Alright, maybe it wasn't quite that insane. After all, other than the Miami Heat's trio of the LeBron/Bosh/D-Wade superstar signings, did any other franchise change their fortunes in that dramatic of fashion? You could say the New York Knicks might have been the second biggest winner, wooing Amar'e Stoudemire to head east. Stoudemire is a great player, particularly at the offensive end, but will the Knicks go from the lottery to the NBA finals by just adding him? Certainly not. And none of the Heat's signee's actually wound up with the largest payday this summer. You'll be surprised when you find out who did at the bottom of this article.
So finally, tonight, the games will actually count and we can start to move away from the Summer of the Decision and focus on actual basketball again.
I've made my feelings on LeBron very well known: he's a self-absorbed punk who thinks he's bigger than the game of basketball. That being said, he's still very easily a top 3 talent in the league. Will his numbers reflect that as he shares the spotlight with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh? Doubtful, although remember, he's been taking notes about everything that's been said about him this summer.
The Heat are going to be a very good team, there's no question about that. But let's not forget who the defending champions are: the Los Angeles Lakers, who, oh by the way, still have Kobe Bryant on their side. The Boston Celtics, the runners-up last Spring, didn't go anywhere either. And there are still plenty of other legitimate threats to keep the Heat off of this pedestal they feel as though they're on, including the Orlando Magic, who happen to play within the same division.
I'm done dedicating my time to a team that hasn't won anything yet. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Here is how I forsee the Association shaking out in the 2010-2011 season:
Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat
2. Boston Celtics
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Orlando Magic
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. New York Knicks
7. Milwaukee Bucks
8. Indiana Pacers
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9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Washington Wizards
11. New Jersey Nets
12. Detroit Pistons
13. Cleveland Cavaliers
14. Philadelphia 76ers
15. Toronto Raptors
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Dallas Mavericks
3.
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Utah Jazz
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Houston Rockets
8. Los Angeles Clippers
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9. Phoenix Suns
10. Golden State Warriors
11. Denver Nuggets
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Sacramento Kings
14. New Orleans Hornets
15. Minnesota Timberwolves
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Heat over Pacers
Celtics over Bucks
Bulls over Knicks
Magic over Hawks
Semifinals
Magic over Heat
Celtics over Bulls
Eastern Finals
Celtics over Magic
Western Conference Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Lakers over Clippers
Mavericks over Rockets
Thunder over Trail Blazers
Jazz over Spurs
Semifinals
Lakers over Jazz
Mavericks over Thunder
Western Finals
Mavericks over Lakers
2011 NBA Championship: Boston Celtics over Dallas Mavericks
That's right, the Celtics are bringing back banner 18 this season. After falling mere minutes short of the feat last season, the Celtics return with a deeper-than-ever supporting cast to compliment their own "Big 3", not to mention Rajon Rondo, who has established himself as one of the NBA's premier point guards. It's not a stretch to call Rondo the Celtics' best player. He's a match-up mis-match, in that no matter how you try to cover him, he can still find ways to beat you. Whether he's fearlessly driving the lane, doing some sort of crazy reverse lay-up, or putting up a floater, or dishing out to his plethora of options along the perimeter, Rondo is one of a kind when it comes to the point guard position. As long as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are here, and healthy, the Celtics are going to have a shot.
Worried about the loss of Kendrick Perkins until at least February? That's alright, Shaquille O'Neal is here to hold the fort until he returns. Jermaine O'Neal also joins the front court rotation along with the returning Glen "Big Baby" Davis. In the backcourt, Rondo and Allen are fortified by Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, and old friend Delonte West. If you don't think the Celtics added West as a move to get underneath LeBron's skin, well, you're probably right. But it's always a pleasure to bring those rumors up, even if they are far-fetched.
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| Stepfather with stepson? |
Awards
Most Valuable Player: Dirk Nowizki, Mavericks
Rookie of the Year: John Wall, Wizards
Coach of the Year: Greg Poppovich, Spurs
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard, Magic
Sixth Man of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, Celtics
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| Look for the versatile German to take home his second MVP honors. |
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| He still needs to work on his offensive game, but there isn't a better defender in the world right now that Dwight Howard. |
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| The Big 6th Man? |
1st Team All-NBA: Deron Williams, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard
2nd Team All-NBA: Rajon Rondo, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, Amar'e Stoudemire
3rd Team All-NBA: Steve Nash, Brandon Jennings, Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, Al Horford
Anyways, in honor of the Celtics 18th banner that they'll take home, here are 18 other thoughts on the most anticipated season in recent memory.
1. It's going to be one helluva rookie class. With 2009 1st overall pick Blake Griffin still eligible, he and John Wall will have to duke it out to see who ultimately gets the honors. Don't sleep on the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins, either, who with Tyreke Evans at the very least make the Kings an "interesting" team out west.
2. Kevin Durant has made the leap to the second best player in the faster than we ever thought possible. His experiences with Team USA this summer proved that he is indeed ready to compete for championships. However.....
3. Don't get me wrong. Love Durant. Love Russell Westbrook. Love what the Thunder are doing. But they're still a piece or two away from having a legitimate shot at the NBA title. Is Serge Ibaka the answer down low? The early reviews out of the Sooner State do sound promising, but it's really too soon to tell. Let's see how the Thunder adapt from being the hunters to the hunted.
(And if the Thunder do win the title while Durant's still there, they'd better throw a parade up in Seattle. But that's for another time).
4. So how are Wade, LeBron, and Bosh going to co-exist on South Beach? The Heat will finish with the best record in the regular season, 61-21. But without any legitimate answers for a bona fide NBA center, they're looking at a flameout in round 2 to the Magic. There won't be any alpha dog issues for the Heat this season, but if they do wind up losing in the playoffs and get off to a sluggish start next season, we could have a very interesting situation in Miami.
5. That's not a misprint above, there will indeed be two Los Angeles teams in the playoffs this spring. With Blake Griffin finally able to be unleashed, the continued emergence of Eric Gordon, and a bounce-back season from Baron Davis, the Clip Show is ready to get back to the post-season. Although the Lakers will show them who owns the city in round 1.
6. The Indiana Pacers are also ready for a return to the post-season. Very underrated off-season pickup of Darren Collison to pair with star forward Danny Granger and 7'2" Roy Hibbert becoming a force down low, the rebuilding project that Larry Legend has overseen is ready for the first step back to respectability.
7. The Minnesota Timberwolves will finish with the NBA's worst record, 18-64. Toronto will finish worst in the East, 20-62.
8. The Knicks, after years of gutting their roster for the Summer of the Decision, will finally return to the post-season. It's not exactly how they drew it all up, but they'll definitely be a fun team to watch. Amar'e reunited with former Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni will turn the Knicks into a lesser version of the Suns. The difference, obviously, being Steve Nash.
9. Why Dallas in the representing the West? The urgency has never been higher. Like the Celtics in the East, this is the deepest version of the Mavs to date. Tyson Chandler immediately improves the front court defense, a full season with Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler, Dirk Nowitzki showing no signs of slowing down, Jason Kidd proving he isn't done yet....All these 50 win seasons have gotta add up to something.
10. Why not the Lakers? Nothing more than a gut feeling. What's going on with Andrew Bynum's knees? Kobe is still Kobe, and he'll remind us all year long that he's still Kobe. It's nothing more than going out on a limb.
11. When LeBron James returns to Cleveland December 2, it will be unlike any other homecoming we have ever seen. You think Favre back in Green Bay was bad? Damon back in Boston? This will be in a whole other galaxy. LeBron will get things thrown at him. People will get way too personal in the insults. Am I saying it's right? No. Will I feel sorry for LeBron? Not in the least.
12. I'm not sure what's going to wind up happening with Carmelo in Denver, or with Chris Paul in New Orleans. But the situations are already so damning that the seasons are over there before they even start.
13. The Bulls are going to be a very exciting team to watch. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah was already a dynamite combination, and adding defense-first coach Tom Thibodeau and Carlos Boozer (eventually) joining up front, they are going to be a very strong team in the Eastern Conference. Probably a year or two away from becoming a serious contender for a title, but it's safe to say that this will be their best squad since MJ split town in '98.
14. LeBron won't admit that he was wrong in the way he went about "The Decision".
15. God forbid it came down to a Lakers-Heat finals, I would swallow my pride and root for the Lakers. As would any other self-respecting NBA fan.
16. First coach fired: Lionel Hollins, Grizzlies. George Karl will also resign at some point this season.
17. Evan Turner of the 76ers (2nd overall) will prove to be the biggest bust of this draft.
18. Seriously, Fuck LeBron. Let's watch some basketball
Answer to Trivia: Joe Johnson, Hawks.
Yo you really underestimated the hornets eh? As long as Paul is there making everyone else that much better, you can't count em out.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta start posting some more nba articles man. Its alastair by the way