Well, it's the opening week of the NBA season. Friends of this blog include a Celtics homer, and a Sacramento homer. . . . so, I will fulfill my role, as Nuggets homer. . . in this NBA preview.
There will be 3 sections to this preview:
Old Teams: Sorry Austin, but the Celtics are among a larger group of teams this year that are simply too old to take the title anymore. These teams include the Celtics, Cavs, Dallas, Phoenix, and perhaps, San Antonio (we shall see) None of these teams (save Cleveland) have an elite player in his prime.
Young Teams: These teams don't have enough experience to do enough damage in the playoffs. In the NBA, it's different, you have to lose before you can win. This has been proven for years. The young teams are: Portland, New Orleans, New York, Charlotte, Atlanta, Minnesota, and perhaps Miami (we shall see).
Teams with a good mix: These are teams that have a good mix of old guys, young guys and (this is key) players in their prime. The teams are: Lakers, Nuggets, Orlando, Utah, and perhaps, San Antonio (we shall see).
These teams have Kobe, Carmelo, D Howard, D Williams, and either Parker, or Manu in San Antonio.
I think that these five teams will be the class of the league this year.
The Wild Card is definitely Cleveland because LeBron is in his uber-prime which perhaps makes up for the gray hair of Shaq and Z, and the absolute insanity that is Delonte West. (this is one of the craziest stories in recent memory)
So, I guess I'm predicting a Lakers repeat with a Cavs caveat. The Spurs, and/or Ron Artest could mess up the whole thing for the Lakers. San Antonio is definitely an enigma with the addition of Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess.
I'm ready for the season to begin, . . . This is my favorite sport!
Aaron
1 comment:
I think your nuggets are in good shape. Carmelo needs to get his insane on, and I think he will.
The Celtics are aging but I think its a ripe title winning age. Allen is in the best shape of his life. Pierce is not going anywhere, he hit a couple clutch shots to oust the cavs on the road the other night. KG is a variable. We'll see how his new knee does. Thrown in Rondo, Perkins, and Wallace, I think they can shut down the east.
I think we'll see the Lakers, Nuggets, Cavs, and Celtics in contention. I think the Cavs can take the Magic now with Shaq keeping Howard honest. If teams stay healthy I think this is going to be one of the best seasons in recent memory. Lebron is hungry, Howard is hungry, the Nuggets...should be fun...
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