NBA Thoughts And Predictions

With the Jason Kidd trade now final, it officially raises the age old question, "Who the fuck is going to win the Western Conference?" The East is easy. Only 5 teams even have winning records, (Boaston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando and Toronto) and only the first 3 mentioned have a legitimate chance of winning the conference.

The West though? The West has 10 teams with winning records, and while only 8 of them will make the playoffs, conceivably any of those 8 could end up winning it all. There are, however, as far as I'm concerned, 6 teams with a real chance to come out of the West and win it all, provided they don't get too worn out in the Conference championship and shit the bed against Detroit, Cleveland or Boston. The teams with the best chance to win the West are, in reverse order, as follows:

New Orleans: Chris Paul is a beast. Tyson Chandler is a beast. David West is a beast. I love all of them as basketball players and would be surprised if someday Paul doesn't have at least one ring. But Peja Stojakovic is about as clutch as your granddaddy's Cadillac, and if he's your best outside shooter, you aren't winning a championship. It's one thing to miss a clinching 3 pointer. It's another thing entirely to airball one.

Utah: That Kyle Korver trade was huge. The needed someone to stretch defenses and they got him. Boozer and Williams are great players and this team could absolutely win a championship. They would easily be the best team in the East. But they don't play in the East, and I don't see them geting past any of the next four teams in a 7 game series.

L.A. Lakers: Gasol for Kwame Brown and a couple of picks? Um, YES. You now have a rejuvenated Kobe playing with a talented big man and a good cast of supporting players. Sound familiar? I thought so. Unfortunately, Gasol is no 2000-2002 Shaq, and this team has a very shallow bench. Still, never underestimate Kobe.

San Antonio: The reigning champs stood pat amidst all the trades and I can't say I blame them. They're a great team with a great nucleus and a great coach. Unfortunately for them, repeating is really, really hard and other teams improved drastically. Would I be shocked if the Spurs repeated? Certainly not. But I don't think it's going to happen.

Dallas: Love the Jason Kidd trade, although they're really going to miss Keith Van Horn. Devin Harris is a very good, young point guard, but he isn't Jason Kidd. I think Kidd will do a lot for Josh Howard and Dirk, but I'm still not sure this team can really bang down low with the big boys in the conference, which is why I have to give the nod to...

Damn it, that isn't the right one. I have no idea how that even got on here. The Clippers are fucking terrible. Hold on one second. Ok, here we go.

THIS team is going to win it all:
Thats right, Phoenix: I LOVE the Shaq trade, and not because I believe that, in this stage of his career, he is a better basketball player than Shawn Marion. But as far as this team is concerned, he IS more valuable. This exact group of players had their chance of winning a championship. they didn't. And they didn't because they didn't have a big man in the post that could handle the other big men in the conference, especially Duncan. Also, a happy, motivated Shaq is a wonderful thing. I don't care how old he is, he can still play. Phoenix can now run or grind it out, and they can do it well. That's why I think they'll finally be able to hold whatever the hell the NBA championship trophy is called over their heads come June. And I'll be rooting for them, not just because it will make me look smart. You gotta love Steve Nash. Us white basketball players (current and former) gotta stick together.

Don't Act Like You're Not Impressed

Two days ago the Phoenix Suns played their last game in January, and it was, crazily enough, their first loss of the month as well. And it took a 44 point effort from KG as well as stellar play from the rest of the T-Wolves to do it. The Suns were 15-1 in January. 15 and fucking 1! That's good. And so, as NBA fans across the globe slowly remove their jaws from the floor, I couldn't help but gawk just a little bit longer at how good this team has been.

Now I don't get too many chances to see the Suns play. I'm either always at work (where I can at least see highlights), out drinking, or sleeping off a night of drinking till 3pm, as I did Sunday despite intending to watch the Suns play. Actually, I don't even think I went out Saturday night, but that's beside the point. The point is Steve Nash had 15 assists and NO turnovers. That's incredible. The great John Stockton himself would have been damn proud of that line.

So naturally, the Suns are way ahead of the competition in the NBA right? Um, wrong. If the season ended today, Dallas would be the number 1 seed in the west. So why aren't they getting nearly as much press as Phoenix? Well, Dallas hasn't been ripping off 15 game win streaks. They prefer to just win 9 out of every 10. Less flashy. Phoenix has now had TWO win streaks of 15 games. Incredible. Yet, they have the same number of losses (9) as Dallas. And neither of these teams started well. Dallas lost their first 4, only win their next 12. Then they dropped 3 out of 5, and since then have won 23 of 25. Astounding. Phoenix dropped 6 of their first 9 and has since won 33 of 36. Unbelievable. Rest assured, I will NOT miss these two teams playing each other in the playoffs. It is gonna be awesome. I doubt I will be able to say the same about the actual NBA finals. Oh well. By then baseball will be in full swing anyway.

Mmmm, baseball. Only 59 more days till Opening Day.