the season strong in hopes of bolstering his trade value, because we all know his days in Detroit are numbered.
25 (27) KINGS 20-52
The Kings are winners of 4 of their last 5 games and the reason for this turnaround has to be Marcus Thornton. Over the last 5 games, Thornton averaged 24.8ppg, 6.6rpg and 4.8apg while making 49 percent of his shots from the field. Thornton is averaging 22ppg since joining the Kings via a trade from New Orleans. I am going on record to say that he will average between 23-25ppg next season and win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
26 (25) NETS 23-49
Newly acquired Nets all-star point guard Deron Williams has been in and out of the lineup since joining the team due to some injuries, but he is expected to return soon to help the team finish the season strong. I think it’s imperative that the Nets finish strong so that when next season rolls around, Williams will be satisfy with the direction of the team and sign the extension the team will certainly offer him.
27 (25) RAPTORS 20-53
I think the Raptors need to blow up the team and rebuild, starting with signing a new general manager. I think this team has a lot of potential and could get lucky in the draft, but their future will depend on how they draft, which is why it would be wise to bring in someone with a completely new perspective.
28 (28) WIZARDS 17-55
The Wizards are a nice young team with a boatload of potential, which will increase even more when the draft rolls around. I think this team needs a player who can command scoring in the post to play alongside their shot blocking sensation JaVale McGee. The Perimeter is already solid with Wall, Young and Lewis and once Wall improves his shooting, the Wizards could move up really quickly.
29 (29) TIM BERWOLVES 17-57
Kevin Love has missed 4 games if you include the game against the Kings in which he played only 14 minutes, but had to leave early after injuring his groin. The team is contemplating shutting Love down for the remainder of the season and why not? They have absolutely nothing to play for. They have the worst record in the Western Conference and even if Love returns, might still end up with the last seed in the West.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 14-58
The Cavaliers have the worst record in the league and will more than likely end up with the league’s worst record, but for all the Cavaliers haters, I must warn you that depending on how the balls bounces during the lottery, this team could easily make the playoff next season and probably even advance past the first round. As of now, there is a hostile crowd in Cleveland anticipating the second return of Lebron on Tuesday.
1 (1) SPURS 57-16
I’m not going to demote the Spurs, at least not yet. I understand they are on a 3-game losing streak, but they are 3.5 games ahead of Chicago, for the best record. Timmy will probably be out for another two weeks and Manu may miss a game or two because of the collision he suffered with the Grizzlies Mark Gasol, but it will take a longer losing streak by the Spurs for me to promote anyone to the number one spot.
2 (4) LAKERS 53-20
The Los Angeles Lakers are clearly the favorite to repeat and I must say, if Miami does not make it to the finals, the Lakers will 3-peat. I am going on record right now to predict that there is no other team in the East other than Miami that can defeat the Lakers in a 7-game series and that includes the Celtics, who have clearly taken a step backwards since trading their defensive center Kendrick Perkins.
3 (3) BULLS 53-19
The Bulls may end up with the best coach and the league’s MVP in a Derrick Rose, but I will go on record right now to say the Bulls will not be the NBA Champions this season. The entire media world have anointed Derrick Rose as the league MVP and he probably will end up with the award, but if you review the numbers by points, assist, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, you’ll realize that Lebron, Dwight and Wade are way ahead of D-Rose. I think everyone ignores two things. First, Rose is only shooting 43.9%, the second lowest for an MVP if he wins (Iverson 42%), second, Tom Thibodeau has been an absolute genius as a coach on defense and he’s really doesn’t get enough credit. Everyone talks about how many games Boozer and Noah have missed, but if Rose was to miss the Bulls next 10 games, at the very worst, they’ll end up with a 6-4 record.
4 (5) HEAT 51-22
For the second time in a non overtime game in the history of the NBA, three players from the same team posted at least 30 points and 10 or more rebounds and that is exactly what Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh did against the Rockets. The only team I thought could beat the Heat in a 7-game series was the Celtics, but with their recent slippage, I think the Heat might make it to the finals and if they do, they will win the NBA Title.
5 (6) MAVERICKS 52-21
The Mavericks are in an excellent position to upset the Spurs, but as we all know, the championship will go through L.A and the Mavericks will not beat the Lakers 4 times in a 7-game series. I expect them to battle the Lakers in the Western Conference Semi -Finals, but that is where I expect their season to end.
6 (2) CELTICS 51-21
The Celtics are stumbling and though management may not admit it, trading Kendrick Perkins was the worst mistake. To compound that mistake, Rondo is injured and unless Shaq returns and plays better than he did in last year’s playoffs, the Celtics will lose to the Miami Heat in the second round of the Eastern Conference.
7 (7) THUNDER 48-24
Kevin Durant’s MVP credentials are continuing to fall and it has nothing to do with the play of D-Rose, Lebron and Dwight, it has everything to do with his own teammate Russell Westbrook. Against the Blazers when Durant was completely shut down by the Blazers Gerald Wallace, it was Westbrook that stepped up and hit some timely 3s that led to a 99-90 victory against the Blazers. Without Westbrook, the Thunder are barely a .500 team, which is why Durant is not seriously being considered an MVP candidate this season despite leading the league in scoring.
8 (8) MAGIC 47-26
The Magic have gone about their business quietly and are currently on a 5-game winning streak. Dwight Howard has been an absolute beast during the streak averaging 25.8ppg, 16.4rpg, 3.6bpg while shooting a whopping 69.5 percent from the field, but somehow the NBA is on a super hyper promotion of Derrick Rose, whose numbers dwarf’s Dwight.
9 (9) NUGGETS 44-29
The Nuggets stumbled a little bit with two losses, but are right back on track and currently on a 3-game winning streak. This team is much better off without Carmelo Anthony, but the real test will be how they perform in the playoffs.
10 (10) HAWKS 42-32
The feeling I get is that Hawks are more interested in the off-season than the playoffs and are not operating like a confident bunch. There is no way this team makes it out of the Eastern Conference Semis. It wouldn’t surprise me to them knocked out by the Sixers in the first round either.
11 (11) TRAIL BLAZERS 42-31
I don’t expect the Blazers to overtake the Nuggets for the fifth seed in the Western Conference, but I expect them to hold on to the sixth. I know the Hornets are breathing down their necks, but when it’s all said and done, the Blazers will finish sixth in the West. The addition of Gerald Wallace has really been a plus for the Blazers. He is capable of putting up huge numbers and gave a sample of that by scoring 40 points against the Thunder.
12 (12) HORNETS 42-32
Losing forward David West for the rest of the season was a major blow, but I still expect the Hornets to make the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference. Without West, the Hornets will be a quick first round out, but they will definitely make the playoffs.
13 (13) GRIZZLIES 41-33
The Memphis Grizzlies are fighting for dear life, but with a 2.5 game lead over the Rockets making the playoffs seems very likely. Losing Rudy Gay for the rest of the season will not stop them from making the playoffs, but it will lead to an early playoff exit.
14 (14) ROCKETS 38-35
The Rockets were sporting a 5-game winning streak before facing the Miami Heat and did everything they could before losing 119-125 to the Heat in Miami. The road doesn’t get any easier with 3 of their next 5 games coming against teams with .500 or better winning records. The good thing is that 3 of those 5 games will be at home.
15 (15) 76ERS 37-36
Losing to the Heat in Miami is acceptable, but their 114-111 overtime loss to Sacramento was a major blow. The only positive is that they are currently 2 games ahead of the Knicks who are sporting a 6-game losing streak. Regardless of what happens down the stretch, I expect the Sixers to end up with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
16 (17) SUNS 36-36
The schedule dealt the Suns a very difficult blow and it happened at the worst time of the season. Three of their last four games (all losses) were against the Lakers, Hornets and Mavericks. The news doesn’t get any better for the Sun either, because 6 of their last 10 games of the regular season are against title contenders. The Suns will have to finish with an 8-2 record or better for them to have any chance of making the playoffs and that seems highly doubtful considering their schedule over the next 10 games.
17 (16) KNICKS 35-38
The Knicks are sporting a 6-game losing streak, but they are still 4.5 games ahead of the Bobcats with only 9 games left, so I definitely expect them to make the playoffs. I think once they get to the playoffs, you’ll finally see why the Knicks got Carmelo. He is a big game player and in a 7-game series where the game is slowed down, the Knicks will have a guy who is capable of making big shots down the stretch. I don’t think that will be enough to advance, but it will certainly be interesting to see how things unfold.
18 (18) JAZZ 36-38
The Jazz will miss the playoffs this year and I expect them to go into major rebuilding mold this off-season. At this point, I think every player on this team is expandable, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see a completely new starting lineup come next season.
19 (20) WARRIORS 32-42
GSW took advantage of the schedule and manhandled two sub .500 teams, the Raptor and Wizards. After losing their previous 6 games, the Warriors beat the Raptors and Wizards by a combined 48 points. Monte Ellis was a beast in both games and averaged 32ppg and 11.5apg on 56 percent shooting from the field.
20 (19) PACERS 32-42
The Pacers are in serious trouble and if they keep alternating wins and losses, they could find themselves out of the play race very quickly. To assure a playoff berth, the Pacers will have to finish the season with a 6-2 record.
21 (22) BOBCATS 30-42
The Bobcats must finish the season with a record of 7-3 or better in order for them to make the playoffs. They are currently sporting a 2-game winning streak and I think they are more capable of going on a run than the Pacers, which is why I expect the Bobcats to beat out the Pacers for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
22 (21) BUCKS 29-43
The Bucks are 2 games out of the playoffs and I think by the time the regular season ends, they will still be out of the playoffs. I watch their game against the Bulls, a 99-90 loss, and I know the Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but that Bucks had the game under control until down the stretch. They fell apart in a game that they had to win to keep their playoffs hopes alive and at that moment it became obvious to me that the Bucks will not make the playoffs.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 29-45
The Clippers have an 8-5 record over their last 13 games and have adjusted very well to Mo Williams, their newly acquired point guard. Baron Davis was a better all around point guard, but Williams is definitely a better shooter. His shooting along with Eric Gordon has really helped open the floor for Griffin and Kaman, a trend that will obviously improve come next season.
24 (24) PISTONS 26-47
The Pistons are playing better basketball as of late and Rip Hamilton in particular has returned back to his old form averaging 17.8ppg over the last 5 games. My guess is Rip will finish the season strong in hopes of bolstering his trade value, because we all know his days in Detroit are numbered.
25 (27) KINGS 20-52
The Kings are winners of 4 of their last 5 games and the reason for this turnaround has to be Marcus Thornton. Over the last 5 games, Thornton averaged 24.8ppg, 6.6rpg and 4.8apg while making 49 percent of his shots from the field. Thornton is averaging 22ppg since joining the Kings via a trade from New Orleans. I am going on record to say that he will average between 23-25ppg next season and win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
26 (25) NETS 23-49
Newly acquired Nets all-star point guard Deron Williams has been in and out of the lineup since joining the team due to some injuries, but he is expected to return soon to help the team finish the season strong. I think it’s imperative that the Nets finish strong so that when next season rolls around, Williams will be satisfy with the direction of the team and sign the extension the team will certainly offer him.
27 (25) RAPTORS 20-53
I think the Raptors need to blow up the team and rebuild, starting with signing a new general manager. I think this team has a lot of potential and could get lucky in the draft, but their future will depend on how they draft, which is why it would be wise to bring in someone with a completely new perspective.
28 (28) WIZARDS 17-55
The Wizards are a nice young team with a boatload of potential, which will increase even more when the draft rolls around. I think this team needs a player who can command scoring in the post to play alongside their shot blocking sensation JaVale McGee. The Perimeter is already solid with Wall, Young and Lewis and once Wall improves his shooting, the Wizards could move up really quickly.
29 (29) TIM BERWOLVES 17-57
Kevin Love has missed 4 games if you include the game against the Kings in which he played only 14 minutes, but had to leave early after injuring his groin. The team is contemplating shutting Love down for the remainder of the season and why not? They have absolutely nothing to play for. They have the worst record in the Western Conference and even if Love returns, might still end up with the last seed in the West.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 14-58
The Cavaliers have the worst record in the league and will more than likely end up with the league’s worst record, but for all the Cavaliers haters, I must warn you that depending on how the balls bounces during the lottery, this team could easily make the playoff next season and probably even advance past the first round. As of now, there is a hostile crowd in Cleveland anticipating the second return of Lebron on Tuesday.
Monday, March 21, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 NBA POWER RANKING WEEK 22
RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) SPURS 56-13
The Spurs shook off their 30 point loss to the Heat by beating in-state rival Dallas Mavericks and the slumping Bobcats. With 13 losses, the speculation of whether the Spurs will win 70-games this season is finally over, but in all likelihood, the Spurs will still finish the season with the league’s best record.
2 (2) CELTICS 49-19
The Celtics have a 3-4 record over their last 7-games and are not looking like the team that made it to the NBA Finals last summer. Not to beat a dead horse, but Rondo is clearly injured and his numbers only proves this. Over the last 5 games, Rondo averaged only 3.4ppg and 6.2apg and has clearly been a step slower in recent weeks.
3 (5) BULLS 49-19
The Bulls 8-game winning streak finally came to an end when they lost to the Pacers in a 115-108 overtime nail biter. I believe it is imperative that the Bulls finish with the best record in the East, because I doubt they will be able to beat the Heat and Celtics in a 7-game series without having home-court advantage.
4 (4) LAKERS 50-20
The defending champion Lakers have been sizzling hot over the last several weeks and don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. The Lakers have won 12 of their last 13 games and are looking more like a team that is ready to 3-peat.
5 (6) HEAT 48-22
There is one big difference between Lebron and D-Wade. Wade attacks to score, while Lebron attacks to set up his teammates. Well, that only works when the rest of the team are making shots. Over the last several games Lebron has taken a page out of Wade’s book and remained in attack mode throughout those games. His assist may have been down (5 total), but Lebron made 31 of 46 shots from the field and averaged 38ppg over the last two games. There Heat are almost unbeatable if Lebron plays in attack mode for an entire game and the last two games proves this point.
6 (5) MAVERICKS 49-21
The Mavs continues to prove my theory and that is, they will not beat the Spurs or Lakers in a 7-game series. Having Brandon Haywood should fortify the middle, but the Lakers and Spurs are still a hair above them.
7 (7) THUNDER 45-24
Going into Miami and defeating the red-hot and revamped Heat was a thing a beauty. Finally, Kevin Durant can say that he beat a Lebron James-led team. Going into Miami, Durant had never beat Lebron, now that mark stands at 1-6.
8 (8) MAGIC 44-26
The Magic are not going to add another big man to help Dwight Howard, which means the emergence of Gilbert Arenas is the only way I see the Magic making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Not only is Gilbert injured, but he clearly has not emerged into the player the Magic were anticipating when they traded for him. Sadly, I think Gilbert Arenas best days are behind him.
9 (9) NUGGETS 41-29
No I’m not going to jump off the band wagon just because the Nuggets lost their last two games, especially when both losses came on the road against two Eastern Conference power houses, the Magic and Heat. I think this team is dangerous because they have so many intangibles.
10 (11) HAWKS 40-30
The Hawks are still trying to adjust to Kirk Hinrich, who has been a backup point guard for most of his career, but now he is expected to run the team. The problem I see with the Hawks is outside of Joe Johnson and Al Horford, the Hawks have a problem scoring and the recent addition of Hinrich is not enough to show up this deficiency.
11 (12) TRAIL BLAZERS 40-30
A 3-1 week with the lone loss being an 84-80 loss against the Lakers in L.A was a very successful week. LaMarcus Aldridge has emerged as the Blazers number one option and will remain their first option until at least next season, by which time Brandon Roy will hopefully be fully healed.
12 (10) HORNETS 40-31
Chris Paul had a night that he hopes to soon forget against the Celtics when he shot 0-9 from the field for only 4 points. He did manage to get 15 assists in the game, but on offense Paul was completely shut down. I don’t want to make too much of one game, because CP3 came into that game averaging 28.7ppg in the previous 3 games.
13 (13) GRIZZLIES 38-32
The Grizzlies are only 1.5 games ahead of the Rockets for the eighth and final playoffs spot and next week could prove to be their most difficult of the season. The Grizzlies will be matched up against the Jazz, Celtics, Bulls and Spurs if they can come out of those games with a 2-2 record they should consider themselves lucky.
14 (17) ROCKETS 37-34
The Rockets are sporting a 4-game winning streak and are definitely making a charge to unseat the Grizzlies for the eighth and final spot in the West. I think they are the Grizzlies biggest challenge, which should make the last few weeks of the playoffs race very interesting in the West.
15 (15) 76ERS 36-34
As expected, the Sixers have wrestled the sixth seed from the Knicks in the Eastern Conference. I thought it would take an additional week, but with the Knicks recent slippage, the Sixers were able to take a half game lead over them.
16 (14) KNICKS 35-34
The one thing everybody argued after the trade was that the Knicks did not play any defense and that the addition of Carmelo did not make them any better defensively. I definitely agree with this theory, but I think if the game is close the Knicks will have a very good chance because they possess two of the game’s best closers in Carmelo and Stoudemire.
17 (16) SUNS 35-33
The Suns are at full strength now that they have Nash and Channing Frye back in the lineup. Obviously they needed to be at full strength to make a stretch run, if they expect to beat out the Rockets and Griz for the eighth seed in the West. Currently they are only two games out of the playoffs, so they still have a great chance of making it now that they have their full team.
18 (18) JAZZ 36-34
The Jazz are 4-6 over their last 10 games and are currently 2.5 games out of the playoffs. If I were to make a prediction, it would be that the Jazz will not make the playoffs this season. Quite frankly I don’t see them overtaken the Rockets and Grizzlies for the eighth spot.
19 (20) PACERS 30-40
Only in the Eastern Conference can a team lose 8 of 11 with a 30-40 record and still hang on to the eighth seed. The Pacers actually have a 1.5 game lead and may even end up with the eighth seed despite their poor play as of late.
20 (19) WARRIORS 30-40
The Warriors just can’t seem to get it together and last week was no exception. GSW lost 4 straight with two losses coming against the Mavericks. The funny thing is the Warriors would actually be tied with the Pacers for the eighth seed if they were in the Eastern Conference.
21 (22) BUCKS 28-41
I guess the rumors of Michael Redd’s return may have hit home, because Carlos Delfino finally realized that he may lose out his starting spot at the shooting guard position if Redd return. Over the last two games, Delfino averaged 28ppg including a 30 point career high to lead the Bucks to a 100-95 win against the Knicks.
22 (21) BOBCATS 28-41
The Bobcats are sporting a 3-game losing streak and are slipping further away from making the playoffs. They are currently 2.5 games out of the eighth spot and are in danger of not making the playoffs. Michael Jordan felt his team was good enough to make the playoffs so he traded away former all-star forward Gerald Wallace to save some money which made sense financially, but now the Bobcats have a challenge on their hands and missing the playoffs will be a major disappointment.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 27-44
Eric Gordon’s return back to the lineup obviously makes life easier for Blake Griffin and now that the team is at full strength with Kaman also back, we will finally get to see the potential of this team. Obviously they are not going to make the playoffs this year, but this team has a major upside and could be a force by next season.
24 (25) PISTONS 25-45
I think it’s really unfair to first year head coach John Kuester that most of his players are trying to push him out. Rumor has it that some Pistons players are referring to him as Sean Penn as in “Dead Man Walking,” meaning his days are numbered and that is just plain wrong. Then again Kuester brought this on himself when he decided to alienate Rip Hamilton, one of the team’s most popular players a few months ago.
25 (26) RAPTORS 20-49
Raptors center Bargnani returned back to form by scoring 33 and 23 points against the Wizards and Thunder respectively leading to two straight wins for the Raptors. The bad news and what has been a familiar theme was that Bargnani only managed to pull 8 rebounds combined in both games and that is just terrible coming from a center.
26 (24) NETS 22-46
The Nets are shutting down Deron Williams for several games due to a wrist injury and it’s a good thing because trying to make the playoffs this season is not in their best interest. The team has definitely made some improvements, but forcing Williams to play with an injured wrist did not help them in anyway.
27 (29) KINGS 17-51
Samuel Dalembert had a monster game posting 26 points and 17 rebounds against the Timberwolves to help the Kings win 127-95. It was just in time because rookie DeMarcus Cousins got injected for letting his temper get the best of him.
28 (28) WIZARDS 17-51
Every so often the Wizards show why I am so high on their future. Against the Bulls, though it was a loss, Wizards center JaVale McGee was an absolute monster when he swatted a league high 12 shots away. The trio of Wall, McGee and Young will be a force to reckon with in the next two seasons.
29 (27) TIMBERWOLVES 17-54
The Timberwolves are extremely fortunate to have Michael Beasley in the lineup after an ill-advised flagrant foul by the Lakers Andrew Bynum. At first glance, I thought Beasley would be out for the remainder of the season especially with the Wolves horrible record, but he returned the very next game against the Kings to post 13 points in 15 minutes. I think it would be in the team’s best interest if Beasley is shut down for a few games.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 13-55
The Cavaliers are the worst team in the league and figures to be until the end of the season. The only thing left to salvage this season is the development of forward J.J. Hickson so hopefully by next season he will be ready to take the next step.
1 (1) SPURS 56-13
The Spurs shook off their 30 point loss to the Heat by beating in-state rival Dallas Mavericks and the slumping Bobcats. With 13 losses, the speculation of whether the Spurs will win 70-games this season is finally over, but in all likelihood, the Spurs will still finish the season with the league’s best record.
2 (2) CELTICS 49-19
The Celtics have a 3-4 record over their last 7-games and are not looking like the team that made it to the NBA Finals last summer. Not to beat a dead horse, but Rondo is clearly injured and his numbers only proves this. Over the last 5 games, Rondo averaged only 3.4ppg and 6.2apg and has clearly been a step slower in recent weeks.
3 (5) BULLS 49-19
The Bulls 8-game winning streak finally came to an end when they lost to the Pacers in a 115-108 overtime nail biter. I believe it is imperative that the Bulls finish with the best record in the East, because I doubt they will be able to beat the Heat and Celtics in a 7-game series without having home-court advantage.
4 (4) LAKERS 50-20
The defending champion Lakers have been sizzling hot over the last several weeks and don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. The Lakers have won 12 of their last 13 games and are looking more like a team that is ready to 3-peat.
5 (6) HEAT 48-22
There is one big difference between Lebron and D-Wade. Wade attacks to score, while Lebron attacks to set up his teammates. Well, that only works when the rest of the team are making shots. Over the last several games Lebron has taken a page out of Wade’s book and remained in attack mode throughout those games. His assist may have been down (5 total), but Lebron made 31 of 46 shots from the field and averaged 38ppg over the last two games. There Heat are almost unbeatable if Lebron plays in attack mode for an entire game and the last two games proves this point.
6 (5) MAVERICKS 49-21
The Mavs continues to prove my theory and that is, they will not beat the Spurs or Lakers in a 7-game series. Having Brandon Haywood should fortify the middle, but the Lakers and Spurs are still a hair above them.
7 (7) THUNDER 45-24
Going into Miami and defeating the red-hot and revamped Heat was a thing a beauty. Finally, Kevin Durant can say that he beat a Lebron James-led team. Going into Miami, Durant had never beat Lebron, now that mark stands at 1-6.
8 (8) MAGIC 44-26
The Magic are not going to add another big man to help Dwight Howard, which means the emergence of Gilbert Arenas is the only way I see the Magic making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Not only is Gilbert injured, but he clearly has not emerged into the player the Magic were anticipating when they traded for him. Sadly, I think Gilbert Arenas best days are behind him.
9 (9) NUGGETS 41-29
No I’m not going to jump off the band wagon just because the Nuggets lost their last two games, especially when both losses came on the road against two Eastern Conference power houses, the Magic and Heat. I think this team is dangerous because they have so many intangibles.
10 (11) HAWKS 40-30
The Hawks are still trying to adjust to Kirk Hinrich, who has been a backup point guard for most of his career, but now he is expected to run the team. The problem I see with the Hawks is outside of Joe Johnson and Al Horford, the Hawks have a problem scoring and the recent addition of Hinrich is not enough to show up this deficiency.
11 (12) TRAIL BLAZERS 40-30
A 3-1 week with the lone loss being an 84-80 loss against the Lakers in L.A was a very successful week. LaMarcus Aldridge has emerged as the Blazers number one option and will remain their first option until at least next season, by which time Brandon Roy will hopefully be fully healed.
12 (10) HORNETS 40-31
Chris Paul had a night that he hopes to soon forget against the Celtics when he shot 0-9 from the field for only 4 points. He did manage to get 15 assists in the game, but on offense Paul was completely shut down. I don’t want to make too much of one game, because CP3 came into that game averaging 28.7ppg in the previous 3 games.
13 (13) GRIZZLIES 38-32
The Grizzlies are only 1.5 games ahead of the Rockets for the eighth and final playoffs spot and next week could prove to be their most difficult of the season. The Grizzlies will be matched up against the Jazz, Celtics, Bulls and Spurs if they can come out of those games with a 2-2 record they should consider themselves lucky.
14 (17) ROCKETS 37-34
The Rockets are sporting a 4-game winning streak and are definitely making a charge to unseat the Grizzlies for the eighth and final spot in the West. I think they are the Grizzlies biggest challenge, which should make the last few weeks of the playoffs race very interesting in the West.
15 (15) 76ERS 36-34
As expected, the Sixers have wrestled the sixth seed from the Knicks in the Eastern Conference. I thought it would take an additional week, but with the Knicks recent slippage, the Sixers were able to take a half game lead over them.
16 (14) KNICKS 35-34
The one thing everybody argued after the trade was that the Knicks did not play any defense and that the addition of Carmelo did not make them any better defensively. I definitely agree with this theory, but I think if the game is close the Knicks will have a very good chance because they possess two of the game’s best closers in Carmelo and Stoudemire.
17 (16) SUNS 35-33
The Suns are at full strength now that they have Nash and Channing Frye back in the lineup. Obviously they needed to be at full strength to make a stretch run, if they expect to beat out the Rockets and Griz for the eighth seed in the West. Currently they are only two games out of the playoffs, so they still have a great chance of making it now that they have their full team.
18 (18) JAZZ 36-34
The Jazz are 4-6 over their last 10 games and are currently 2.5 games out of the playoffs. If I were to make a prediction, it would be that the Jazz will not make the playoffs this season. Quite frankly I don’t see them overtaken the Rockets and Grizzlies for the eighth spot.
19 (20) PACERS 30-40
Only in the Eastern Conference can a team lose 8 of 11 with a 30-40 record and still hang on to the eighth seed. The Pacers actually have a 1.5 game lead and may even end up with the eighth seed despite their poor play as of late.
20 (19) WARRIORS 30-40
The Warriors just can’t seem to get it together and last week was no exception. GSW lost 4 straight with two losses coming against the Mavericks. The funny thing is the Warriors would actually be tied with the Pacers for the eighth seed if they were in the Eastern Conference.
21 (22) BUCKS 28-41
I guess the rumors of Michael Redd’s return may have hit home, because Carlos Delfino finally realized that he may lose out his starting spot at the shooting guard position if Redd return. Over the last two games, Delfino averaged 28ppg including a 30 point career high to lead the Bucks to a 100-95 win against the Knicks.
22 (21) BOBCATS 28-41
The Bobcats are sporting a 3-game losing streak and are slipping further away from making the playoffs. They are currently 2.5 games out of the eighth spot and are in danger of not making the playoffs. Michael Jordan felt his team was good enough to make the playoffs so he traded away former all-star forward Gerald Wallace to save some money which made sense financially, but now the Bobcats have a challenge on their hands and missing the playoffs will be a major disappointment.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 27-44
Eric Gordon’s return back to the lineup obviously makes life easier for Blake Griffin and now that the team is at full strength with Kaman also back, we will finally get to see the potential of this team. Obviously they are not going to make the playoffs this year, but this team has a major upside and could be a force by next season.
24 (25) PISTONS 25-45
I think it’s really unfair to first year head coach John Kuester that most of his players are trying to push him out. Rumor has it that some Pistons players are referring to him as Sean Penn as in “Dead Man Walking,” meaning his days are numbered and that is just plain wrong. Then again Kuester brought this on himself when he decided to alienate Rip Hamilton, one of the team’s most popular players a few months ago.
25 (26) RAPTORS 20-49
Raptors center Bargnani returned back to form by scoring 33 and 23 points against the Wizards and Thunder respectively leading to two straight wins for the Raptors. The bad news and what has been a familiar theme was that Bargnani only managed to pull 8 rebounds combined in both games and that is just terrible coming from a center.
26 (24) NETS 22-46
The Nets are shutting down Deron Williams for several games due to a wrist injury and it’s a good thing because trying to make the playoffs this season is not in their best interest. The team has definitely made some improvements, but forcing Williams to play with an injured wrist did not help them in anyway.
27 (29) KINGS 17-51
Samuel Dalembert had a monster game posting 26 points and 17 rebounds against the Timberwolves to help the Kings win 127-95. It was just in time because rookie DeMarcus Cousins got injected for letting his temper get the best of him.
28 (28) WIZARDS 17-51
Every so often the Wizards show why I am so high on their future. Against the Bulls, though it was a loss, Wizards center JaVale McGee was an absolute monster when he swatted a league high 12 shots away. The trio of Wall, McGee and Young will be a force to reckon with in the next two seasons.
29 (27) TIMBERWOLVES 17-54
The Timberwolves are extremely fortunate to have Michael Beasley in the lineup after an ill-advised flagrant foul by the Lakers Andrew Bynum. At first glance, I thought Beasley would be out for the remainder of the season especially with the Wolves horrible record, but he returned the very next game against the Kings to post 13 points in 15 minutes. I think it would be in the team’s best interest if Beasley is shut down for a few games.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 13-55
The Cavaliers are the worst team in the league and figures to be until the end of the season. The only thing left to salvage this season is the development of forward J.J. Hickson so hopefully by next season he will be ready to take the next step.
Monday, March 14, 2011
NBA WIZARD 2010-11 NBA POWER RANKING WEEK 21
RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) SPURS 54-12
The Spurs had an impressive 3-0 week, led by Tony Parker’s 23.8ppg. Like I predicted after the all-star break, I expected Parker to be the Spurs MVP following the break and he hasn’t disappointed.
2 (2) CELTICS 47-17
There was a time this season when the Celtic’s Rajon Rondo was averaging over 15apg, but that seemed like a long time ago because Rondo has clearly slowed down as of late due to nagging injuries and his team have slowed down with him. Last week Rondo averaged 9ppg along with a subpar 5.7apg to lead the team to a 1-2 record. Of all the Celtics players, Rondo is the one that must be at full strength in order for the Celtics to make it to the NBA Finals. He is clearly the engine that runs that team.
3 (5) BULLS 47-18
The Bulls are sporting a 6-game winning streak led by Derrick Rose, the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA’s MVP Award. However, there are still 17 games left in the Bulls season so I will have to reserve my vote until the end of the season.
4 (4) LAKERS 47-20
The Lakers are back to their winning ways and have won 9 of their last 10 games in convincing fashion. It’s unfortunate that they waited until after the all-star break to get their act together, but then again, it must be really difficult staying focus for an entire season especially after coming off back-to-back titles.
5 (3) MAVERICKS 47-19
Before Saturday’s 96-91 loss to the Lakers, the Mavericks had a 20-3 record in their previous 23 games. The Mavericks loss each of those games by only a point, which clearly shows how dominant they’ve been. Second year guard Rodrigue Beaubois’s return should strengthen the Mavs backcourt and help fill the perimeter void left by Caron Butler, who is out with a season ending injury.
6 (6) HEAT 45-21
After finally beating a championship contending team (Lakers), the Heat ended that week with one of their most impressive outings this season by beating the Grizzlies 118-85. Those wins didn’t really impress me because the Heat has what it takes to be a dominant team. It will be interesting to see if they can continue at this pace to finish the season strong.
7 (8) THUNDER 42-23
One of the reason I’m reserving my vote for MVP is because of players like Kevin Durant. The guy is leading the league in scoring for a second straight season. The Thunder are also sporting a 3-game winning streak and are expected to finally have newly acquired center Kendrick Perkins join the team following a knee injury.
8 (7) MAGIC 42-25
If Dwight Howard had a better supporting cast, the Magic would have a better record and Howard would definitely be the leading candidate to win the MVP Award. Howard has been an absolute beast, but his team has not really follow suit.
9 (10) NUGGETS 39-27
When the Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups the consensus around the league was that the team was in complete rebuilt mold. Well it only took a few games for that thinking process to change, because the Nuggets have really excelled since the trade. The team has been without Danilo Gallinari, the player who is expected to replace Melo as the team’s starting small forward for the last 6 games, yet the Nuggets have a 7-2 record in the post Melo era.
10 (13) HORNETS 39-29
Following a nasty injury in Cleveland, CP3 was expected to be out for a while, but after only 2 games he was back in the fold with a monster 33 points and 15 rebounds performance to lead the Hornets to a 115-103 win against the Kings. The guy is a true warrior and in mine opinion is still the best pure point guard in the NBA.
11 (12) HAWKS 38-28
Newly acquired point guard Kirk Hinrich definitely makes the Hawks a better team, but in all honesty does anyone think they can beat the Celtics, Bulls, Heat or Magic in a 7-game series? Unless you’re a Hawks fan, the answer is no, which means they are currently only the fifth best team in the Eastern Conference.
12 (9) TRAIL BLAZERS 37-29
The Blazers began their 4-game road trip with two impressive wins over the Magic and the Heat, but they ended up losing their next two games against the Bobcats and Hawks. In all, they finished the week and their road trip with a 2-2 record which is considered a decent outcome for a road trip.
13 (11) GRIZZLIES 36-31
The Griz had a subpar week going 1-2 and did not gain any ground on Phoenix even though Steve Nash was out. I still expect the Grizzlies to finish with the eighth spot, but the Suns and Jazz will be lurking in their rearview mirror and will gladly take over the spot if there’s any slippage on the part of the Griz.
14 (14) KNICKS 34-31
Word out of New York is that the Knicks intend to sign their newly acquired point guard Chauncey Billups to an extension and why not? At worst, they get to keep him for an additional year. At best, they sign him for an additional two seasons and by 2012, he will be in the final year of an expiring contract making him the perfect trade chip if the team chooses to go after the Hornet’s Chris Paul.
15 (15) 76ERS 34-32
The Sixers posted a 2-2 record which was not great, but good enough to maintain the seventh seed, a position they will end up with at the very worse. However, I think this team may be getting a little greedy and might even move up to the sixth seed by the time the season ends.
16 (16) SUNS 33-31
The Suns were without Nash who is listed day-to-day with a pelvic injury, when they were annihilated in a 118-88 loss to the Magic. I expect Nash to be back sooner rather than later because without him, the Suns have absolute no shot at making the playoffs.
17 (17) ROCKETS 33-34
The Rockets are a game under .500 and still have a chance to make the playoffs. They are currently only 3 games behind the Grizzlies and along with the Suns and Jazz should give the Grizzlies a run for the final spot in the Western Conference.
18 (18) JAZZ 34-33
The Jazz obviously have a good chance of making the playoffs, but truth be told, I am not as optimistic as the rest of their fans are. I don’t have anything against Ty Corbin, the Jazz new head coach, but if I were a betting man, I would have definitely put my money on them making the playoffs if Jerry Sloan was still their coach. Under Corbin or in the post Sloan era, the Jazz have a 3-10 record, which is why I don’t think this year’s Jazz will make the playoffs.
19 (20) WARRIORS 30-36
The on again off again Warriors were back on again and had a nice 3-1 record in week 20. Even more impressive was the fact that they stopped Kevin Love’s double-double streak at 53 games when they held love to 6 points and 12 rebounds.
20 (19) PACERS 28-38
Word out of Indiana is that ownership might be looking to completely overhaul the front office. I’m not sure if that means Larry Bird is next in line to be fired, but something has to be done. Since posting a 7-2 record after firing former head coach Jim O’Brien, the team has only won one game over their last nine outings.
21 (21) BOBCATS 28-38
The Bobcats finally got back on track and are sporting a 2-game winning streak following a 6-game losing streak. The race for the eighth seed in gearing to be a dog fight in the East and the first team that wins a few games in a row might take over the lead for good.
22 (23) BUCKS 26-39
Before Sunday’s nightmare game against the Celtics, the Bucks were riding high on a 3-game winning streak. In reality though, 2 of their wins came against the Wizards and Cavaliers with their last being a very impressive 102-74 blowout win against the Sixers. Unfortunately, the Bucks followed up their impressive win against the Sixers with a record low 56 point outing against the Celtics.
23 (22) CLIPPERS 26-41
The L.A. Clippers are out of playoff contention and the only thing left to do is to use their last 15 games to improve, but in order to do that they need to be at full strength. Unfortunately, Eric Gordon is out again after reinjuring his wrist and may be out for a few weeks.
24 (25) NETS 21-43
Yes, the rumors are actually true! The Nets are sporting a 4-game winning streak. Call it the Deron Williams effect. The team finally has a closer and the rest of their players are following suit and playing well. The main beneficiary has been Nets forward Chris Humphries. He has been an absolute beast over the Nets last four games averaging 17ppg and 17.25rpg.
25 (24) PISTONS 23-44
The Pistons are not going anywhere this season. They stayed pat at the trade deadline which only leaves buyout scenarios at this point. Then again if a buyout was going to occur, it would have probably been done by now. Tayshaun Prince was the player most likely to be bought out, but from the looks of things, this team will probably finish the season with their current roster.
26 (26) RAPTORS 18-48
The Raptors last four losses were by 7, 1, 2 and 5 points respectively. I understand they were all losses, but the Raptors were in each of those games rather than being blown out. There is no consolation for losing, but as the seasons wears down there are some signs indicating that the Raptors will be a much better team next season.
27 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 17-51
It’s finally over! Kevin Love’s double-double streak ended at 53 games against the Warriors. The funny is I thought when Love streak ended it would be because he was short on rebounds, but surprisingly, it was points or lack thereof that ended his streak. Love got 12 rebounds, but was held to only 6 points on 1-6 shooting.
28 (27) WIZARDS 16-48
At full strength the Wizards are currently a lottery team, but with Lewis, Blatche and now Nick Young all suffering from injury bug, losses are bound to pile up. This team could mimic the Oklahoma City Thunder in that they have some excellent young players with unlimited potential.
29 (28) KINGS 15-49
The Kings got a steal when they traded for Marcus Thornton, a second year guard from the Hornets. I expect Thornton and Cousins to have a breakout season next year, the only question is whether it will be in Sacramento or Anaheim California.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 12-53
Is the season over yet? The Cavaliers management cannot wait for the summer. I expect the Cavaliers to make the playoffs next season and depending on how well they do in the draft, they could easily be one of the best teams in the league.
1 (1) SPURS 54-12
The Spurs had an impressive 3-0 week, led by Tony Parker’s 23.8ppg. Like I predicted after the all-star break, I expected Parker to be the Spurs MVP following the break and he hasn’t disappointed.
2 (2) CELTICS 47-17
There was a time this season when the Celtic’s Rajon Rondo was averaging over 15apg, but that seemed like a long time ago because Rondo has clearly slowed down as of late due to nagging injuries and his team have slowed down with him. Last week Rondo averaged 9ppg along with a subpar 5.7apg to lead the team to a 1-2 record. Of all the Celtics players, Rondo is the one that must be at full strength in order for the Celtics to make it to the NBA Finals. He is clearly the engine that runs that team.
3 (5) BULLS 47-18
The Bulls are sporting a 6-game winning streak led by Derrick Rose, the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA’s MVP Award. However, there are still 17 games left in the Bulls season so I will have to reserve my vote until the end of the season.
4 (4) LAKERS 47-20
The Lakers are back to their winning ways and have won 9 of their last 10 games in convincing fashion. It’s unfortunate that they waited until after the all-star break to get their act together, but then again, it must be really difficult staying focus for an entire season especially after coming off back-to-back titles.
5 (3) MAVERICKS 47-19
Before Saturday’s 96-91 loss to the Lakers, the Mavericks had a 20-3 record in their previous 23 games. The Mavericks loss each of those games by only a point, which clearly shows how dominant they’ve been. Second year guard Rodrigue Beaubois’s return should strengthen the Mavs backcourt and help fill the perimeter void left by Caron Butler, who is out with a season ending injury.
6 (6) HEAT 45-21
After finally beating a championship contending team (Lakers), the Heat ended that week with one of their most impressive outings this season by beating the Grizzlies 118-85. Those wins didn’t really impress me because the Heat has what it takes to be a dominant team. It will be interesting to see if they can continue at this pace to finish the season strong.
7 (8) THUNDER 42-23
One of the reason I’m reserving my vote for MVP is because of players like Kevin Durant. The guy is leading the league in scoring for a second straight season. The Thunder are also sporting a 3-game winning streak and are expected to finally have newly acquired center Kendrick Perkins join the team following a knee injury.
8 (7) MAGIC 42-25
If Dwight Howard had a better supporting cast, the Magic would have a better record and Howard would definitely be the leading candidate to win the MVP Award. Howard has been an absolute beast, but his team has not really follow suit.
9 (10) NUGGETS 39-27
When the Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups the consensus around the league was that the team was in complete rebuilt mold. Well it only took a few games for that thinking process to change, because the Nuggets have really excelled since the trade. The team has been without Danilo Gallinari, the player who is expected to replace Melo as the team’s starting small forward for the last 6 games, yet the Nuggets have a 7-2 record in the post Melo era.
10 (13) HORNETS 39-29
Following a nasty injury in Cleveland, CP3 was expected to be out for a while, but after only 2 games he was back in the fold with a monster 33 points and 15 rebounds performance to lead the Hornets to a 115-103 win against the Kings. The guy is a true warrior and in mine opinion is still the best pure point guard in the NBA.
11 (12) HAWKS 38-28
Newly acquired point guard Kirk Hinrich definitely makes the Hawks a better team, but in all honesty does anyone think they can beat the Celtics, Bulls, Heat or Magic in a 7-game series? Unless you’re a Hawks fan, the answer is no, which means they are currently only the fifth best team in the Eastern Conference.
12 (9) TRAIL BLAZERS 37-29
The Blazers began their 4-game road trip with two impressive wins over the Magic and the Heat, but they ended up losing their next two games against the Bobcats and Hawks. In all, they finished the week and their road trip with a 2-2 record which is considered a decent outcome for a road trip.
13 (11) GRIZZLIES 36-31
The Griz had a subpar week going 1-2 and did not gain any ground on Phoenix even though Steve Nash was out. I still expect the Grizzlies to finish with the eighth spot, but the Suns and Jazz will be lurking in their rearview mirror and will gladly take over the spot if there’s any slippage on the part of the Griz.
14 (14) KNICKS 34-31
Word out of New York is that the Knicks intend to sign their newly acquired point guard Chauncey Billups to an extension and why not? At worst, they get to keep him for an additional year. At best, they sign him for an additional two seasons and by 2012, he will be in the final year of an expiring contract making him the perfect trade chip if the team chooses to go after the Hornet’s Chris Paul.
15 (15) 76ERS 34-32
The Sixers posted a 2-2 record which was not great, but good enough to maintain the seventh seed, a position they will end up with at the very worse. However, I think this team may be getting a little greedy and might even move up to the sixth seed by the time the season ends.
16 (16) SUNS 33-31
The Suns were without Nash who is listed day-to-day with a pelvic injury, when they were annihilated in a 118-88 loss to the Magic. I expect Nash to be back sooner rather than later because without him, the Suns have absolute no shot at making the playoffs.
17 (17) ROCKETS 33-34
The Rockets are a game under .500 and still have a chance to make the playoffs. They are currently only 3 games behind the Grizzlies and along with the Suns and Jazz should give the Grizzlies a run for the final spot in the Western Conference.
18 (18) JAZZ 34-33
The Jazz obviously have a good chance of making the playoffs, but truth be told, I am not as optimistic as the rest of their fans are. I don’t have anything against Ty Corbin, the Jazz new head coach, but if I were a betting man, I would have definitely put my money on them making the playoffs if Jerry Sloan was still their coach. Under Corbin or in the post Sloan era, the Jazz have a 3-10 record, which is why I don’t think this year’s Jazz will make the playoffs.
19 (20) WARRIORS 30-36
The on again off again Warriors were back on again and had a nice 3-1 record in week 20. Even more impressive was the fact that they stopped Kevin Love’s double-double streak at 53 games when they held love to 6 points and 12 rebounds.
20 (19) PACERS 28-38
Word out of Indiana is that ownership might be looking to completely overhaul the front office. I’m not sure if that means Larry Bird is next in line to be fired, but something has to be done. Since posting a 7-2 record after firing former head coach Jim O’Brien, the team has only won one game over their last nine outings.
21 (21) BOBCATS 28-38
The Bobcats finally got back on track and are sporting a 2-game winning streak following a 6-game losing streak. The race for the eighth seed in gearing to be a dog fight in the East and the first team that wins a few games in a row might take over the lead for good.
22 (23) BUCKS 26-39
Before Sunday’s nightmare game against the Celtics, the Bucks were riding high on a 3-game winning streak. In reality though, 2 of their wins came against the Wizards and Cavaliers with their last being a very impressive 102-74 blowout win against the Sixers. Unfortunately, the Bucks followed up their impressive win against the Sixers with a record low 56 point outing against the Celtics.
23 (22) CLIPPERS 26-41
The L.A. Clippers are out of playoff contention and the only thing left to do is to use their last 15 games to improve, but in order to do that they need to be at full strength. Unfortunately, Eric Gordon is out again after reinjuring his wrist and may be out for a few weeks.
24 (25) NETS 21-43
Yes, the rumors are actually true! The Nets are sporting a 4-game winning streak. Call it the Deron Williams effect. The team finally has a closer and the rest of their players are following suit and playing well. The main beneficiary has been Nets forward Chris Humphries. He has been an absolute beast over the Nets last four games averaging 17ppg and 17.25rpg.
25 (24) PISTONS 23-44
The Pistons are not going anywhere this season. They stayed pat at the trade deadline which only leaves buyout scenarios at this point. Then again if a buyout was going to occur, it would have probably been done by now. Tayshaun Prince was the player most likely to be bought out, but from the looks of things, this team will probably finish the season with their current roster.
26 (26) RAPTORS 18-48
The Raptors last four losses were by 7, 1, 2 and 5 points respectively. I understand they were all losses, but the Raptors were in each of those games rather than being blown out. There is no consolation for losing, but as the seasons wears down there are some signs indicating that the Raptors will be a much better team next season.
27 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 17-51
It’s finally over! Kevin Love’s double-double streak ended at 53 games against the Warriors. The funny is I thought when Love streak ended it would be because he was short on rebounds, but surprisingly, it was points or lack thereof that ended his streak. Love got 12 rebounds, but was held to only 6 points on 1-6 shooting.
28 (27) WIZARDS 16-48
At full strength the Wizards are currently a lottery team, but with Lewis, Blatche and now Nick Young all suffering from injury bug, losses are bound to pile up. This team could mimic the Oklahoma City Thunder in that they have some excellent young players with unlimited potential.
29 (28) KINGS 15-49
The Kings got a steal when they traded for Marcus Thornton, a second year guard from the Hornets. I expect Thornton and Cousins to have a breakout season next year, the only question is whether it will be in Sacramento or Anaheim California.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 12-53
Is the season over yet? The Cavaliers management cannot wait for the summer. I expect the Cavaliers to make the playoffs next season and depending on how well they do in the draft, they could easily be one of the best teams in the league.
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