Losing a game is never a good thing in the NBA or any sport for that matter, but even losing sometimes has its positives. As for the Lakers, a night after a very impressive pre-season opening win, the team looked a little bit different than the night before and played different as well. Insert Steve Nash and Pau Gasol into the rotation and fans can pencil in another win, right? Wrong. Yes,  the Lakers may have lost the game but there were a lot of positives from this game that the Lakers organization should take away.

Despite the loss and a struggling offense, Pau Gasol led the Lakers in his pre-season debut. By Howcheng (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

When the Lakers did score, they were lead by Pau Gasol and the so-far pre-season Laker MVP Xavier Henry. It seemed as if every shot Henry was taking went in for the young kid. He finished the night with 15 points on four of seven shooting. Another young player who stood out was forward Marcus Landry. Despite air-balling his first two shots, Landry ended the game with 13 points. In his debut, Steve Nash posted a zero in the points column but contributed five rebounds and six assists.

The Lakers as a team struggled most of the night and didn’t give the Staples Center fans much to cheer about, but two plays stood out from this night.

The first was on a behind the back left handed pass from Steve Nash to Steve Blake in the corner for a wide open three-pointer which he graciously drained. Then there was Darius Johnson-Odom throwing down a huge dunk on top of taller defenders late in the fourth quarter. At one point for about three to four minutes late in the fourth quarter, the Lakers lineup of Darius Johnson-Odom, Marcus Landry, Elias Harris, Xavier Henry and Eric Boateng were outplaying the Nuggets whom had Ty Lawson and Javale McGee on the court.

Sometimes, preseason trends don’t carry over into the regular season. Let’s hope this defensively-solid attitude does and that the offense comes around.

I’ll say it again — it’s never too early for NBA predictions.

Since LeBron James (or Ray Allen depending who you talk to) led the Miami Heat their second straight NBA title, the other 29 teams have been making many moves to try and compete with the defending champs. While not all teams will even be given a chance to dethrone the champs, I thoroughly believe that most teams in the league improved from a year ago, which is going to make for a great NBA season.

Even with adding Dwight Howard, James Harden and the Rockets aren’t in the top 5 in the Western Conference. By Derral Chen derivative work: Bagumba via Wikimedia Commons

1. Los Angeles Clippers: Yes, you read that correctly. The Clippers are the number one seed in the Western Conference but that doesn’t always lead to a title. The additions of Jared Dudley, JJ Redick, Daren Collison  and of course coach Doc Rivers make the Clippers, in my opinion, the best team in the West right now.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder: I think losing Kevin Martin and finding no replacement for him is going to be a huge loss for the Thunder whom basically traded away James Harden for nothing now. They still have Durant and Westbrook and nobody really wants to play those guys come playoff time, unless you’re the Miami Heat.

3. San Antonio Spurs: Meer seconds and one rebound away from another title, all the Spurs did this offseason was get even better. Marco Belinelli adds both shooting and toughness. Look for another great year from the ageless wonders.

4. Memphis Grizzles: People keep forgetting about the Grizzles and I don’t understand why. They are much like the Knicks in that sense. They made it to the Conference Finals — granted they beat a Westbook-less Thunder team — but still they are good. They play defense and Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are only going to get better.

5. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry had an incredible coming out party last season and so did the Warriors franchise. Yes they lost Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry but they added Andre Igoudala. When Harrison Barnes is coming off the bench as a 6^th man, you know that your team is in good shape. Plus they gained much needed playoff experience.

6. Houston Rockets: For the people whom may be reading this and think I am crazy for putting the Rockets so low, think again. I know that they added Dwight Howard who will pair with James Harden to make a pretty good one-two punch. Aside from them though, who else do they have? Chandler Parsons? He can play, no doubt about it, but seriously who else? As we saw last year with the Lakers, having big names but no bench doesn’t equal success. We shall see how their top two mesh but for now they are at best my 6 seed in the stacked Western Conference.

7. Denver Nuggets: Losing Igoudala is a huge blow to this up-tempo team but I’m sure new coach Brian Shaw can figure out how to make it work. They will be getting Danillo Gallinari back from his injury and added Nate Robinson and J.J. Hickson. The Nuggets have one of the most stacked frontcourts in the league but they need to learn how to win on the road, which was their downfall last season.

8. Portland Trailblazers: I really like what the Blazers have done this offseason improving their horrible bench from last season. Led by rising star Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers should make the playoffs baring any major injuries like they unfortunately have had in the past.

9. Los Angeles Lakers: People keep writing the Lakers off and I believe that will just inspire Kobe to play even better. I think that they actually got better by losing Howard because now they don’t have to worry about him wanting the ball every time down the floor and the question whether or not he will stay or leave. Adding Nick Young, Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar and Wesley Johnson aren’t season changing moves but its good enough for them to fight for a playoff spot again.

10. Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves aggravate me so much because they have so much potential but never can live up to it because of constant injuries. I am done betting on them to stay healthy so I will put them at the 10^th spot in the West. The additions of Kevin Martin and rookie Shabazz Muhammad should improve the team but like I said, I am expecting some sort of injury that costs the hopes of makes the playoffs.

11. Dallas Mavericks: Dallas is a tricky one because they didn’t really get worse in the off-season but they didn’t get better either. Adding Monta Ellis doesn’t qualify in my opinion as getting better. For now they are 11^th in the West.

12. New Orleans Pelicans: Welcome to the NBA Pelicans, your 12^th best team in the Western Conference in 2014. I liked the moves to get Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evens but this team is still too young to compete. Give it a few years and maybe New Orleans will be back in the playoffs.

13. Phoenix Suns: I really liked the trade that sent them Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler. Bledsoe is an up-and-coming star point guard who will improve the team and Butler is a good SF to have on a roster. If Michael Beasley could stop smoking pot for once in his life, this team might be able to do something in the coming years in the West.

14. Sacramento Kings: The Kings are similar to the Magic in the East as they have a rising star in Ben McLemore, whom I believe will be ROY when it’s all said and done. They have done some good building in Sacramento but not for the present. Wait it out a few years and good things will happen in Sac-town.

15. Utah Jazz: It’s not normal that a team who was competing for a playoff spot a year ago drops to the bottom of the standings but its also not usual for a team to lose both its starting center and power forward in the same off-season and not bring anyone in to fill the holes. Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward are two good pieces for the Jazz but the rest of the team isn’t quite remarkable. Dark times again for the fans in Salt Lake City.

Recently,  former head coach  George Karl was let go by the Denver Nuggets after nine seasons at the helm. Many, including writers on this site, have begun to question the Nuggets for this decision. Karl was let go, despite leading the Nuggets to a 57-win season, the best record in the franchise’s history and winning 2013 Coach of the Year award. With all the success, the Nuggets were bounced again in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets GM was also let go as the team decided not to match the offer he accepted from the Raptors. So why did a team that just set a franchse-best for wins fire its coach and not retain its General Manager?

The Nuggets have managed to lose their GM and coach in a single off-season. By Keith Allison, via Wikimedia Commons

This was the year the Nuggets were thought to finally take the next step and compete for the Western Conference title against the likes of the Lakers, Spurs, and Thunder. They looked poised to do so, clinching the number-three seed in the tough Western Conference and ended up with a first round match up with the up an coming Golden State Warriors. Led by second-year coach Marc Jackson, the Warriors showed potential, but the Nuggets were definitely the favorites. After game one of the series, the Nuggets were clearly in big trouble, even though they won. The mere fact the Warriors could lose a game only by two points when Stephen Curry shot 7-20 told me something. The Warriors did end up winning the series in six games and eliminated the Nuggets. Was it just a bad matchup for the Nuggets or something more?

Based on the fact that Karl was fired, I wasn’t the only one who thought it was something more. Yes, the Nuggets were a good team all year, but they weren’t that good on the road. Their home/road split was 38-3 at home and 19-22 on the road. To be below .500 on the road is a pretty good indicator that their top-3 seed in the Western Conference might not have been completely legitimate. The Nuggets’ up-tempo style is a fun one to watch, but in the playoffs you can’t just run up and down the court like the old Phoenix Suns. To win in the playoffs, you have to be able to grind and you need to be able to win on the road, something the Nuggets couldn’t do.

Grinding and winning on the road are things that can be about the coach. George Karl, a coach with one of the highest win totals (7th all-time in regular-season wins and 10th all-time in regular season winning percentage) in NBA history and thought of as a great coach, was fired. I believe Karl should have been let go long before this year. People call me a hater for it, but look at the facts. Karl has coached 25 years in the NBA and has only coached his teams out of the first round 8 times, 17 of 25 years he has either failed to make the playoffs or not get out of the first round. He is the Peyton Manning of coaching, being he only does well during the regular season. Unlike Karl, though at least Manning has a ring.

Don’t get me wrong, Karl is a good coach but isn’t as good as people think he is, and I think the move to fire him now was the correct move made by the Nuggets. Over the years, he’s had players who could play including Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Allen Iverson, and more. But much like the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL with Andy Reid, Karl was a long-tenured coach who wasn’t performing the way he could after all these years. Like the Eagles, the Nuggets need a new voice in their locker room and they finally will get it in whoever they hire.

In the world of sports fansmanship, when our teams experience less success than we’d like, there are a myriad of excuses we rely on in our grief. Some are more interesting than others — for example, rumors that Pau Gasol’s poor playoff performance in 2011 was caused by a scheming Vanessa Bryant instigating the breakup of his romantic relationship — but one of the oldest standbys in Fan Excuse Bingo has always been the dichotomy between big market and small market teams, the haves and have-nots of the NBA. This kind of rationalizing to justify unmet expectations only intensified prior to the current season as the team executives making roster decisions and the owners picking up the tab feared the financial ramifications of the much harsher luxury tax looming based on the new collective bargaining agreement.

There are certainly a number of factors, both tangible and perceived, that stack the deck against small market franchises with tight wallets, from the very limited revenue available from local television contracts to the undeniable allure of the big cities for top-level free agent talents looking for new homes. While success and failure in the NBA can often hinge as much on sheer dumb luck as anything else, owners and executives from the most successful small market teams have learned to rely on their own diligence and savvy decision-making to close the gap. The long-term brilliance of San Antonio Spurs general manager RC Buford and the rise of protégé Sam Presti for the Oklahoma City Thunder highlight the benefits of discipline and patience when building a successful small market franchise. Furthermore, if you can land a head coach with the ability to cultivate and get the most out of young, raw talent (Rick Adelman in Minnesota, Frank Vogel in Indiana) this can only accelerate a small market franchise’s growth.

The Nuggets have managed to lose their GM and coach in a single off-season. By Keith Allison, via Wikimedia Commons

This makes the recent developments in Denver all the more mystifying. Despite being plagued by injuries, most notably Danilo Gallinari’s season-ending torn ACL, and falling victim to Steph Curry’s awe-inspiring playoff debut in their first round series against the Golden State Warriors, the prognosis for the Nuggets was very good. Taking the helm as GM for the Denver Nuggets in 2010, Masai Ujiri earned considerable credibility around the league with his masterful handling of Carmelo Anthony’s departure in 2011. As tension grew between the disgruntled superstar, the Denver fan base, and the national media, Ujiri faced mounting pressure to take any deal from the New York Knicks or the then-New Jersey Nets that would inevitably return cents-on-the-dollar for a player widely considered Top 10 in the league. In the face of constant scrutiny, Ujiri insisted on holding out for the best possible deal, and reaped the benefits when he managed to land four valuable pieces (Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov) in a blockbuster trade with the Knicks. Ujiri has continued to make smart roster decisions since then; Ty Lawson remains the lone pre-Ujiri holdover on a team that overachieved their way into the third seed in the highly competitive Western Conference. For his efforts, Ujiri was voted by his peers as NBA Executive of the Year, and was promptly offered a significant raise by the Toronto Raptors, which Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke declined to match.

The overachievement of the roster Ujiri built can be heavily attributed to the work done by NBA Coach of the Year George Karl. On a team with no All-Star and no player averaging more than 16.7 points, Karl’s young squad notched a franchise-record 57 wins by consistently out-running and out-working opponents. Bolstered by the rising star of Lawson at the point, the defensive swagger of a less-burdened Andre Iguodala, and the hard-hat mentality of the Kenneth “The Manimal” Faried, the Nuggets rightfully struck fear in the hearts of most of the NBA’s top contenders, many of whom lost their season series against the Nuggets this year (including the Thunder, Grizzlies, Clippers, Warriors, and Rockets). There’s little to suggest that Karl was unsuitable to lead the Nuggets well into future seasons, and it’s not unreasonable that the reigning Coach of the Year would want an opportunity to continue developing this young, exciting team, as well as some job security with a multi-year contract extension. And yet Karl finds himself back on the market, with no shortage of interested suitors.

And this is why small market teams can’t have nice things. Big market franchises can withstand bad ownership; I’m fairly certain that we could replace Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling with Amanda Bynes on a bender and she would still manage to be less offensive and deranged than the man in charge. However, despite the odds, many of the most successful teams in recent history have shown that small market teams can keep up. They keep up by being patient, disciplined, and most of all, making smart decisions. And doing everything they could to keep the reigning Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year were the most obvious of no-brainer decisions that the Denver Nuggets still managed to mess up.

Predictions in sports can be just as fun as what actually happens and a lot of time many people do it. Every person has their own unique way of predicting outcomes, some go through the purity of stats or some use just the heart and will of a team or player. Either way, predictions can be a way for a fan, analyst or gambler to have and feel like they are involved with the actual games being played. As for me, I have made many predictions throughout my life, some that have come true and some that haven’t and I will be the first one to admit when I am wrong. On that note, here is my prediction for the Western Conference when the season comes to an end in April, a small breakdown of each team and some playoff predictions with a little over half the season complete:

I’m predicting Russell Westbrook and the Thunder losing to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA, via Wikimedia Commons

1.    San Antonio Spurs:

The Spurs have been one of the best and classiest teams in the West for years and with the core of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili still together and still playing well, you can never count out the four-time champions

2.    Oklahoma City Thunder

The reigning Western Conference champs haven’t stopped dominating the West as they did a year ago. The move to swap James Harden for Kevin Martin was a highly talked about one but I liked the trade very much. Kevin Durant is now forced to control the ball more, something I feel the Thunder need to do if they want to get better.

3.    Los Angeles Clippers

I know we are all used to seeing the Lakers around this spot but the tables have turned this year and congratulations to the Clippers for that. I think they are the team with the most depth in the NBA and can be a scary matchup come playoff time.

4.    Golden State Warriors:

In the biggest turnaround of any team this season, the Warriors make my fourth seed in the West and I believe they can do some damage. They are a great shooting team and the health of Stephen Curry has boosted them to an unusual (for them) level. Could it be possible that San Francisco and its surrounding areas can get all three major sport titles? The 49ers play in the Super Bowl this Sunday and the Giants have already won the World Series.

5.    Denver Nuggets:

18-3 at home, that’s the first stat I will throw out for the Nuggets. This is one of the best home teams in the NBA and they can be one of the most dangerous. They took the Lakers to the brink last season in the playoffs and have learned from that experience. I liked the move to bring in Andre Iguodala as he adds defense and explosiveness, which was the strength of the Nuggets before the move.

6.    Memphis Grizzlies:

This team started out hot and has cooled down since. They are the best defensive team in the NBA with only allowing 89.5 points per game and have one of the best starting lineups with Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. Look for the Grizzlies to make a run or even make my predicted Clipper matchup to be the best of the first round as it was last season.

7.    Houston Rockets:

The Rockets barely missed the taste of the postseason last year. Since then, they’ve traded for all-star James Harden and point guard Jeremy Lin. This is a very young team but the leadership of Harden and Lin will guide them to the playoffs. I don’t trust Harden in the clutch, something that is so important as the star player of a team. He is a marvelous player but needs to work on that aspect of his game.

8.    Los Angeles Lakers:

Yes, I know that this team has been in the gutter of the standings all season but I believe they will turn it around but only as the eighth seed. Led by Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard the Lakers will push their ways into the playoffs and from there you never know what can happen. They dug a steep hole for themselves but this is a whole new season especially for this team.

Notable Mentions: Utah Jazz, Portland Trailblazers and Dallas Mavericks

PREDICTIONS:

First Round:

1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 8. Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers in six (upset)

2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7. Houston Rockets: Thunder in five

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6. Memphis Grizzlies: Clippers in seven

4. Golden State Warriors vs. 5. Denver Nuggets: Warriors in seven

Semi Finals:

4. Golden State Warriors vs. 8. Los Angeles Lakers:

Lakers win the Pacific division showdown in five games. The Lakers size and experience are too much for the young up and coming Warrior team. The Lakers take on the Thunder in a playoff series re-match from last season.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 3. Los Angeles Clippers:

The Thunder win this exciting and back-n-fourth playoff series in seven games. The Thunder make it to their third consecutive conference finals and look to go back to the NBA Finals but standing in their way is the 32-time conference champion Los Angeles Lakers

Conference Finals:

2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8 Los Angeles Lakers:

This is where it gets interesting since I believe these are the two best teams in the Western Conference despite the difference in records. This will be a physical and fast-paced series, which favors the Thunder but I can’t count out Kobe and company. The Lakers match-up very well against the Thunder. If the Lakers can even mildly contain Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrok, they can win as they did the other night. I look for this to be the best series of the Western playoffs with the Lakers coming out on top in this hard fought and mentally draining seven game series.

2013 Western Conference Champions: 8. Los Angeles Lakers

I’m not saying the Lakers will win the NBA title but I do believe they will make it back to the NBA Finals after what seemed like a hopeless season. It won’t be easy as the West is scary-good, but Kobe Bryant is in search of another ring and won’t be denied by the likes of anyone in the West. I’m sticking with my pre-season pick, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant has been brilliant, averaging 32.0 points in the series on 68.5% shooting. Last night the oft’ quiet star, played with an abandon necessary to drive his team to victory. A dunk late in the first quarter with his team down nine, swung the momentum back in the Thunder’s favor.

Durant’s teammates have been the same. Last night Jeff Harden continued his maturation into  the Thunder’s third option offensively,contributing 23 points and is now averaging 17.5 points per game in the series, 13.2 in the postseason.  Eric Maynor chipped in 13,  and the bench as a whole scored 50.

But where was Russel Westbrook?

The intangibles rest in Westbrook’s physique and explosive speed. The twenty two year old former UCLA Bruin, has garnered praise all year for his quick maturation into a perennial point guard. His feisty fear-none mentality, and lengthy 6’5 size, have placed his name among the elite point guards with Derick Rose, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Steve Nash.

So where was he?

Benched late in the third quarter after another ridiculous turnover, Westbrook blabbed the rest of the game while his Thunder went +7 without him. His backup Eric Maynor, a four year starter at Virginia Commonwealth, played poised and far beyond Westbrook’s years: swinging the ball, running Scott Brooks half-court set schemes, and solid defense.

Maynor did what he had to do to win a ballgame. Things are not pretty in the postseason with the slowness of half-court basketball and the physicality of the defensive sets. It seems Westbrook has not figured this out yet. As great as he has been all season and as explosive here in the postseason (23.6 pts, 6.7 ast, 5.4 reb), the natural shoot first–pass second two guard, is better fit as a scorer for now.

Maynor clearly benefited from four years of college basketball, including three straight years in the March tournament. The twentieth pick in the 2008 draft, Maynor has a comfortability at the point guard position–something Westbrook, a one and done collegiate athlete is lacking.

In a closeout game against Denver in the first round, Westbrook shot 30 times to Durant’s 18 and the Thunder lost. Game four of a three overtime round two loss to the Grizzlies, Westbrook shot 33 times to Durant’s 20, and in a game six collapse, Westbrook took 22 to Durant’s 14.

The pattern is simple, get Durant the ball. Westbrook is better fit as the Robin to Durant’s Batman, but is aloof to this reality. It will be a interesting postseason for both OKC and Westbrook to see how their relationship either builds or begins to fragment.

And if fragmented, there is always Chris Paul (hmmmmm….).

In the Western Conference, the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies went into the Alamo and took it to the top-seeded Spurs something fearsome in game one of their series. The Spurs were fortunate enough to even the series in game two, but Memphis came out with reckless abandonment in game three, to take a 2-1 series lead, headed by Zach Randolph’s 25 points, which included a clutch 3-pointer as time was expiring. Randolph had made a total of 8 3-pointers out of 43 attempts all season. Game four last night saw a virtual repeat of game three, as the underdog Grizzlies rode a second-half wave to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Back to San Antonio the squads go, but the conclusion may already be foretold. Hold the ball and cry to the gods, Dikembe, we might very well be in for an epic upset once again.

The seventh-seeded New Orleans Hornets have more than surprised the second-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, They have hung in the series quite effectively, tying it at 2 games-apiece with game 5 back in Los Angeles tonight. The Lakers need a remedy to combat the virus that is the pick-and-roll penetration of Chris Paul. Look for Los Angeles to employ some sort of quasi-zone defense to affront this issue, and end up getting over, not only tonight, but back in Nola for game six, and eventually wrapping up the series and advancing. Kobe’s ankle issues could run the series to seven, but Bryant has always played through injuries such as this, and even given his advancing age, I see the Lakers lighting a fire and burning this series out in anticipation of the Dallas/Portland winner.

The third-seeded Dallas Mavericks melted down during game four on Saturday, blowing a 23-point, second-half lead en-route to allowing the Blazers to execute one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history. Amidst a Brandon Roy 24-point performance, one in which he scored 18 points in the fourth quarter alone, Dallas wilted under the feverish pressure the Rose Garden puts on its visiting opponents. Game five back in Dallas saw the Mavericks man-up, behind the veteran Dirk Nowitzki’s 25 points and 8 rebounds, as the Mavs took a 3-2 series lead.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been tabbed as the team that nobody wants to encounter in this year’s Western Conference playoff scene, have all but dominated the fifth-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first three games of the series. The three-headed monster of point-scorer Russell Westbrook, MVP-canidate Kevin Durant and defensive stalwart Kendrick Perkins have proven to be too much for Denver. The question here is not regarding this matchup, but rather whether or not Oklahoma City will prove as too much to any potential opponent for the remainder of the Western Conference tournament. Denver showed a glimmer of hope last night in a game four win, albeit with their collective backs against the wall, as Ty Lawson poured in 27 in a desperate effort, but expect the Thunder to close this mismatch out in five back home.

Top-seed Chicago is a popular pick in the Eastern Conference. However, a lot of “nay-sayers,” such as myself, believe that the greatness that is the Bulls relies entirely too much on one player. MVP-to-be Derrick Rose has shown an amount of vulnerability in the Bulls’ first round series versus the Indiana Pacers. Hired thugs such as Jeff Foster and Tyler Hansborough have beaten up the head of the snake, which has reaped some benefits for the Pacers, while not in victory, in the first three games. During game four, in which this tactic was imposed, the strategy proved positive. Now holding a 3-1 series lead, Chicago heads back home with a game five victory in their sights. While Indiana has a limited chance to last in this series, they have given future oppenents of the Bulls a gameplan on how to slow down the on-going trend of Rose. Look for Orlando or Atlanta in the next round, or Miami or Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals to employ the same schemes that Indiana has shown to help them strike an upset over the top seed.

The second-seeded star power of the Miami Heat have come out on fire versus the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The Doug Collins-aimed Sixers came into the series with visions of upset dancing in their heads. These dreams quickly turned into a nightmare. There seemed to be more Wade to LeBron alley-oops than there were solid possessions by Philly. That being said, the Sixers didn’t lay down after a three games to none deficit, as they exuded their pride in a game four win, in which they finished the game on a 10-0 run resulting in victory. The series shifts back to Miami for game five Wednesday. While Miami will eventually advance, the lack of their ability to hit a shot in the clutch could prove as a vital hitch in future rounds.

Things were being said about the Celtics coming into the playoffs, most notably referring to how they could be over the hill, or that New York could cause them some issues. I don’t know why. Yes, Chauncey Billups was absent from this series, if you want to call it that, and Amare Stoudamire gave a half-hearted effort due to nagging injuries, but how closely the Knicks played Boston in the first three games should have reaped them at least one victory. Turns out it didn’t. Even Carmelo’s 42 in game two couldn’t salvage a “W.” The chowds ended up sweeping the Knicks on Sunday afternoon, but the Knicks are still, without a doubt, a work in process. The dominance of the Celtics shouldn’t be garnered as a true measuring stick because of this fact. Boston easily advanced to the next round, but New York will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come, given Carmelo, Amare, and their big-market money.

Pundits swore up and down that Orlando was the the squad to take out the supposed, over-hyped Chicago Bulls in the second round, but this foregone conclusion has absorbed a wrench in the works. The Hawks managed to steal one in Orlando, and have held court for both games back in Atlanta, to take a 3-1 series lead heading back to Disneyworld for game five. It seems upon the eventual, first-round defeat, the “Stan Van Jeremy, master-of-panic” regime should be reevaluated. Top-seed Chicago will have a much easier time with Atlanta than they will with Orlando and the threat that Dwight Howard presents. The Bulls may have just dodged a bullet if Atlanta wins out. Game five tips-off early today.

Enjoy, and check back in, because these NBA playoffs have shown us all that “seeds” mean little and desire reigns ultimate.

When trying to capture the overall implications of this most recent trade deadline, one needs to realize that there were a lot of risks taken and futures mortgaged. There hasn’t been a deadline similar to this in recent memory where so many superstars were swapped. Some trades could be honestly questioned. Some made complete sense. Some teams made out and some teams got taken for the proverbial ride. Let’s go ahead and delve into “who, to where, for what and why?”

The headline for months was the much hyped “Melo-drama,” as it was so cleverly described. We couldn’t see that one coming, could we? While ESPN’s Chris Broussard basically conjured the validity of a Carmelo Anthony for Andrew Bynum trade out of thin air, the real competition in the waning days for Anthony’s services was between New Jersey and New York.

It was much publicised that New Jersey was having significant talks with Denver up to about a month ago, when in a display of impatience, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov nixed all talks between the two. They became the New Jersey “Nyets.” Most thought this was due to Denver simply needing more in return for an Anthony package than New Jersey was willing to give up. The truth of the matter may have been that Prokhorov finally saw the light and realized what was truly going on.

It had been blatantly obvious from day one of all trade discussion that Carmelo wanted to be a New York Knick. He is from New York and saw playing in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, as a life-long dream. While the Nets have particular fan strongholds in the New York/New Jersey area, and even though they started vertical construction on their new Brooklyn Barclays Center three months ago, they are no competition for the Knicks as far as the brightly lit stage of the big city of dreams is concerned.

Prokhorov is no idiot. He is the 89th richest man in the world. You don’t find yourself at that level of wealth by getting played by 30-year old team presidents and general managers like Josh Kroenke and Masai Ujiri. He finally came to the realization that the Nuggets were only using trade discussions with his Nets as a leverage play against New York. If New York thought New Jersey was a player and had a legit shot to score Anthony, Denver could trade him to New York, where he was inevitably going to go anyway, for much less than they would have had New Jersey not been in the picture.

All of this front-office analysis aside, what does this trade do for the bottom line of buckets?

The Nuggets parted with a superstar in Anthony, as well as a serviceable point guard, albeit in the sunset of his career, in Chauncey Billups. The less newsworthy of these two players was a significant part of this deal. Billups still can hit big shots, is one of the best veteran leaders in the league, and will mesh with Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system almost instantly. New York also got throw-in forwards; Renaldo Balkman, who was originally drafted by New York in 2006, and Shelden Williams, whose only note of significance in his meager NBA career has been being the husband of WNBA superstar Candice Parker.  Quite a resume.

The Knicks parted with a young and improving point guard in Raymond Felton, as well as New York sociological attraction, Italian forward Danilo Gallanari. Also headed to the Rocky Mountains are roundly-skilled forward Wilson Chandler and big-man project Timofey Mozgov.

The Nuggets got a full hockey line, but the Knicks got a superstar, a championship-seasoned veteran and two expiring and insignificant contracts. While each team got a lot of what they needed for the point each franchise currently is in their overall process, the advantage still has to go to the Big Apple. A top five superstar is a top five superstar, especially packaged with a solid veteran point guard.  You trade what is needed to be able to acquire these two if you are the Knicks, even if you have to give up your right arm and your first-born to get them.

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A cornerstone and respected leader in this league, Jerry Sloan, retires? The longest tenured coach in the NBA just walks away after twenty-two seasons right in the middle of his twenty-third? Now that all-star point guard Deron Williams has been traded to New Jersey two weeks after this unpredicted turn of events, popular and reasonable belief can only consider two options as to why Sloan walked away. Either Williams did what he could to push Sloan out the door through open defiance simply out of his own choice, or the “bling” in his left ear that should belong on Kate Middleton’s finger whispered to do the same because old man Sloan was cramping his style. Either way, Williams played a part, and I have a feeling Jazz management and ownership saw the writing on the wall. The fact that Williams was going to become a free agent in 2012 only had something to do with his ousting. His attitude and arrogance is what ultimately got him shoved out the door and banished to one of the league’s worst situations.

Not only did Utah get to unload an egotistical malcontent, but they made out with the biggest trade deadline steal in recent memory. Williams may be arguably the most complete point guard in the NBA today, but he is still only one player. Last I checked, Deron Williams can’t pass the ball to Deron Williams.

In return for Williams, the Jazz received a solid point guard replacement in Devin Harris. They also acquired last year’s number two overall pick in the draft, twenty year-old potential-phenom forward, Derrick Favors. Giving up on this kid so soon is seemingly a display of impatient haste by the Nets, is it not?

What a great deal for the Jazz, given there was no way Williams was going to resign with Utah after next season, right? Well, that’s not all they got. Let’s toss in two first-round draft picks, one from the Nets and one from the Golden State Warriors.  Both of these picks could very well be lottery picks, given the foreseeable ineptitude of New Jersey and Golden State in the coming years. Wait, that’s not all? How bout three million in cash for the pocket as icing on the cake? A top ten to fifteen point guard, a number two overall pick who is twenty, two potential lottery picks, and cash?  For one player?  Feliz Navidad, Utah.

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In the most questionable move made when considering the implications of the real race for the ultimate prize this season, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge sent stalwart center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City along with jitter-bug guard Nate Robinson. Wait, I thought Perkins getting hurt during last year’s finals was the sole reason you guys couldn’t get over on the Lakers, Danny?  He is supposedly that important to your team in crunch-time, yet he is this movable less than a year later? Sounds like that excuse back then was just a cry for a crutch, reminiscent of the squeaking from Paul Pierce’s wheelchair brakes. Yes, this trade has now proven that was in fact cow excrement you were smelling from the mouths of New Englanders after the Lakers were celebrating the spoils last year. How does your excuse look now, crybabies?

On the red-eye to the land of “chowdah” comes former Thunder forwards Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green. Green was originally drafted by the Celtics, and was then subsequently traded on a draft-day deal to the then Seattle Supersonics for Ray Allen. Ainge was obviously high on Green that draft, but when given the opportunity to add a sharpshooter like Allen to the centerpiece of Paul Pierce and at the time, recently signed free agent Kevin Garnett, he sold out.

While that move then ended up helping bring a championship to Boston in 2008, Ainge now making the deal for Green reeks of desperation, ego, and a chance at some sort of twisted “I told you so.” When you consider the thought-process of the idea behind the trade, Ainge claiming Green could be the heir-apparent to Kevin Garnett, what he gave up to be able to claim this possibility is borderline comical.  Ainge trading Perkins for Green because he kind of ‘reminds’ him of Garnett is the equivalent of Mitch Kupchak trading Andrew Bynum for Thaddeus Young because he kind of ‘reminds’ him of Lamar Odom. Way to go, Danny. This is the move that people will point to when you are forced out the door in a few seasons.

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As the schedule continues, unflappable to the time needed to digest all the recent changes in the league-wide chemistry, the positioning for playoff seeding will obviously become more heated than it has been to this point. Now comes this very segment we have all been debating for months, and with the shock of these recent moves, questions instantly arise:

Can the Lakers ‘flip the switch’ and make child’s play of the Western Conference like in recent years past?

Is the Spurs’ chase-rabbit record really who they are?  Did regular season records do anything for the Cavaliers the past two seasons? Can unproven playoff role-players like George Hill, Dejuan Blair and Gary Neal become championship-level counterparts?

Does Dallas still even have a seat at the Western Conference table?  Are they to be taken as a serious threat?

Is the addition of Kendrick Perkins the much needed ingredient of inside presence the Thunder need to be an actual and legitimate player in the Western Conference shakedown?

Can the defensive blockade Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls are displaying carry them up to the level of the Eastern Conference elite, and most importantly, carry them in a seven-game series?

Are Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy’s mess of wing players even relevant as we come down the finish line?

Will Danny’s Ainge’s ego in trying to prove he was right about Jeff Green cost the Celtics a realistic chance at the title in their now dwindling years near the top? I know this much for sure, Laker and Heat fans are ecstatic about the loss of Kendrick Perkins. The Lakers now hold a distinct size advantage and the Heat now don’t have such a size discrepancy against Boston.

And lastly, as far as the Heat, will the most gravy-trained collection of elite stars in recent memory topple the naysayers? Will they reach The NBA Finals in their first try at conceived and orchestrated glory? Good luck big three. You’re going to have to drag your dirty-dozen along with you en route to a title. The bricks of Mike Miller and James Jones are building a structure of mediocrity thus far for the level of overall talent you have boasted. The Heatles? Give me a break, “King.” Win something, then talk. I’ve never heard of a King who doesn’t have a crown, you paper champ.

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Questions and vemon aside, when all is said and done, the choices made and paths sought at this deadline will effect these upcoming moves as much as they will effect numerous moves down the road. Some teams played for now and some teams played for later.  Playoff-time reveals destiny, and the free will of the trade deadline move-makers plays a major role in the fate of the actual move-makers on the court.  Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, the time to really make your move is upon us.

The hyped hoopla of the NBA all-star break is long gone (thank God). Now as we push through the final eight weeks of NBA regular season play, it is fitting to look forward to the postseason.  This article is as objective as possible. What I mean by this, is that no matter how much I hate the Lakers(this is true..want to be honest), they are a legitimate champion with the fire power to win championships for the next two to three years.

Before I continue with the rankings, I want to answer some of the questions the average fan has mused over this season:

1) Are we seeing the decline of Kobe Bryant? Yes and No. Kobe is 32. Whether we want to admit it, the guy has played professional hoops for fourteen years.  There has been a lot of wear and tear on the knees, which can be atributed to the lack of lift on his jumpshots, explosions toward the hoop, and that tired look in the closing stretches of big games. Nonetheless we are talking about one of the greatest this league has ever seen, and like MJ or Magic, Kobe is smart and should be able to find ways to turn it on come playoff time.

2)  Can the Heat beat the elite teams (top 5)? It should be noted that as of today, the Heat are 0-6 against the top five teams in the NBA.  Yet I think we can all admit that when a lineup boast the likes of Bron, Wade, and Bosh, the likelihood of that zero remaining in the win collumn come playoff time, is a silly assertion.

3) Is a power shift occuring from West to East? Yes. The East is the strongest it has been in quite sometime with the “mighty 3” in Miami, a healthy Boston, Chicago’s flowering from young promise to seasoned reality, Atlanta’s firepower, Orlando’s depth, and now, the rebirth in New York.  I believe that the biggest shift is occuring with the Knicks resurgence. Two superstar faces like Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony joining the Eastern Conference not only enhances the Knicks as a team, but switches some popularity from West to East. Not to mention the trade of Deron Williams to the Nets, continues in a trend of big name stars exiting  the Western Conference.  The West from seeds 6-8 in the postseason is still legitimately stronger, but that gap is closing.

NBA Rankings

1. L.A. Lakers (40-19): I know, I know, this seems cliche. But like the Bulls dominated stretches in the 90’s, the Lakers have been nearly as dominant in the 21st century’s first decade. The last ten years the Lakers have won five titles, been in seven finals, and are built with a team now that can find ways to win come playoff time. This year’s team has underachieved, no doubt.  Yet how dominate is a team that underachieves at 40-19? They remind me of the first three-peat Bulls team that limped to a 57-25 finish and a #2 seed in the East. No Kobe is not Michael, but Michael never had the likes of Pau, Odom, Artest, and Bynum.

2a. Boston Celtics (41-15): This team wins when it matters most.  This is the best this team has looked in three years, as each of their “big-3” are healthy and playing the best ball of the season. Pierce has increased his shot production–which was down the last two years–attributing to his increase in points per night by nearly two. Allen is smooth as silk and KG is playing with the fire necessary to drive this unit. Add in dime dropping Rondo, a somewhat motivated Shaq, bench sparks like Big Baby, and this team will be tough to beat at home this postseason.

2b.San Antonio Spurs (47-10): The most fad and cliche pick this season is San Antonio. Why? Their dominate start at 47-10, does not spell championships.  Having three guys like Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili leading the way is huge. They have won three titles in the Century’s first decade, and have the poise necessary to help their young stars stay calm in the postseason. At the same time, this team has relied on the thirty three year old Ginobili like never before. With Duncan having his least productive scoring season of his career (13.6), the Spurs have become more of a run n’ gun team with isolation sets for the aging Ginobili. Ginobili has been brittle for most of his career, which scares me come playoff time. But with Pop at the helm,  three guys hungry for their fourth ring, and the best record against the top ten teams this season (.688),  I have to give them the cred necessary.

3. Miami Heat (42-16):  If this was a ranking for most intriguing and dramatic, then the Heat would rank atop this list.  The league learned a huge lesson in 2004, when the Lakers, boasting the likes of Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton, lost to a group of role guys — the Pistons. The inconsistency of this method makes me question whether or not the Heat’s big three will know when and where to demote their shot to one another. I also wonder whether or not the lack of a post presence will burn them when facing a team that plays tough perimeter defense.  Who scores inside? Until that is answered, I cannot in good faith put a team with no post presence and an 0-6 record against the top 5 teams at the top of this list.

4.Chicago Bulls (39-17): The Bulls are like a wine that has finally fermented to a perfect age. Plenty of tannin: 3rd in team defense, Robust flavors: increased scoring, Flowering nose: go to guy like Derick Rose, and Complexities: better depth–Boozer, Deng, Noah, Brewer. The ascension of Derick Rose from semi-star to a top 3 point guard in basketball, has legitimized the Bulls come playoff time with a serious scorer who has the ability to put this team on his back. When you add in a healthy Boozer (19.9 pts a night), and the comeback of defensive minded Joakim Noah, this team has the components to challenge anyone. The addition of Carlos Boozer has given the Bulls a legitimate 2nd scorer and the post offense they have lacked the last three years.  One concern? 25-4 at home, but just 13-13 on the road.

5. Dallas Mavericks (41-16): This is where things get murky.  I know the Mavs are arguably the most disappointing franchise of this Century’s first decade. Their collapse against the #8 seed Warriors in the 1st round of 2007 still lingers in many peoples minds. But this is not 2007. The Mavs have the 2nd best record against the ten best teams in the league, 4th best against the top five. They are the most balanced team at Home (22-8) and Away (19-8), which means they can beat anyone, anywhere. They are in the top-5 defensively and can score, ranking top-10 offensively. Add in a winner like Jason Kidd, a go to guy like Dirk, sparks like Marion, Terry, and Stojakavic, and this team realistically could make a deep run in the playoffs.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-20): The trade for Nate Robinson and Kendrick Perkins from Boston, gives the Thunderdepth on their bench and solidifies a struggling defense. With Perkins now in the front court, the Thunder can defend any big in the postseason. One question though, is who scores besides Durant and Westbrook? Trading Jeff Green to the Celtics, proves the Thunder were not willing to continue giving  the underachieving Green a shot. Yet without Green, the Thunder will look for scoring from Jeff Harden, who has yet to develop into the scorer we thought he would be in the pros.  At the same time, this team thrives on defense. Their dip in this area is the reason for the trade and should re-center them defensively come postseason. Not to mention they are confident, after nearly knocking off the #1 seed Lakers last season in the 1st round.

7. Orlando Magic (36-22): It seems the Magic are once again lost in la la land. After losing in 1995  to the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals, the Magic splintered and went into a fourteen year drought. Now nearly two years later since losing to the Lakers in the Finals, the Magic are the worst they have been in three years. They are still very good defensively (top 5) , but struggle offensively at times. Why? Their reliance upon the defensive-minded Dwight Howard proves such. Despite Howard’s career year (22.4 pts), the Magic are scoring nearly seven points lower this season and shooting the three-point shot eight percent lower than last season. Attempting to run a post offense has never been who this team is; a run and gun, fast paced, three point shooting team. Incredibly deep, it seems the Magic are deep with the wrong players: shoot first, oft injured point guards in Gilbert Arenas and Jameer Nelson, a one-hit wonder forward in Turkoglu, and an erratic scorer in J-Rich. I argue that the move for Vince Carter a year and a half ago set this team back a few years.

8. Portland Trailblazers (32-25): Despite Brandon Roy’s banged up body, the Blazers continue to stay afloat with great defense (top 7), an emergent star in Lamarcus Aldridge, and a group of roll guys like Rudy Ferndandez, Andre Miller, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Mathews and Marcus Camby.  They are tough to beat at home, and play with a poise necessary to win tough games on the road in the postseason. The trade for Gerald Wallace from Charlotte, should take pressure off of Roy offensively and gives the Blazer another  facet on a dangerous unit.

9. Atlanta Hawks (34-23): It seems every year, we wait for the Hawks to become a dominate force in the Eastern Conference. This year is not the year. Once again, they are a middle of the pack team with the elements  to beat anybody. The trade for Hinrich from the Wizards is silly, considering they lose a talented veteran point guard in Mike Bibby for a disappointing, aloof point guard in Hinrich. Nonetheless a lineup withguys like  Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and a bench with the likes of super- sub Jamal Crawford, gives this team the ability to beat much of the top teams comes postseason. Unfortunately ability is not reality, and I don’t think Joe Johnson is right star to lead them to greatness.

10. New Orleans Hornets (34-25): Yes the Hornets are renewed after their disappointing 09-10 season. But they still lack a true post presence with the a more defensive minded Emeka Okafor. Disappointments like Trevor Ariza, have caused the Hornets to take a step back offensively, after being one of the top teams two years ago.  The leagues top team defensively, the Hornets cause a bunch of turnovers and can get in the open floor. Chris Paul and David West drive this team, but they lack the cohesiveness on offense to make a  run.

11. Memphis Grizzlies (32-27): I love this team. They are still two years away from really competing. But when you boast a lineup with a star in Rudy Gay, an up- and- coming point guard in Mike Conley, a front court with two tough nosed guys in Zack Randolph and Marc Gasol, you’re destined to be really good.  I like the Battier trade, because it further strengthens their defensive prowess and gives them the veteran necessary come playoff time.

12. New York Knicks (29-26): The Carmelo trade makes things interesting out East. Melo gives this team the star wing player they’ve been lacking. Add in a veteran winner like Chauncey Billups, and return- to- dominance Amare Stoudamire, and this team has the trio necessary to bounce a higher seed early. The Knicks are my definite dark horse come playoff time.

13. Utah Jazz (31-27): Did I like D-Will in Utah blue? Absolutely. Do I think the Jazz made out well in the trade? Yes. I am never a proponent, as most of you aren’t, for sending your franchise guy in a flash trade. But the Jazz got a looming star point in Devin Harris, a project talent in Derrick Favors, two first round picks, and a nice pod of  three million. With bigs’ like Al Jefferson, and Paul Milsap, this team has the players to compete for the next five years.

14. Philadelphia 76ers (28-29): The Sixers are balanced: middle pack offensively and defensively. They have an exciting crowd pleaser in Andre Igoudala, and a nice blend of veterans–Elton Brand, with young talents–Thad Young. No point guard, and the disappointing rookie season of Evan Turner have this team looking on the outside in when it comes to seriously competing.

15. Phoenix Suns (28-27): Steve Nash just gets better and better with age. But who are we kidding? You have no shot when it comes to tired and old Vince Carter, and shoot first role guys like Channing Frye and Jared Dudley. And why trade for another bomber in Aaron Brooks?

16. Denver Nuggets (34-25): “Who needs Melo?”. Okay Denver, I loved that chant last night in a win over Boston. But…you went in the opposite direction with a trade that brought you an nonathletic wing in Galinari and a me-first wing in Chandler.  Your two central figures for the future should be Felton and Nene.

17. Golden St Warriors (26-30): The Warriors will not make the playoffs. And I don’t think the more you shoot the more you win. Except for Monta Ellis and Steph Curry, this team is awash in no-namer raw talents.

18. Indiana Pacers (26-30): What is the hype with Indiana? I cannot figure it out. Collison is not a franchise point guard, and just because you have a seven footer in Roy Hibbert averaging 13.3 pts, 9.0 reb, does not mean you are going in the right direction. Is it just me, or is the streaky shooting Danny Granger becoming the most overpaid wing in hoops?

19. Houston Rockets (28-31): This team is multi-talented and can win without a guy like Yao. But that was when they had a point guard–trading Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Goran Dragic is silly, and a wing like Ron Artest. I also think the trade of Battier to Memphis is perplexing, considering Battier was their defensive heart and soul. Sorry Scola, you are now stuck in a bad situation.

20. Los Angeles Clippers (21-37): Finally this team is going in the right direction, with two franchise players in Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin. Ditching Baron for Mo Williams and JamarioMoon was smart. Davis was overpaid and screwed with the Clippers chemistry. Watch out next year, when they get Chris Kaman back from injury and gel for an entire off-season.

21. Charlotte Bobcats (25-32): They start Kwame Brown–nuff’ said.

22. Milwaukee Bucks (22-35): I am a fan of the Bucks. They are a team of role guys who make it happen. Things caught up to them this season with the injury to Bogut and Jennings innability to rise into a star point.

23. Detroit Pistons (21-38): Hey,  how bout them Tigers?

24. Toronto Raptors (16-42): All I can say is that I like Calderon and their young prospect DeMar DeRozen.

25. New Jersey Nets (17-40): Things in Jersey are sad. Yes they just acquired Deron Williams from the Jazz, but they gave away their entire team doing it.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-45): I know it sounds far-fetched but this team does have three good pieces to build around in Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, and Johnny Flynn.

27. Washington Wizards (15-41): The only bright side to things is that I truly believe John Wall will be a top five point guard in two years.

28. Sacramento Kings (14-41): Tyreke….ahhhhhhhhh…how can a multi-talented guy like you play so awkward?

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-47): It is comical when your biggest franchise face is Baron Davis. Bron Bron–bad on you.

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James over Derick Rose, though my heart believes it is Rose’s to win this year. Imagine the Bulls without Rose. Now imagine the Heat without James. Nonetheless it is more economical for the league to give James his third MVP in a row.

Rookie of the Year: Can you say Mr. Griffin in L.A.? Wow.

Most Improved Player: Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers. Numbers have doubled from last season, and he is now considered an up-and-coming franchise center.

Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich. Hard to argue with his team’s 47-10 start, considering they hardly cleared 50 wins the last two years. Their evolution proves Pop’s ability to quickly route a franchise into the right direction.

Playoff Darkhorse Eastern Conference: New York Knicks. It will be interesting to see if this team gets into a four v five matchupin the first round. With Melo, Amare, and Billups, they have the veterans and star power to surprise someone.

Playoff Darkhorse Western Conference: Portland Trailblazers. They fly under the radar because of the injury to Brandon Roy. But this team has enough without a healthy Roy to upend a conference elite. With Aldridge playing like he is, and the addition of Gerald Wallace, the hard nosed Blazers could make some noise come playoff time.

Finals Prediction: It will be an L.A. Lakers v. Boston Celtics rematch. Boston will have home court, which is huge. Series goes seven. I say it is a toss up. What do you think?