With some teams having less than 15 games left in the regular season, the main focus is switching to the big stage. The playoffs are definitely when it all counts and the major teams are starting to turn the gears on. Looking at big championship teams like the LA Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs is big at this point, but you cant count teams like the Boston Celtics out, and you obviously have to take a look at the new rising teams, specially the ones with 3 superstars (im pretty sure you know who im talking about). With nobody really expecting any upset in the first round, we look at the top 8 teams and how they look on each conference:
Los Angeles Lakers: We take a first look at the 2 time defending Champions as they try to make a run at a three-peat, the 2nd in Kobe Bryant's career and 4th in Phil Jackson's. Even though the Lakers started the season 8-0, they looked less than dominant as the season progressed and it got to a point where everyone tried to count them out saying their age seemed like it was catching up with them. As many Lakers fans said however, (including me) the Lakers are known for not playing up to their potential and slacking off during the season yet turn the switch on late in the season and ultimately make that playoff run that has seen them in the NBA Finals for the pass 3 years. They have been more than dominant after the All-Star Break and do not seem to be slowing down. Andrew Bynum is a big part of that. Bynum has never been able to get in rhythm going into the playoffs because of the major injuries he has suffered since his career began, but things are looking up for him. Since coming back from injury he looks more in shape, physically fit, and focus on the game just like his teammates and he has now gotten double digit rebounds in 9 of his last 11 games. On the other hand, one guy that doesn't quite look fit is the biggest player in the Lakers. Kobe Bryant has been dealing with an ankle injury and it is clear it has affected his game, but the Lakers seem to have stayed in a groove and found a way to win regardless, as long as Kobe stays away from major injuries, the Lakers will for sure be a force to reckon with as long as they have the big towers in Bynum, Gasol, and Odom. and Artest playing some good defense. The Lakers have now proven they can play with the Spurs and Dallas in the past 3 games, so as a showdown against the Mavericks is set, we realize that the Dallas Mavericks are the team that looks quite exciting yet never goes any far so the Lakers could be looking at another trip to the Western Conference Finals for sure.
San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have had a marvelous season, its quite hard to look away when you look at the numbers they have been able to put up. With over 50+ wins and only 13 losses its clear to see that the spurs have found a way to win with pure basic and fundamental basketball. When you look at Manu Ginobili only averaging 17.8 ppg you realize that the only way to dominate games and win those many games is only through a solid team. You don't need a superstar to average 25+ points if the team is as solid and great at executing the fundamentals like the Spurs have been. Of course giving credit to a fabulous coach like Gregg Popovich is the first thing to do, and the play between Tony Parker and Ginobili is also a big part of their success, with Duncan's experience coming in as a huge advantage to those young players. Dejuan Blair, Geoge Hill, and Gary Neal have been the big young keys for the spurs bench contributing alongside Matt Bonner who has been scaring teams with that deadly three point shot. The San Antonio Spurs are usually known for getting into a big run as one of the league's elite and then slowing down and never quite gotten far since their last championship. With huge blowout losses to the LA Lakers and the Miami Heat it might look like they will start to slow down, but if they can prevent that and keep at a pace its quite easy to see them go far in the playoffs. As of the moment they would be matched up with a showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder who have shown that can outrun and out-hustled any old/experienced team. It'll be quite a match-up to see.
Boston Celtics: Once again the age factor comes in, but the experience overwhelms it. Such a great defensive team is never out of anyone's sight, and as the only team with 4 All-Stars the Celtics are looking at another trip to the Finals to avenge their game 7 defeat against the LA Lakers last summer (Woohoo!!). Rajon Rondo was the major reason at the beginning of the season that the Celtics looked unstoppable but since then his assist numbers have slowed down and the Celtics have looked shaky at best but have still found a way to win. Since that shocking trade at the deadline for Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics have shown that they are not as scary in down low in the paint but the more games that Jeff Green plays the more it looks like the Celtics will find a way to win at all times. The Celtics seemed to have lost some depth without Perkins and Robinson but as long as the 4 all-stars keep playing at that level, they will have a great chance to make another run since they already have the defensive advantage against almost any team. Ray Allen has been shooting well, Garnett has kept up his defense, and Paul Pierce has .... well hes just been there like he has for years. They have not secure they're spot in the playoffs yet but everyone is sure they will go for the 1st seed since nobody really wants to play the Miami Heat in the second round.
Chicago Bulls: The surprising dominant story that has been well received by NBA fans is none other than the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose's MVP year has lead the bulls to a momentary tie for first place in the Eastern Conference and the Bulls have been quite impressive. With Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer in the Front Court, Luol Deng firing from all places and knockin down career best in percentages, and Derrick Rose handling the ball as one of, if not THE, fastest point guard in the league, the Bulls have looked unstoppable. Derrick Rose has blown by just about everyone this season and hit some of the crazies shots, layups, and even monstruous dunks that only he knows how to throw. Its quite simple to know who deserves the NBA MVP this season. 24.7 ppg 7.9 assists and 4.3 Rebounds have led the Bulls to their best season in years. They look unstoppable and have an easier schedule than the Boston Celtics which leads people to believe the Chicago Bulls will surprise everyone and end up with the first seed in the East. I personally love the way the Chicago Bulls are playing basketball at this point and will not be surprised if they make a run for the NBA Finals. With two big players in Noah and Boozer, great shooters like Deng and Korver, And a great leader in Rose, the bulls look like they will be relevant for many years to come.
Dallas Mavericks: As of now the Dallas Mavericks have looked pretty good but not as good as you would expect them to be. The Mavericks went on a huge run about 2 months ago were they won 18 of 19 games. However, the Mavericks slowed down and have now lost their second seed to the Lakers. The Dallas Mavericks have been a great franchise to watch for the past 6 years but have never been quite able to win the price. Yes we have seen Jason Terry played amazing, Dirk Nowitzki take his game to new levels, but we have never seen the Dallas Mavericks as good as they can be since they had that 2-0 lead against the Miami Heat in the Finals and ended up blowing it. The way Tyson Chandler has been playing has propelled the Mavericks to a big contender this season, and JJ Barea from the bench has been playing well for Kidd. All in all the Dallas Mavericks look like a great team, yet they also look like they need something more to really be a championship contender.
Miami Heat: Well the Miami has been the story of the season for sure. The most improbably of situations was made possible after Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley after they both convinced Lebron James and Chris Bosh to join their squad. However, this year has shown more than any other year that a team needs more than 3 superstars to be a championship contending team. The Miami Heat have taken some time to build some chemistry and have gone on various runs. With a stretch of 20+ consecutive road wins at one point, then a terrible record against winning teams, and specially horrendous against the top 5 teams, and a bad stretch in March for the team after the all-star break, the Miami Heat have shown great promise, yet many problems. Without a true PG presence or a big Center one, the Miami Heat are a little far from being a guaranteed win. Since Duncan in 99, the Shaquile O'Neal years, Ben Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and now Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the past decade has only seen Teams with big men win, which is not the case for the Heat. Nevertheless, nobody has ever seen a team like this with arguable 2 of the top 3 players in the NBA in one team, so its hard to known what will happen. Sure they dont look like a contender after seeing all their problems against winning teams, but the Miami Heat will for sure be relevant and scary. Nobody will like to face a team where if you guard Lebron James he would pass it to Dwyane Wade, thats just too much to worry about.
Oklahoma City Thunder: This has to be the team with the biggest upside. The Thunder have gone on a huge run winning 9 of their last 10 games. The franchise is progressing so well and they play so fast that its kind of hard to count them out at any point. Kevin Durant has become one of the best scorers in the league, and if it wasn't for the James/Wade duo, Westbrook and Durant would be dominating the "Best Scoring Duo" category just like they did last year over the Bryant/Gasol duo from the Lakers. The Thunder have shown that even to their bench, their hustle, their speed, is becoming a threat to anyone in the league. James Harden from the bench has proved to be a great scorer, Sefolosha is playing great defense at all times, Kendrick Perkins will prove to be a great Big man for this young team, and Serge Ibaka has solidify his spot as one of the biggest blockers in the league. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the same team the Thunder are such an incredible duo to watch and will be one of the scariest teams to face for the next years. Very great promise from all the players has this franchise more than happy and many others overjoyed to know there will be great basketball to watch from this team. Their playoff chances get better and better as the Spurs get slower and slower, they proved to be a great threat against the Lakers last year in the first round, and now they will prove even more of a threat against the Spurs in the second round.
Orlando Magic: Kinda hard to imagine that the Orlando Magic, 2 years from reaching the final havent really changed much, yet have gone all the way to fourth and probably not a championship team. With Dwight Howard becoming a free agent this summer the Orlando Magic might want to buckle down and start playing good basketball. Hedo Turkoglu is not the same player he was when the magic reached the finals, but the Orlando Magic seem to keep their trust in Hedo. However, arguably the biggest key to the Magic's team is their PG Jameer Nelson. As long as Nelson controls the ball and moves it around with everyone including Howard, the magic can be a dangerous team. And if Ryan Anderson and J.J Reddick's keep shooting like they can, the three point threat will always be there. The Orlando Magic are known for getting red hot from three point land, and Jason Richardson knows about that as he started the magical comeback for the Magic against the Heat. If Howard stays out of trouble and is able to play like big men should, and he keeps his team in a rhythm the Magic could always get hot from downtown and go deep.
There are definitely many teams to look at but of course this is Sports and there can only be one winner. Whether its experience and age that gets you to a championship, or speed and youth, it will all be seen once April rolls around and the NBA playoffs start.
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