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Authored by Daniel Leroux - 22nd February, 2010 - 2:19 pm
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Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans
The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The Superstars
Carmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
A Melo Behind The Superstars
Carmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
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Monday
Atlanta @ Utah: Atlanta has loosened their grasp on a top-3 seed in the East while Utah is rolling home after what has already been a successful road trip. Josh Smith and Al Horford will have their hands full with a Utah frontline that has had some big games recently, while the Hawks will need offensive production from their swingmen to offset Deron and Boozer.
Tuesday
LA Lakers @ Memphis: The Grizzlies have to get out of their tailspin quickly, and the Lakers have a chance to keep going after Cleveland’s #1 record in the NBA (and homecourt if they meet in the Finals). Each team has a strong stable of big men, and we get to see Pau vs. Marc.
Wednesday
New Orleans @ Milwaukee: Another game that features two young point guards. Brandon Jennings is having a very good overall season while Darren Collison has done well since taking over for Chris Paul. Scott Skiles is an underrated defensive schemer and will need it to handle the scoring talent the Hornets have been utilizing (especially David West and Marcus Thornton).
Orlando @ Houston: In order to make their win against the Cavs a true statement-making one, the Magic need to continue to roll the next few games. Houston’s undersized frontline will face one of its biggest tests in the form of Dwight Howard while the Rockets’ perimeter scorers will need to shoulder the offensive load. Despite all that, this one may come down to the PG’s and both Aaron Brooks and Jameer Nelson can take their team on their back for a short bit.
Oklahoma City @ San Antonio: As of this writing, the surprises from Oklahoma City have a one game lead on the Spurs for the season. Less surprisingly, Kevin Durant will need to be the offensive engine for OKC if they are going to keep up their strong road record and conference position. For the Spurs, look for Tim Duncan to take advantage of some workable matchups to have a big night.
Charlotte @ Utah: The Bobcats were buyers at the trading deadline, giving up a pick to procure Tyrus Thomas. Their bigs will need to have a strong night since Utah’s run has been fueled in no small part by the production of their Power Forwards and Centers. That said, Deron Williams and the home crowd will make it difficult for Charlotte and their 7-20 road record.
Friday
Cleveland @ Toronto: Two stars who could be teammates in the near future go at it Friday night at the Air Canada Centre. We very well might see more Anderson Varejao than usual in this one since he is best equipped to make Chris Bosh work hard for every bucket. The Cavs will need a strong game from their supporting guys and they should have looks because no one on the Raptors is a natural fit to guard King James.
Portland @ Chicago: Both squads are spending the end of February fighting for their playoff lives. While the Blazers are battling a brutal series of injuries, Chicago will start the week relatively healthy and on a four-game winning streak. Andre Miller will need to make life difficult for Derrick Rose here.
San Antonio @ Houston: One of the first big tests for Kevin Martin’s fit with his new squad doubles as a testament to how much the Rockets will miss the production of Carl Landry. Houston is a team in need of a winning streak and opportunities to get W’s against teams above them in the standings are ones they have to make the most of. Brooks and Tony Parker should have a whale of a time trying to guard each other as well.
Saturday
Milwaukee vs. Miami: As the most surprising buyers at the deadline, Milwaukee needs to keep the pressure up on their run at the playoffs. I’m not sure whether defensive stalwart Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will take a shot at guarding Dwyane Wade (should he be healthy), but Michael Beasley could end up being the Miami player who causes the most problems. If Andrew Bogut and Jennings can produce and put the Heat in foul trouble, they could get a major road win.
Sunday
Washington @ New Jersey: See what happens when the NFL is over? There may be other games, but there’s none that I’m more excited for than the John Wall Brawl. This is a game that the Nets need to win, and both Lopez and Harris need to bring it to let the home crowd go home happy.
Toronto @ Oklahoma City: On the other end of the league, the two teams standing at #5 in their respective conferences should have an awesome game as well. It will be compelling TV to see Kevin Durant and Hedo try to guard each other, and Mr. Brooks will have a tough time scheming to handle Chris Bosh with OKC’s big men. If Toronto can use their size to counter OKC’s athleticism and energy, they have a shot at pulling a big road win.
Continuing On..
With the season now two-thirds over, I found it an apt time to talk about awards and playoff predictions.
MVP: LeBron James. A real no doubter. It’s pretty incredible that the team with the No. 1 record in the NBA only had one guy worthy of the All-Star Game, but that’s what LeBron can do at this point in his career. While Kevin Durant may be more important to the pure scoring numbers of his team, King James takes a Cavs team that would finish out of the playoffs without him into the best team in the East.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant
Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans. At this point in the year, Tyreke brings the strongest combination of scoring, playmaking, and defense of any rookie in the NBA. Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings could make a run for it over the next few months, but it’s Tyreke that has control over the award right now.
Honorable Mention: Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings
Defensive Player of the Year: Rajon Rondo. The Celtics are the best defensive team in the NBA again, and it seems fair to give a portion of that credit to Mr. Rondo. Defending the other team’s point guard seems to be a lost art, but Rondo’s defense plays a major factor in the Celtics’ success this year.
Honorable Mention: Dwight Howard, Lebron James
Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks. The year opened up with a slew of surprising teams, including the Bucks, Zombie Sonics, Rockets, and Kings. However, only OKC has stayed on that surprising run and currently stands as the 5-seed in a stacked Western Conference despite having six rotation players currently on their rookie deals (Durant, Green, Westbrook, Harden, Maynor, and Ibaka). This amazing production with young talent that is also working as a team and playing some solid D makes him the frontrunner for Coach of the Year.
Honorable Mention: Jerry Sloan, Scott Skiles, Nate McMillan, and Phil Jackson
6th Man of the Year: Carl Landry, Rockets. While it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting the award at the end of the year thanks to the trade, Landry deserves mention here for his contribution this season. His offense was a major part of the Rockets’ success this season, especially on a team that does not play a ton of scorers in their rotation. Jamal Crawford will likely end up taking the award at the end of the year and is absolutely worthy of it.
Honorable Mention: Jamal Crawford
Here’s my current take on how the playoffs will work out:
Western Conference
First Round:
(1) Lakers vs. (8) Blazers – Lakers in 5
(2) Nuggets vs. (7) Suns – Nuggets in 5
(3) Jazz vs. (6) Spurs – Jazz in 7
(4) Mavericks vs. (5) Thunder – Thunder in 7
Second Round:
Lakers vs. Thunder – Lakers in 5
Nuggets vs. Jazz – Nuggets in 7
Western Conference Finals:
Lakers vs. Nuggets – Lakers in 6
Eastern Conference
First Round:
(1) Cavs vs. (8) Bucks – Cavs in 4
(2) Magic vs. (7) Heat – Magic in 6
(3) Celtics vs. (6) Bobcats – Celtics in 7
(4) Hawks vs. (5) Raptors – Hawks in 6
Second Round:
Cavs vs. Hawks – Cavs in 6
Magic vs. Celtics – Magic in 7
Eastern Conference Finals:
Cavs vs. Magic – Cavs in 6
NBA Finals
Lakers vs. Cavs – Lakers in 7
As always, feel free to send any responses to daniel.leroux@realgm.com - you’ll actually get a response from me (hopefully). |
