To put it in simple terms, if one of the Lakers/Spurs/Celtics/Magic/Cavs don’t win the NBA title this season, something absolutely CRAZY would have to happen.
Since all other teams are playing for early playoff exits, pride, lottery positioning, and to avoid potential extinction for their franchise in this current economic climate, I just want to focus on the big dogs for the purpose of this article.
Just a quick recap of what went on the past few months.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS add Artest, lose Trevor Ariza to the Rockets.
There were a lot of mixed reviews from the ‘experts’ regarding this ‘trade’(of sorts). I don’t see why. I will always be grateful to Trevor for his 2 key steals last postseason, and for his three point shooting during the final few weeks heading towards the title. Other than that, I don’t have much to say about his game(and I watched him a lot) that hasn’t been said since he came out of UCLA. He’s athletic. He’s a pretty good defender who could one day be a great defender. Did I mention he’s athletic? Look, Trevor Ariza is a solid NBA player with upside. I liked having him on my team. He’s a piece to a puzzle for sure. But he’s not Ron Artest. Artest is a difference maker. His unique skill set and fierce attitude, in the right situation, is the kind of stuff that can turn great teams into champions, and champions into dynasties(yeah I said it). You can find a lot of Trevor Ariza’s out there, you can only find one Ron Artest.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS add Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, draft DeJuan Blair.
Solid move by a solid organization signing RJ. He slides in perfectly to the small forward position. Adds another scorer to take some pressure(and minutes) off of the big 3. Makes an old team look younger. DeJuan Blair was the steal of the draft. A top ten talent. Should be in the rotation from day 1. I was not happy about this one on draft day. McDyess just fits, plain and simple. Whether or not the Spurs have what it takes to provide a real challenge to the champs rests on the health and the ‘what’s left in the tank’ meters of Duncan and Ginobili. If those two are at the top of their games as May rolls around(and I have serious doubts), the Spurs are a threat to win the whole thing. Otherwise, they’re with the rest of the pack in the West playing for a conference final elimination.
BOSTON CELTICS add Rasheed Wallace.
I remember saying back in June that Rasheed will be the guy that puts one of these teams in the East above the rest. At that time, it was rumored that he was considering all 3. The Celtics won that battle, and in turn, became the leader of the pack in the East(according to the top authority when it comes to these things…me). Sheed will fit right in to this veteran group, and they will be focused and hungry to get back to the finals. This team is built to win now. KG is (supposedly) healthy. Rondo put on 11lbs of muscle and is coming off a playoff performance that was better than anyone in the league not named Kobe or LeBron. His ceiling is scary. Ray and Pierce have another run left in them. The ‘ubuntu’ swagger will be back in full force.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS add Shaq and Anthony Parker.
This move reeks of desperation. How does Shaq help this teams exactly? Doesn’t he clog up the paint, making it more difficult for LeBron to operate? Can he hit the 15/17ft face up jumper when LeBron drives and kicks? Did he learn how to defend the pick & roll all of a sudden? Ya know, that play that the Magic continually used to DESTROY them in last year’s playoffs. Even if Shaq comes to play, he changes the dynamic and the identity of the whole team. I actually like the Anthony Parker acquisition. He’s solid. Can hit the open shot and create his own if necessary. Underrated. The problem I saw with last years Cavs is the fact that they played at their peak all season. Most teams have the ability to ‘turn it up a notch’ during playoff time. The Cavs played with playoff type intensity every night in the regular season. Many teams don’t really ‘care’ about a Tuesday night game in January against the Grizzlies. The Cavs did. That’s why they had the most wins in the league. It’s a testament to LeBron and the way his guys came to play for him every night. Unfortunately, when the playoffs arrived, he was the only one capable of taking his game to that next level.
ORLANDO MAGIC add Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, lose Turkoglu and Courtney Lee.
It’s nice to see the Magic not being content after reaching the finals last season. Most teams just assume they’ll make it back even though history tells a different story (Lakers last year were the first finals runner-up to make it back the following year since Utah in ‘98). VC seems like a perfect compliment to this team. While I think Turkoglu is a solid player, he’s nowhere near as dynamic as Carter. Vince can create his own shot from anywhere on the floor, will run up and down when Jameer wants to push it, and matches up athletically with almost anyone in the league. Barnes and Bass are two players I really like. They give the Magic a lot of flexibility with their lineup. If they want to play a half-court game, they can slide Rashard to the small forward slot, put Bass in at the 4, and have two formidable bodies to bang down low in the paint. They can go small while giving Dwight a rest, and play Barnes and Rashard up front, and run the hell out of their opponent. Really liking the looks of their rotation.
Think about the possibilities in June: (I can’t include the Spurs as a finals representative in the West as of now…the champs are just too good)
Lakers vs Magic
Repeat of last year. Those are always fun. This series was much closer than it seemed. A few bounces of the ball in a different direction and the Magic may be the reigning champs. Kobe vs Vince. Dwight trying to add to his young legacy and continue his ascent up the all-time big man ranks. Disney Land vs Disney World.
Lakers vs Cavs
Kobe vs LeBron…and Shaq. Hi there.
Lakers vs Celtics
The greatest rivalry in team sports. The past 2 champions. Do you realize the players that would be on the court at the same time fighting for the title if this match-up happens? Kobe. KG. Pau. Rayray. Pierce. Bynum. Artest. Rondo. Odom. Sheed. Not to mention Phil Jackson on the sideline. Are you kidding? Icons. Immortals. MVP’s. Finals MVP’s. Hall-of-Famers. Sign me up.
Personally, I like when a class system exists in team sports. Sure, some of the games in February between the haves and the have-nots may be a little boring, but its worth it once May and June roll around. While all of these finals match-ups would be intriguing for the reasons listed above, clearly the Lakers/Celtics is a notch above the rest. So that’s what it’s gonna be. And I’ll be there to watch the Lakers repeat.
Check out this video of Hakeem Olajuwon teaching Kobe his patented “Dream Shake”:
Don’t sleep on Kobe Bryant. We think he’s going to be good this year.