NBA Playoff Preview 2014

We are coming towards the end of another strong NBA season & of course, that means the NBA Playoffs will be coming our way very soon. This season, there are quite a few teams who look like they could be contenders to the Miami Heat & their championship throne, & we will break down each one of the contenders that we think could have a strong run to an NBA Finals or even the NBA Championship. 

Now, I think I have been pretty much spot on with many predictions this year, with the big exception of the Detroit Pistons, who definitely didn’t live up to the expectations that I had for them going into the season, but that’s cool though. The Eastern Conference ended up not being as strong as I thought they would be early on, but as the season continued, everyone got straight & teams started to learn how to play with each other on a stronger level. 

A team in the East that I thought would have been a lot stronger was the Cleveland Cavs, especially with the leadership of young point guard Kyrie Irving. Now, unlike the NFL where one player doesn’t fully decide the fate of your entire organization on a nightly basis (unless you are Peyton Manning), the NBA is far more individualized & more stylized & one player can affect the fortunes of your franchise. 

It has been rough sledding for the Cavs in the sense that there isn’t any help around Irving in terms of any other great scoring, but Irving & Dion Waiters need help in order for the franchise to get better, but I will comment more on that another time. 

Tonight’s post is about teams who can win the NBA Championship, so here we go. 

The Miami Heat Can Just Win The NBA Championship Again. 

While we talk about competitors to the throne & all, the Miami Heat are in decent enough position to just go ahead & win the NBA Finals for a 3rd straight time, which would be the first time since the Lakers did it in the early 2000s. 

The Miami Heat trio of LeBron James (left), Chris Bosh (right) & Dwayne Wade (center) could have tough competition in the NBA Playoffs this year.

Obviously, the Heat have the Big 3 in LeBron, Wade & Bosh, but this team is far more than just those three. Mario Chalmers has been strong at the point guard position, Shane Battier brings great defense & timely shooting, Ray Allen brings the experience & timely shooting as well, & Chris “Birdman” Andersen brings great energy & hustle on rebounds & banging down low in the post. 

To go up against the Indiana Pacers, the team that everyone feels as though will be their toughest test to the NBA Finals, the team picked up F Michael Beasley from Phoenix as well as C Greg Oden, who both have played well in spot minutes this season. The players are really on the team just to bring extra bodies against the Pacers in a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup but can be important in drawing fouls on Roy Hibbert, David West & Andrew Bynum. 

Why The Miami Heat Won’t Win The Championship 

Health. Flat out. The team is pretty much healthy going into the playoff run with the exception of one of the big three in Dwayne Wade. Wade has been through the grind of many seasons in the league & with the nature of the way Wade played early in his career in terms of taking many falls & hits to the floor, his knees & body overall, he has had to miss a variety of games this season in order to get ready for a playoff run. There is the possibly that Dwayne Wade could be thinking about retirement soon & if so, that could end up being a motivational factor for the Heat to have one more championship for one of the cornerstones of the entire Heat franchise. 

No one knows if Wade’s body is ready for the grind of a championship run since his body probably feels as though he has gone through a grueling NFL season as opposed to an NBA season, but if Wade is not healthy enough to be effective in the playoffs, this is going to be a tough situation for the Heat to go up against the Pacers or a team from the west where its only LeBron James being the main primary scorer. Bosh will be a help but he has to also think about rebounds & assists & sometimes shot blocks in the post. 

It Could Be The Indiana Pacers’ Time To Shine. 

The Pacers have been a franchise on the rise for the last 3 seasons, ever since Head Coach Frank Vogel came in & made the Pacers into a tough-minded, defensive club that will grind, hustle & fight for every point they receive. 

Indiana Pacers Forward Paul George will be a big key to the Pacers going back to the NBA Finals & beating the Miami Heat.

Center Roy Hibbert has become one of the most dominant big men in the NBA this season, Paul George has become a go-to player with his strong wing play & the ability to get to the basket as well as shoot the three-point shot consistently. The team got rid of Danny Granger, who was destined to become one of the best shooters in the league for a while before injuries slowed down his progress, but guards George Hill & Lance Stevenson have made up for not having Granger in the lineup the last few seasons & have given the team more of that edge that they will need to go up against Miami. 

The Pacers hung in with the Heat last year in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals all the way until the Heat showed their championship experience in Game 7, but the Pacers have clearly learned from that experience & make no bones about the fact that they want to get back to the NBA Finals & specifically want to go through the Miami Heat to get there. As mentioned earlier, the team signed free-agent & many-time malcontent center Andrew Bynum to spell Hibbert & to neutralize the Heat big men in Oden, Bosh & “Birdman” Andersen. 

Why The Pacers Won’t Win The NBA Championship. 

Talent. Simply talent. The Pacers have everything else to win the East & get to the NBA Finals, but if the Miami Heat turn up their intensity & play to another level, there isn’t a team in the league that can hang with the Heat for 48 minutes. The Pacers have very few weaknesses, but sometimes, when you are going against one of the greats of all-time in LeBron James & couple that with Wade, Bosh, Allen & the rest, & they are on their game, not too much that can be done. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder Are Playing Like An NBA Championship Team. 

This has been an interesting season for the Oklahoma City Thunder who have had to deal with a variety of injuries – particularly Russell Westbrook, great play from MVP candidate Kevin Durant, strong play again from Serge Ibaka & great leadership from Derek Fisher & young player Jeremy Lamb. 

Oklahoma City Thunder F Kevin Durant has taken the next step this year to becoming one of the most elite players in the NBA as well as the favorite for the NBA MVP award.

The Thunder have put it all together this season & Durant has become more comfortable in terms of leading a team for long stretches of time during the season when it wasn’t clear about the state of Westbrook’s knee. In January, Durant was unstoppable, seeming like every night he was putting up anywhere from 30 to 50+ points a game & really throwing his name into the race for the MVP & making people question if he is the best overall player in the league right now. 

An important addition for the Thunder this season for the stretch run is F Caron Butler, who will come in & give great offensive firepower to team, that has been looking for another offensive threat that can at least give half of the contribution of what James Harden & Kevin Martin gave in the past seasons. 

Why the Thunder Won’t Win The NBA Championship 

The West is absolutely loaded with teams that can match up with OKC very well. Golden State is a far better shooting team than the Thunder with Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson & the strong play down low from Andrew Bogut & David Lee able to knock around the Thunder some. 

The Spurs have far more experience than the Thunder & will know how to have a man in Durant’s face every time he tries to step out for the 3 or go zone when Durant drives his head to the hole. If Durant is having a great night, the team will run that same zone style to stop Westbrook from going to the hole on a consistent basis & make him a pure jump shooter, which we know Westbrook has the tendency to take wild jump shots & lose composure in big situations. 

The Clippers are playing far better defense this year & has the athletes that can run with OKC & if Fisher is seeing any extended time on the court if Reggie Jackson or Jeremy Lamb are on the bench, Chris Paul & a healthy Jamal Crawford will eat that backcourt alive. In the frontcourt, Blake Griffin & Deandre Jordan can be a nightmare for Durant & Ibaka.

The Blazers, Warriors & Clippers Are All Almost Identical Teams. 

The Blazers, Warriors & Clippers all pretty much play exactly the same way & I would group them all in together in that they are exciting & young, have great athletic skills & can surprise teams on a nightly basis, but I can’t see where any of these teams have the grit & desire to beat the Heat, Pacers, Thunder or the Spurs in a 7-game series. All can shoot like crazy, but while all of these teams play better defense than in years past, the Thunder & Spurs have proven that they can grind it out in low scoring games in a series, so I am going to have to dismiss these three squads. 

What about the Houston Rockets & San Antonio Spurs? 

These two teams are the two teams in the West that can give Oklahoma City a true run as well as beat the Heat or Pacers in the NBA Finals. 

For the Rockets, Dwight Howard has improved leaps & bounds this season & has become a quiet, low-key superstar all year. He is averaging his usual double-double in points & rebounds, but he now has great talent around him that takes the pressure off on a regular basis. Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, & James Harden make Howard’s life so much easier with their great shooting & exciting brand of basketball, which feeds perfectly into Howard’s high octane game on offense & defense. 

Dwight Howard has become one of the most dominant centers in the NBA over the last few years. The Houston Rockets will need every bit of Howard’s skill to get through the West & on to the NBA Finals.

On the Spurs, its just being the usual slow, boring style that may not draw big ratings for the NBA, but it wins games & championships. With the experience of being Oklahoma City in the past in the NBA Playoffs, the Spurs will not be scared of any team, anytime. With Tim Duncan in San Antonio, the Spurs have 4 NBA Championships & have to be considered one of the greatest franchises in all of sports, not only the NBA. 

The Rockets can win the NBA Championship based on the fact that they have the best mix of offensive proficiency & defense in the league, which includes the Miami Heat. On the defensive end, the Rockets would be just good enough to slow down the Thunder, Heat or Pacers. 

The Spurs could give the Rockets a challenge because of Tiago Splitter & Tim Duncan working to take Howard out of the game & the combination of Tony Parker & Manu Ginobili being able to match up against Lin & Harden. In the forwards area, Danny Green & Kawae Leonard will get great matchups against Chandler Parsons & Terrance Jones. 

Conclusion 

The NBA Playoffs are shaping up to be some of the most exciting in many years, especially among the top teams in the league. I won’t make a prediction right now, but I do believe that at least the Heat & Pacers will make it into the East Finals & the Thunder & Rockets will be in the West Finals. 


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NBA Questions To Think About Heading Into NBA All-Star Game

Right now, we are just about at the halfway point of the NBA season, with the NBA All-Star Game coming next week & there really isn’t a definitive favorite to win the NBA Championship. Getting to the finals sure, but no one has really grabbed the brass ring & has run with it so far. But as always, there are a variety of NBA league questions from teams all around the league, & today, we will tackle some of those pressing questions. 

Will the New York Knicks Trade Carmelo Anthony? 

I wish I truly knew the answer to this question, but I will lean towards no. As each day goes by, Carmelo Anthony – according to insider – has his value getting much higher or lower, depending on who you talk to. Anthony is having a great season, but has absolutely no real talent around him that can help the Knicks win any games. J.R. Smith can be selfish at times, Metta World Peace has been non-existent & Amare Stoudamire is playing on borrowed time right now. 

New York Knicks Forward Carmelo Anthony (photo source: Daily Fantasy Source)

The main thing that may keep Carmelo in New York is the endorsement money he can earn on Madison Avenue. Not to mention that his wife La La Anthony has become a strong player in the reality TV show game with VH1. I see Carmelo either staying right in New York or going to Brooklyn with the Nets, Chicago with the Chicago Bulls – maybe teaming up with a hopefully healthy Derrick Rose, or going out to Los Angeles to play with the Lakers or Clippers.

I would lean more towards the Clippers because the Clippers have been looking for a reason to get rid of Blake Griffin, so this could be a great reason to give Chris Paul more help to move the Clips to an NBA Championship. 

Anthony has a ton of power in the organization from New York Knicks owner James Dolan, as he just met with Anthony after a recent game about the future of Head Coach Mike Woodson. 

Can the Miami Heat Go For 3 In A Row? 

Yes they can, but damn, its going to be hard this year. The Miami Heat defense is not up to the high standards it normally is, and it almost seems as though the team is going through the motions to get to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, which is the matchup that the rest of the NBA has been expecting since the very beginning of the season, and for some, probably since their epic 7-game Eastern Conference Finals series last year. 

Miami Heat Guard Dwyane Wade will be the key to whether the Heat go for a 3rd straight NBA Championship.

LeBron James & Chris Bosh are having strong seasons again, with James being in the MVP race as usual & Bosh playing more like he did in Toronto with his baseline jumpers, aggressive rebounding & just a higher overall drive, but if you noticed, one of the “Big 3” are missing here. 

Dwyane Wade has been in & out of the lineup all season long, which has taken away some of the chemistry in the lineup. Wade has taken a beating in the NBA since his rookie year due to the style of play that he brings to the table, & unfortunately, the body is catching up with him now. Wade has had to make superhuman efforts to get to about 75 percent of himself the last couple of years & the question has to be whether Wade is already thinking retirement after the upcoming season. 

IF Wade can be somewhat healthy going into the playoffs, Miami will win the NBA Finals for a 3rd straight season. They have Greg Oden in the wings waiting to contribute in the playoffs in a matchup against Roy Hibbert, which the Pacers tried to intercept by signing Andrew Bynum recently. 

But I can’t see where Bynum is going to be the full answer for winning a series against the Pacers because no one knows what kind of motor that Bynum has for basketball right now. The Miami Heat can do it, but they must be healthy, & it starts with Wade. 

Will the Oklahoma City Thunder Break Into The NBA Finals? 

If the Thunder were going to do it, this would be the year, if they don’t, it won’t be because of not having the talent. Even with Russell Westbrook out of the lineup, Kevin Durant has become an absolute monster on the court with his 30, 40, & 50 point games he’s had in 2014. Durant has learned how to play without Westbrook, & has also made players around him better. 

Oklahoma City Thunder Forward Kevin Durant.

Serge Ibaka has been a force this year, Reggie Jackson has developed his point guard skills as well as a little jumper that has become more and more consistent by the game, and the intensity that the Thunder brings shows the heart of a championship team. 

The Thunder can get to the NBA Western Conference Finals, but may have an issue with a team like Houston getting out of the West. The Rockets match up perfectly against OKC across the board, especially with having Dwight Howard in the middle, who has become a much better player than he was even in Orlando in his early years. 

Howard has learned how to work with great talent around him in James Harden, Jeremy Lin & Chandler Parsons, and in a 7-game series, even with Westbrook, OKC may have matchup issues with the Rockets, especially since Durant will be used so much on defense to guard James Harden & Jeremy Lin on a consistent basis. 

But, there is another team that is going to be in the NBA Western Conference picture – 

Are the Portland Trail Blazers For Real? 

Yes, they definitely are. The Blazers have all of the components to make a deep run in the playoffs from a basketball on-court standpoint. Their lack of experience is a concern though, but talent can overcome quite a bit of you are overmatching your opponent in individual matchups. 

Portland Trail Blazers Center/Forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the top 2 dominant big men in the game right now, the other being Dwight Howard. Aldridge has gotten leaner, worked on his jumper, has developed a strong inside game in the paint, and is getting other players around him involved. 

Second-year guard Damian Lillard is living up to the hype and has truly developed his game into a near-elite level in a short time. Throw in emerging forward Nicolas Batum and a solid bench, and the Blazers are a team that can run with the likes of the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Los Angeles Clippers. 

The Blazers will go deep in the west, and wouldn’t surprise me at all by getting to the NBA Finals, but I think that the experience level might not be there at the point. 

Will The Los Angeles Lakers Be Able To Rebuild In The Offseason? 

Yes, but the Los Angeles Lakers fans have to be realistic & understand that a championship may not come right now. It will all depend on if the organization can bring in big name free agents this summer, which may or may not be a slam dunk due to the team being so bad this year, Kobe Bryant taking up so much of the salary cap, and the rise of the Los Angeles Clippers. 

The Lakers are not the premiere destination right now, not the way it was when it was Kobe, Shaq, Phil Jackson & anyone and everyone in the league just wanting to be on the roster to say they were part of the Lakers. 

The team will most likely be a lottery team, & will be in a decent position to get a high draft pick & for the first time in years, actually build through the NBA Draft. With the level of talent that may come out this year, the Lakers will have the opportunity to get a strong building piece around them immediately, along with 1 or 2 free agents. 

We had a scenario about the Lakers getting LeBron or Carmelo, but it will all depend on who can play well with Kobe, who will no doubt come back next year trying to prove his dominance, even at his advanced age and with the idea that he will most likely retire at the end of the extension he signed early in the season. 

The Lakers will always have the backdrop & allure of Hollywood for a lot of players to build their brands up in film & television, but the players can also get that with the Clippers and the ability to win right now. The Lakers should be able to get one major free agent & a rookie in the draft & be okay, but there is a new era of Lakers basketball coming in and the fans have to understand that. 

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Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving Represent the Future of NBA

The NBA had a star-studded performance take place on Tuesday night. And it might have gone completely over your head, or you were busy trying to digest what happened to your favorite NFL team from the past Sunday & Monday. 

Portland Trail Blazers Guard Damian Lillard.

The Portland Trail Blazers & Cleveland Cavs matched up on Tuesday, pitting the best team in the Western Conference in the Blazers with one of the rising teams in the Eastern Conference in the Cavs. 

But the bigger matchup was second-year player & reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard against former Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving in a matchup of the best young point guards in the league. While Lillard’s Trail Blazers got the win in the last second of the game, both players played exceptionally well & showed off the future of the NBA in a big way. 

Cleveland Cavs Point Guard Kyrie Irving.

Lillard had 36 points & 10 assists & Irving had 25 points & 10 assists, & with numbers like those guys are putting up, along with Stephen Curry, John Wall, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Michael Carter-Williams, Chris Paul & others, the NBA is hitting a renaissance period with the reemergence of the star point guard. 

On any given night, you can see some of the top point guards going against each other, in what used to be known as a key matchup in the 80s & 90s due to the level of leadership that position has demanded over the years. The point guard is the player that normally calls out plays, one of the most intense defenders, & keeps the overall morale of the team strong during good & bad times. 

Today’s NBA point guards are far better scorers, however, than the guards of the past, I believe. The point guards of the past were all about getting everyone else involved & making sure the defense was strong, but today’s players are stronger & more lethal when it comes to hitting big shots, going into the post if need be, and being as much of a scoring threat on the court as any of the other positions. 

If this new generation of point guards continue to stay healthy & continue their overall growth, these young players will be leading their teams to NBA Championships very quickly.