Do you view the Pacers as a threat to win the NBA title?

No, because I don't think that Jermaine O'neal will ever be able to dominant like a Tim Duncan or a Kevin Garnett.

And Ron Artest is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

dominate ...I meant

 

No. I don't think the East has it in them to win it. The West has so many teams that can step it up and dominate when it counts.

 

well, if the lakers make it out of the west, that means they're healthy and rolling and the refs are in fine form, meaning indy will simply ask the lakers to be generous with the lube during the dismantling.

for the most part, any team that makes it out of the west must be playing extremely well to have done so, which makes it seem less likely than just looking at how indy matches up with a team.

if sactown makes it, they're finally healthy and the refs haven't screwed them and they win b/c they're just that good. while the fact they have no possible top player hurts (as tozai has mentioned), they are the one team with the best chance of breaking that streak simply because they have accumulated a ridiculous amount of talent on that roster.

if SA makes it, it could be interesting but they'll just grind the pacers out eventually and duncan will get enough calls.

if dallas makes it...well, dallas isn't making it so who cares.

if minny makes it, indy could have a real shot, though i go back to my theory that whoever makes it will be playing at a very high level, which may not have to be true for indy to make it through the east.


outside of indy, only detroit i think even stands a miniscule chance and nj would then be the only other team that wouldn't be embarrassed.

i hope the west keeps winning. if the rockets have to keep getting their asses kicked by the west, the east might as well have to also.

 

nothing against him personally but i do not think Jermaine O'Neal is ready to carry his team on his back and take them to the finals, much less win the finals.

I don't like how Indy matches up with Detroit... they don't match up well at all. Detroit is definitely a thread, stifling defense that could even be dangerous against the west.

Indy plays good team ball... but you need dominant players in the playoffs. And Yao is even more dominant than J.O.

 

None of the elite teams in the West have been playing with consistency to intimidate other teams. The Lakers haven't been playing with a full squad. The Kings just got theres but are going through a funk in roles. The Spurs don't have Duncan, but seem to be the most stable and boring of the bunch. The Mavs and Wolves look geared to be 2nd round fodder.

But I don't see how the Pacers and the Pistons can match up to Duncan or Shaq. I think the Kings have a loser mentality that makes them screw up sometime or other. They would be the most likely team to lose against the East. The Lakers could give them a 7 game series. Spurs in 6.

 

I'm more scared of Detroit at this point. Their deffense has been stiffling since the Wallace pick up.

 

I watched that game last night and Wallace was playing like he was a rookie again. The commentators said they didn't know he was such a defensive presence, but that was his specialty coming out of North Carolina.

Detroit now has one of the best front-lines in the NBA which automatically makes you a contender. Ben Wallace's defence and rebounding, and Rasheed's Defense and Scoring are going to make them a very tough opponent. Coupled with Billups shooting, that is one of the most complete teams in the NBA. They are solid at every position, and there are contenders who can't make that claim.

 

Yeah I watched the game last night and Wallace is definitely playing with much more enthusiasm. Arguably, his ill temper actually helps his game. He put up his best numbers when he was getting all those technicals years ago and it seems the old Wallace is back.

Lindsey Hunter and James are playing well for them, too.

 

Another thing about that game last night, Larry Brown looked ten years younger. Coaching Allen Iverson seemed to really take its toll on him.

 

Yeah, that's probably the most difficult task in the NBA... Coaching AI, trying to get him to practice, ect.

I'm thankful he's not on our team. What a nightmare.

 

I don't think anyone will be able to beat this year's Lakers in 7 games.

With their entire group healthy, their record is as jaw-dropping as Indiana and Sacramento's.

But the main reason why I think they'll win it all is because they'll have incredible momentum going into the playoffs (look at their schedule) where they'll face either the Nuggets, Grizzlies or Mavericks. Safe to say, they will sweep any of these teams in the first round if they're healthy.

 

IMO, Rick Carlisle has a serious chip on his shoulder after the hatchet job the Pistons did on him. I wouldn't be suprised to see an INDY vs DET EC Finals. Carlisle, Jermaine, Larry Brown and 'Sheed will make it one of the more interesting EC Finals in years. And either team has enough inside firepower to matchup well vs the West. The WC will ultimately prevail, but it's going to be much closer than the recent attempts by PHI & NJ.

 

so i was wrong about two things.

J. O'Neal played pretty well against Sacto... and seems like it brought it... he wasn't great, but very good. So you know what? if they somehow get past Detroit who knows?

Also said Yao would never go 5-18... oops.

 

They have an average record against the West. Denver nuggets are 22-18 for a .550 record. For the western conference, the best is Sacramento at 28-14.

 

I don't think the Pacers would beat Lakers, Kings or Wolves

 

here are my predictions

Pacers vs Lakers...Lakers in 6 or 7
Pacers vs Kings...dead even - a lucky shot/refs decide the winner
Pacers vs Wolves...Pacers in 7