Predictions, Predictions, Predictions

EAST:

1) Indiana - Remember how bad they were dominating before the brawl? Add in Sarunas and Granger. We might even see a lineup of Tinsley, Sarunas, Jackson, Artest, and O'Neal out there sometimes.

2) Miami - I'm not totally convinced on the chemistry of this team. They remind me of the Lakers trying to fit 4 Hall of Famers on one team except the Heat have Pat Riley breathing down the neck of a coach who has done nothing wrong.

3) New Jersey - Win by default really. I wouldn't even be surprised if the 76ers were on their heels and then didn't even make the playoffs.

4) Detriot - Same team, less turmoil. Hopefully Flip won't become overwhelmed with egos as he did in Minnesota though. Everything should be fine if they're winning.

5) Cleveland - Good starters, weak bench. Larry Hughes is a poor man's Lebron James so I'm not sure that's a great combo.

6) Washington - Lost Hughes but Davis was a good pickup. Caron Butler is the man, that could be an All-Star in the making. Arenas is supposedly working on his game a lot this summer and improving his defense.

7) Chicago - Tyson Chandler deserves the starting role after they paid him so much money and he outplayed Curry most of the year. Sweetney is a developing post-player and the backcourt of Hinrich and Gordon is a good one. Solid team, solid bench, solid coach.

8) New York - Yes, that's right. Paying 60 million over the salary cap only buys your team the 8th spot in the East. Look for Marbury to remain Marbury, Crawford to average 3 treys a game, Richardson to reform back to his early playing style, which was a lot better than in PHX. Curry will stand under the basket until someone passes him the ball and James will flop all over the bench once people start waving bangsticks during free throws. This all culminates in a Larry Brown vs Marbury showdown with Thomas acting as Don King.

WEST:

1) San Antonio - The Rockets are good enough to challenge SA for the top spot, not take it yet. When you are the world champions and you didn't lose anybody during the offseason but actually gained Micheal Finley, you get the #1 spot.

2) Phoenix - Not as good as last year but solid enough to fend off Sacremento for the division title. Lost their three point threats but have a more developed post game with a stronger Amare. Stronger bench means less minutes for starters and Marion will have a great year now that he's not matching up agaisnt Duncan and Garnett every night.

3) Denver - They will have a good year and won't have too much challenge for the division title. Carmelo has been working out like a beast and lost like 20 pounds during the offseason. Lenard will give them their legitimate three point threat back and Kenyon has said he finally feels healthy again.

4) Houston - I think the Rockets are actually the second best team in the West, they just get screwed by these playoff seedings. Look for the eventual 2nd round matchup between Spurs and Rockets.

5) Sacramento - Same old Sacramento. Shareef will thrive in the Princeton offense and with Brad Miller to take some heat off him. Bibby will be great and Peja will have a comeback year. If Adelman can keep Bonzi's head on straight, then they will be a solid team in the West.

6) Dallas - Yeah these guys suck Terry has a bigger role, Daniels will probably have a breakout year, Dampier will come out and play like the 2nd best center in the game. Avery will stress defense and no one will listen. As much as I hate Josh Howard for the playoffs, he's a solid developing player who should help the team.

7) Golden State - Baron Davis is motivated and working his ass off this offseason. Richardson wants it, Pietrus is breaking out, and with some solid draft picks these guys should finally make the playoffs.

8) Utah - My sleeper pick for the playoffs. Seattle, Minnesota, and Lakers will be close but Utah (if they can stay injury free) should be a solid team. Just think of their start last year but with Deron Williams running the show. This will probably be Sloan's last year and no way does he end up like he did last year.

*EDIT: I totally forgot about Chicago Bulls in the East and I didn't provide reasons so I went back and changed those.

 

This is a tough season to predict, but I'll try.

East:
1. Miami - by defalt, really
2. Cleveland - My official "off the wall" prediction
3. Philadelphia - Iverson and Webber finally develop some chemistry
4. Detroit - Loses a close race to Cleveland
5. Indiana - Toughest division outside of SW
6. Boston - Good offseason
7. Chicago - Chandler should improve without Curry
8. Milwaukee - Beats out Orlando for last playoff spot on final day of season

West:
1. San Antonio - Got 59 wins with Duncan playing fewest minutes of his career
2. Phoenix - We'll see how much Stoudemire improved his game
3. Denver - Seattle doesn't impress me that much
4. Rockets - Sorry, still can't pick them ahead of the Spurs.
5. Mavericks - Time for a rematch, Flop-itski!
6. Sacramento - Peja and Bibby still a potent 1-2 punch
7. LA Lakers - Phil Jackson finally proves his doubters wrong
8. LA Clippers - What the hell...why not? A little love for Mobley

A few extras:

MVP: LeBron James - he's ready...I'm expecting 30ppg
Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bogut - Much more skilled than Williams
Coach of the Year: Phil Jackson - The media will ride his jock all year long
NBA Finals: San Antonio over Miami

 

EAST
1 Miami
2 Detroit
3 Indiana
4 Cleveland
5 Washington
6 NJ
7 Philadelphia
8 NYK

WEST
1 SA
2 Houston
3 Phoenix
4 Dallas
5 Sacramento
6 LAL
7 GS
8 LAC

 

EAST
1 Indiana - Looked unstoppable before Artest, they already have chemistry
2 Miami - Will take a while to gel
3 NJ - Only the 3 because of
4 Detroit - They'll start slow but finish strong
5 Cleveland - LJ will be even better with an actual team
6 Washington - Still a solid team without LH
7 Chicago - Losing Curry will hurt but they're still young and talented
8 NYK - LB can push them into the playoffs

WEST
1 SA - Let the greatest team ever discussions start
2 Phoenix - Better than Sacto, but they don't have the guns to beat SA
3 Denver - Seattle sucks, Denver doesn't, they get the 3
4 Houston - We could very well have the second best record in the West
5 Dallas - Finley will be missed, but AJ will bring the D to keep them top 5
6 Sacramento - Reloaded but not as good as they once were
7 GS - If Barron stays healthy, they're in.
8 Memphis - Bend over and grab your ankles, here comes TD!

 

East:

1. Detriot -- going to be better than people think under saunders
2. Miami -- not enough basketballs to go around, HUGE chemistry problems
3. Boston -- only at the 3 because they win a weak division
4. Indiana -- could possibly have the 2nd best record out east
5. Washington -- still a good team without LH, butler surprises people
6. Cleveland -- A LOT more talent, but coaching is an issue as is chemistry
7. Philadelphia -- not a lot of depth but AI has another MVP caliber season
8. Orlando -- tough call between them and Chicago but howard is ready to be a star


West:

1. S.A. -- still the best...unfortunately
2. Phoenix -- got worse this offseason but win a weak div.
3. Denver -- good team, wins div. only reason #3
4. Houston -- ends up with the 2nd best record out west but doesn't win div
5. Sacramento -- quietly good offseason, despite losing mobley
6. Dallas -- did NOTHING this offseason, lose nash & finley in back2back yrs.
7. Minnesota -- KG doesn't miss playoffs 2 yrs. straight
8. Seattle -- doesn't really mater who gets #8, they get swept by spurs in rd. 1

 

not bashing your prediction but i am curious why you think SA will be #4? injuries? just a have a hunch?

 

East
1) Heat-regular season winners in the East
2) Indiana-added a shooter in Javeskus and really should start off where they left off
3) New Jersey- Kidd Carter Jefferson- Great big tandem in the back court now if they only could all stay healthy for a full season. Jason Kidd should also improve the play of the front court and Marc Jackson
4) Detroit- Rasheed playing more of a Garnett role. He definitely can score but will the rest of the Pistons respect this game plan. Chauncey Billups won't mind because he will play a Marbury/Sam Cassell role. Rip Hamilton will get third scoring option. Will Tayshaun be happy? Still a strong team though
5)Wizards- I think they have a light schedule playing in their division. The only good team on their division is the Heat
6) Cavs- Super star Lebron is going to turn even more heads this season. He's got the team and scorers to do it. But their division is really tough with every team having play off caliber capabilities.
7)Bulls- They lost Curry. They still have depth and a great coach in Larry Brown. I still don't see a leader on that team. Hinrich a Leader? I thought the leader was the best player on the team.
8) Knicks- I hate to put AI out of the playoff list but Larry Brown is one heck of a coach. They have guys that can definitely score and with Larry Brown even if no one is a superb or outstanding one on one defender count them to play good team D. Curry helps them bolster their front court too.

West

1) Spurs- They were last year's Champions. They didn't need to add anyone but they decided to put Finley and NVE to their depth too. If any player besides Duncan gets injured they are secure in every position with depth. It's going to be hard to beat them
2) Suns- Amare gets better every year. Nash will probably still play like the MVP. Marion is still there for tip in rebounds and fast break points. Kurt Thomas should be of some help but it will be funny watching him dragging his body at 34 up and down the court. The new wing men should improve under the magic of Nash. They will all get enough shot attempts to at least drain a few of them down. They have some decent depth but it still won't be good enough to out play the Spurs
3) Nuggets- Probably the third best defensive team in the West. They still haven't adressed their shooting guard position but hey who is there to compete with them in their division. A full year under George Karl should make them a lock in this spot
4) Rockets- We're going to be neck to neck with the Spurs this year but we still have to prove it. When we do or if Duncan gets injured that top seed should be ours but until then we're right here.
5) Mavs- They might actually have defence. They have a full season under Avery now and a full training camp. They lost finley and still don't have a leader though. They should be where they were last year in capabilities but now with the Rockets improved they move notch down
6) Kings- Wow they got rid of Christie but added BWells who is younger. The Suns vs. Kings games should be fun to watch this year. KT supposedly looks better than he has for a while and is competing for a starting PF slot.
7) sonics-new coaching staff but again weak division. They changed coaching staff lost Antonio D and Jerome James but how important were they. They still have Luke who is their starting pg and Jerome James didn't put up that great of numbers on Sonic land. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis have better Chemistry with every game and I think they will still pop u with three's all night long. They may not be the best in their division now but they are still have play of capabilities
8) Lakers. The triangle offence is back and with Phil Jackson nothing is impossible. People are all looking at Golden state but a full season of Kobe Phil and Odom should get them back in playoffs. Odom will be holding and distributing the ball now more in a triangle offence and Kobe will just have to attack. Aaron Mckie is a nice tall player in the back court for them but they still don't have a back up for him. Their front court looks better this year than last year because B Grant really wasn't any better than Kwame Brown but with a salary so ginormous. They are tall this year and young except at PG. It will be fun to see.

 

You Phoenix lovers continue to amaze me:

EAST
1 Miami. Too much talent. Riley will take over.
2 Indiana. An obvious Finals contender if chemistry holds together.
3 Detroit. Flip is good but he's not Larry Brown
4 Cleveland. They will take a big step forward. LeBron for MVP.
5 Chicago. If chemistry holds, could go higher. Will players tire of Skiles?
6 New Jersey. SAR would have put them into top 4.
7 Philadelphia. Will struggle all year and never find their groove. Mo Cheeks is not the man.
8 Washington. Could easily see them missing the playoffs.



WEST
1 Houston. If Alston behaves, we can be awesome.
2 Denver. If they don't tire of George Karl, a surprise team. Stick a fork in 'em if Camby misses many games.
3 Sacramento. If they start slow things could crumble fast. I'm going out on a limb that might break.
4 San Antonio. 2nd best record unless injuries slow them down.
5 Dallas. AJ will wear on some of the players. Dirk is not a good leader. Look for fireworks.
6 Phoenix. The magic is gone. Nash will not be as good. Amare will be better but teams will double him more. Will win division if the Kings disintegrate.
7 Golden State. They need a real NBA coach. Dunleavy needs to step up. Richardson needs to shoot fewer 3s. Davis must stay healthy. This team is a tease.
8 LA Clippers. Don't laugh. With Sam, Cat, Brand, Maggette, Livingston they will get it done. Dunleavy is a good enough coach to get them 46-47 wins.

 

1. Detroit- Too much talent and Chemistry not to have the Best Record.
2. Miami- How will everybody be happy? too much talent
3. New Jersey- Pathetic Division
4. Indiana- Would not want to play them in the first round, 2nd round match with detroit should be fun
5. Cleveland-Lebron makes playoffs only to be spanked by Indy in 1st round
6. New York- If they Gel could make 2nd round of playoffs
7. Philly-Too much talent not to make playoffs
8. Orlando- Beat out boston to get in

1. San Antonio- Nuff Said
2. Phoenix- Kurt Thomas gives them another low post presence
3. Denver- Seattle wont take division again
4. Houston- Rockets v.s S.A. in 2nd round could be instant classic
5. Seattle- still have Allen and Lewis
6. Dallas- will be happy to have the 6th seed
7. Sacremento-Bibby & Peja plus Miller= Playoffs
8. Golden State- Beat Memphis for last spot

 

East:
1. Miami
2. Indiana
3. Detroit
4. Cleveland
5. Nets
6. New York
7. Bucks
8. Boston

West:
1. Spurs
2. Houston
3. Denver
4. Sacramento
5. Phoneix
6. Dallas
7. Golden State
8. Lakers

 

They're good teams, except a few things. First of all, that West prediction can't happen because no one represents each of the 3 divisions as the top 3 seeds. I would imagine that Denver is a pretty nice pick this year to lead that.

 

East:

1.) Indy- If Ron Artest keeps his head strait, Jermain O'Neal and the gang will win a lot of ball games.

2.) Miami- It will take time, but there is just too much talent.

3.) NJ- They can run and gun, but no one in that division will stop them (I think they will actually have a worse record than the 5th seed).

4.) Detriot- You could flip them with the #5. I'm not sure how well an offensive coach fits with a defensive team. Who knows, maybe he is the guy to get that offense going and because they are so used to playing with each other, the D will be fine.

5.) Cavs- I honestly believe that Lebron got a cast around him, and will be incredible better. Don't know that they will win in the playoffs, but if they do not make it, heads should roll.

6.)Philly- AI and CWebb have had time together with the rest of the guys (Korver, AI2, Dalembert). Time to get it going with Coach Mo.

7.) Milwaukee--incredibly better. That much better, they make the playoffs.

8.) Washington- Lossing Lary hurts. But still too much not to make it wtih Jamison, Arenas, and new addition Daniels.

****Orlando and Boston both miss by less than 3 games.****

West

1.) Houston Rockets--Why not? They took care of all areas of needs durring the offseason. Perfect fit for Stro. DA takes less money to get here. Skip is true PG. And oh yeah, they have one of the best 1-2 inside-outside combos in the L with McGrady and Yao. They also don't fear the Spurs. Why not the Rox?

2.)Sacremento-Ofcourse the 2 best teams are the Rox and Spurs, this goes to the "Pacific" division winners (is that the name of thier division?). They will be solid. Bibby, Peja, Bonzi, SAR, Brad Miller and a solid bench give this team an edge. I think a lot of people under rate them.

3.)Denver- Only GOOD team in the "Mountain" Division (again, no idea what its called). They still don't have the shooter they need, but Coach Karl led the boys to an insane record the 2nd half. Melo, Andre, Camby Man, and K-Mart lead this good team to a division title.

4.) San An Spurs- This could be the Rockets. It's honestly a coin flip to me. They added NVE and Finley to a championship team. I just think both those guys are in the later stages of thier carrer and are being given to much credit. I think the Rockets youth additions give the a SLIGHT edge, but would not be surprisde to see the Rox here and San An in 1st. First team to 60 wins gets the division.

5.) Phoneix- Lost 2 catlysist in thier run and gun offense. Still will put points on the board, but can not play TEAM D. That will hurt them. They will be tougher physically, and a little bit more deep, but I think they took a step back. Amare, Nash and Marrion still run, but Kurt Thomas does not fit that role well. He is a terrific rebounder and jump shooter. Better suited for the half court option.

6.) Dallas- Still have Dirk. Learning different strategy under Avery (and learning to not laugh every time he speaks). Good team, still has a better record than 5-6 teams in the East. Just too deep of a conference to get very far without better play from every position.

7.) Golden State- A healthy Barron Davis makes a happy Bay Area. Gelled with Jason Richardson from Day 1. This team will be fun to watch and has great "up-and-comming" status. Here's to my favorite team to watch outside of the Rockets.

8.) Memphis/Utah- I know it seems cheap to perdict 2 teams here, but I honestly have no idea. I think both teams are very good. Jazz will be improved with some health and solid PG play from a rookie (D Williams). Memphis lost some depth to gain Loker unity. Frettello knows how to coach so that's why I can't rule him out.

 

how in God's name are any of you picking the nuggets ahead of the rockets?

or anybody for that matteR?

 

Since last season, the first three playoff seedings go to division winners. So even if the Rockets have the second best record in the West behind SA, the highest seeding they can get is 4th.

 

ahh ok, I was mistaken then in how the playoffs were setup.

that's not to say the nuggets led by george karl are going to finish 7th or 8th, but certainly if it was still by record alone, they wouldn't be #3.

 

That's next season when Karl becomes the ogre he's been everywhere else after a few seasons. This season will be another good one.

 

You have Phoenix WAY TOO HIGH

EAST
1 Miami
2 Indiana
3 NJ
4 Detroit
5 Cleveland
6 Philadelphia
7 Orlando
8 Washington

WEST
1 Houston
2 Pheonix [will have a less Record than Spurs though]
3 Seattle
4 SA
5 Denver
6 Dallas
7 Sacremento
8 LAL or GS

an any event
I think we will have an ALL TEXAS Western Conference Finals
maybe 3 out of the 4 in the Semi Finals

Rocket River

 

Just curious. Why do you think Dallas will beat Phoenix in a seven game series? Is it because Phoenix has less fire power and can't outshoot them like they did last year? Last year they didn't have Johnson and they still won...