NBA Rapidfire Report: Good Celts, Bad Mavs, and Successful Shaq

The 2007-08 NBA season is buzzing with subplots and marquee matchups.

With so much intrigue I rounded up a group of NBA fans to drop in their two cents on the topics of the day. Make sure to look for more Rapid Reports coming every week, each time with new questions and fresh writers, and please chime in with your own comments!

How good do the Celtics look, beating the Spurs in San Antonio and then snapping the Rocket's 22-game winning streak in Houston the next night?

Chad Ridgeway: The Celtics look great. They can defeat anyone, not just by virtue of their three All-Stars, but with superb team defense. They are about to leave their stamp on Texas when they kick the Maverick’s butt tomorrow night in Dallas.

Monk: They have added some very valuable depth… PJ and Sam were huge. They had a paper record and no shot at making noise (as contenders for a title) without those pickups. Both guys are post season performers and neither are uncomfortable in the spot light.

Ptownsblazin: The Celtics look good, very good actually. They have played well against the western conference this season and own the best record in the entire league. So far the team has maintained reasonable health and will be the first team to lock up homecourt advantage through out there conference.

Reddog: The Celtics look good and will likely face Detroit in the ECF in a matchup that could go either way, with the ECF winner having just as good a shot at the title as the WCF winner—Boston and Detroit stack up against any team in the west. Both must avoid a let down in their second series against Orlando and Cleveland but both should be in the ECF.

How bad do the Mavericks look, completely undefeated against losing teams (9-0) and completely defeated against teams with winning records (0-6) since the Kidd trade?

Chad Ridgeway: Pretty bad. Kidd was brought in to help the Mavs beat the good teams and it’s just not happening. David Thorpe, an ESPN analyst who I think is generally spot on, said that the Nuggets have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Mavericks.

Monk: Who cares? They are a very nice team and one I could only hope that in five years the Knicks are close to that good... but they are not important in the title scheme and adding a horrible shooting ball genius isn't getting them over the hump.

Ptownsblazin: So far they look pretty blah. Sorry if it is an odd choice of words but they really look hapless against the better teams in the west. I think the Mavs are hoping it is just the getting accustom to each other process still going but I think there are reasons to doubt that. A team labeled as soft is appearing to be just that soft and they just traded away there best bigman (Diop). No offense to Dirk because he is a SF stuck in a 7 footers body so I don't consider him a true bigman.

Reddog: They are in the middle of the wild west where anything can happen once the playoffs begin (like what happened to the Mavs last year) so I wouldn't count anyone, including them, out of it just yet.
 

Andrew Bynum won't be back until the first round of the NBA playoffs. Does this sink the Lakers chances to win a championship this year?

Chad Ridgeway: Yes, it sinks their chances. Bringing in Pau was great, but what excited Lakers fan was the prospect of him and Bynum dominating side by side. Bynum is the lone enforcer, the one big body who can bang with physical players, and the only defender who can prevent the Lakers from being shredded inside the paint. However, the Lakers should be primed for an exceptionally strong run next season.

Monk: Hurts. They were the type of team that would have used a trip to the WCF as a stepping stone. I didn't see them getting to the dance and winning and I still don’t. Now they have something to fall back on if they lose early, which is a nice thing from a coaching perspective.

Ptownsblazin: Sink them, no. Hurt them, yes. I think Bynum and Gasol could be nice compliment to each other but trying to acclimate to each other in the playoffs is a risky venture. I think right now the Lakers are more worried about Gasol getting back on the court and giving Kobe another consistent scoring option (Odom just isn't a number two option in my opinion) because they have obviously missed his presence the last couple games.

Reddog: Doesn't sink their chances at all—in fact, all this rest may help him as this is his first full season with starter minutes.  He should be well rested—just needs some practice time with Gasol to figure out their roles.
 

Shaq had 16 points and 15 boards last night to help Phoenix to their fifth straight win. Is the Shaq experiment a success?

Chad Ridgeway: I was extremely skeptical at first and am still on the fence. Shaq brings a lot to the table but the Suns also give a lot by playing him. In the playoffs the other teams will be able to capitalize on the Suns shortcomings.

Monk: It was going to be a success anyway. People who waited three weeks to define this were fools. I said it the day it happened, if they wanted to take a step forward now this was necessary. Yes, this helps. Does it win it all for them? Maybe not. Does it make them a match up problem for the Spurs? Yes.

Ptownsblazin: I still think weighing this move won't be possible until the season has concluded. So far the experiment is improving for the overall outlook but the effect Shaq has in the playoffs will be the ultimate measuring stick. Anything less than a Finals appearance could be viewed as a disappointment.

Reddog: Success or failure will only be measured in the playoffs—Amare has been the biggest beneficiary of this deal and could be the Western Conference playoff MVP.

Want to ask a question for the “NBA Rapidfire Report”? Interested in being on the panel? Email Chad Ridgeway at [e-mail]