So the NBA season slowly is winding down, and the playoff picture is getting a bit more clear as we have only a few more weeks left to play.
Even though the seedings will probably change a bit, two things are very clear—the Eastern Conference has only two teams with a real shot at winning the NBA Championship and the Western Conference will have the best playoff basketball by far.
With that being said, let's take a closer took at each Conference and where they stand.
NBA Eastern Conference
No offense to any team in the Eastern Conference, but, outside of the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and maybe the Orlando Magic, does any team really have a shot against a Western Conference team?
The Eastern Conference will have at least one, maybe two teams make the playoffs with a losing record, and it's not like they are playing in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.
Having a losing record when you play teams like the Miami Heat and New York Knicks does not say a lot about your team. Could one of the lower-seeded teams make a run? Sure, anyone can, but, in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, there are the Celtics and Pistons and then everyone else.
In fact, the team I feel has the best chance of winning the NBA Championship is the Celtics, the Pistons are over-rated in a bad conference.
NBA Western Conference
The NBA should do away with the Eastern and Western titles and call these two conferences Division I and Division II.
The talent from top to bottom in the Western Conference is insane. Every single team that will make the NBA Playoffs will have at least 45 wins—the Eastern Conference will be lucky to have three.
In fact, I would say that any Western Conference playoff team, from seed one through eight, have a shot at winning the NBA Championship if they make it that far.
Right now, the seventh seed is the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks! That means, as of today, the Los Angeles Lakers would play the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. That is just a bit different then the Detroit Pistons playing the Philadelphia '76ers don’t you think?
NBA Playoff Predictions
So, here is how I see it going down this year in the NBA Playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, it will be the Celtics vs. the Pistons in the Conference Finals with the Celtics winning in a series that goes the full seven games.
In the Western Conference, I actually see Phoenix winning out, even though I am torn between them and the Lakers. With the NBA Finals being the Suns vs. the Celtics, I see the Suns winning.
So there you have it, I am predicting the Phoenix Suns as the 2007-2008 NBA Champions.
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3 months ago
The Suns were my pre-season pick but with all the crazy (CRAZY!) trades the landscape is completely different. Oh, and the Magic have no chance of reaching the Finals, let alone having any type of success against a Western contender. What about the Cavs?
3 months ago
Kieran, you ran right to the top of my list with your final sentence! (However, change the photo at the top!) This is the wildest playoff ride I have ever seen but it is SO much fun to watch play out.
IMO, the main reason the Suns have the potential to actually win it is because they now play two styles, and are doing well at both. Everyone thought their running/small ball game was done....WRONG. It was no secret the Suns played little defense and half-court was not their game. SO OVER now with Shaq at the post and the other guys like Hill and Stoudemire picking it up - welcome to rebound city (who ever thought we'd say that about the Suns?) They have the pieces. All they have to do now is maximize the potential.
3 months ago
I came across a very interesting article on Yahoo by Kenny Smith on what a team needs to win a championship based on Kenny's own experience. Based on his requirements, there is a very good argument for why the Suns can win it, if you choose to believe there is merit to what Kenny says. Of course, no doubt a case can be made for other teams but here is the argument for the Suns.
1. Style of play: A team should have a defined style. - SUNS PLAY SMALL/FAST AND HALF-COURT but until very recently, no one had a more definitive style than PHX. You can even argue they are leading the new way - better play both ways REALLY WELL!
2. A quality point guard and an inside presence: Hello Steve and Shaq!
3. A superstar: Shaq but don't deny Steve, Amare, Grant (back in the day!)
4. A beast: SHAQ! Did you see him against Portland? Beast hardly describes him.
5. A great bench: Leandro (6th Man), Diaw and now Giricek.
6. Adversity: Take your pick - Suspensions, nose-jobs, hip checks, Joe Johnson's broken face, Amare's bad knees, Raja's calf....the list goes on.
7. A magic moment: Again, take your pick - last year's win streaks, the magical "battle of the point guards" game in NJ between Kidd/Nash, Nash's 10 pts in 55 seconds in Dallas, beating the Lakers in round 1 after a 1-3 start, Shaq.....
8. Chemistry: This used to be the Suns achilles heel but no more. The smiles and fun you see these guys having now is pure joy to this fan!
Sorry for the long post and maybe this should have been its own article but I'd like to hear from other fans on whehter their teams have these 8 attributes and if Kenny could be right.
3 months ago
The Eastern Conference already has three teams with 45 wins. Maybe an expert should look at the standings before they write predictions on the playoffs. The Pistons will beat the Celtics because they have the experience and finally have the bench that has been lacking since '04. They will beat the Western Conference champ because who ever makes the finals from the west will be beat up. You were probably one of the guys who said the Pistons couldn't score enough points against the Lakers to win in '04 - and neglected the Pistons' strong bench and Lakers' empty tank. Learn from history or repeat it - get your predictions wrong every year.
3 months ago
Pistons are overrated and have lost their desire. Their bench is probably better than their starting 5.
I think it will be the Celtics, but I'm not sold on the Suns - OLD! And, they don't defend well. Matching up with the Celtics will be difficult defensively.
I still think the Lakers will pull through, but the Hornets will be pesky.
Celtics/Lakers. Can't make the final prediction yet.
Alexa
3 months ago
Everybody calling the Pistons over-rated and writing off their accomplishments over the last seven years is what is driving this team. People from out of market have no clue - but that is how we like it in Detroit. This team has a lot to prove to all you haters, and they will come June!
3 months ago
As a Suns fan, I am here to tell you that the Pistons are NOT overrated!!!!
2 months ago
People, please, you think that the suns will win, wow! That is crazy, and I will tell you the Jazz Will have the greastest chance of going all the way..... That last game with the Denver Nuggets when Williams got fouled hard in the late third quater, when he went back to the free-throw line everbody in the crowd started chanting MVP MVP, and thats what he is...... JAZZ ALL THE WAY!!!!!
2 months ago
Joe I would like to call you crazy, but i can't. The Jazz are AMAZING at home and have a decent bench> add that to last years run and there is no telling what they can do! But I still hate the jazz! LOVE D Will though especially when he makes cp3 look like a scrub, which has happened all year!
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