2010-2011 NBA Predictions: Power Ranking the NBA’s Most Entertaining Teams
As a general rule, an NBA fan’s favorite team to watch will be, well, his favorite team. As far as watching basketball goes, there’s nothing more exciting than witnessing your favorite team and players succeed. I for one can’t help myself from bouncing around the room whenever I see one of my top teams make an outstanding play, lead a riveting comeback or secure a vital win.
However, it can be just as fun to watch a game that doesn’t involve one’s favorite teams, as the NBA is filled with incredibly skilled athletes who are experts at putting on a show. So, if your favorite team has the day off, but you’re dying to watch some basketball, you should know which teams to check out.
Although every team in the NBA is fun to watch, some are more exhilarating than others. Without further ado, here is my list of the least to most entertaining NBA teams to watch in 2011.
30. Detroit Pistons
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The Pistons are a team with a whole lot of good players, but not a lot of great players. Nor are their players particularly exciting.
Ben Gordon can hit the three, Ben Wallace can block some shots and Will Bynum has got some nice little man hops, but in all honesty, there isn't a whole lot to see.
29. Houston Rockets
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Trevor Ariza has departed for New Orleans, leaving the Rockets with a number of skilled yet not particularly flashy players. They have some excellent shooters and Aaron Brooks can light it up, but Yao Ming isn’t exactly a circus…although in a sense, he is.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves
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With the Timberwolves, there's not much excitement from a rather sloppy triangle offense. Hopefully Flynn, Beasley, Johnson and Brewer can use their athleticism to help cover up for the feeling of despair I get when I watch Darko Milicic stumble up and down the court uselessly.
But Kevin Love tosses some nice outlet passes.
27. Charlotte Bobcats
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Apart from Gerald Wallace, the defensive minded Bobcats don't give the casual fan much to get excited about. If Tyrus Thomas can finally figure out how to be an effective player, he and Wallace would form an extremely exciting duo of high flyers that would bring down the building.
When he's hot, Stephen Jackson can seriously score, and Boris Diaw can...pass pretty well.
26. Cleveland Cavaliers
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With LeBron gone, the most excitement the Cavaliers will get will be Jamario Moon and J.J. Hickson. Mo Williams may hit a few threes, but it might take a couple of seasons for the Cavs to recover from the loss of the league's most electrifying player.
25. Indiana Pacers
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Although not flashy, Granger is fun to watch, Hibbert is a great shot blocker and Collison should add to the up-tempo style. Josh McRoberts is a surprisingly athletic dunker and should get plenty of minutes this season.
Wing players Paul George, Dahntay Jones and Lance Stephenson are all very athletic and should bring some much needed excitement to Indiana.
24. Los Angeles Clippers
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2009 First-overall pick Blake Griffin should bring some electricity to the weird-kid team of Los Angeles. Although the Clippers still won't have the support of the defending champion Lakers, Griffin, along with fellow youngsters Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe and Al-Farouq Aminu should bring some excitement.
If Baron Davis decides to try—he might actually begin to resemble something like the Baron of the Warriors.
23. Toronto Raptors
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The loss of Chris Bosh will hurt the Raptors, but they have a number of exciting wings to help fill the void of the high scoring big man, namely Barbosa, DeRozan and Weems.
Amir Johnson and Andrea Bargnani are both athletic big men who, teamed with the passing ability of Jose Calderon, that could bring some entertainment to Toronto.
22. Utah Jazz
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The Jazz don't have a whole lot of exciting players, but the presence of Deron Williams more than makes up for it. Williams quickness, passing ability and competitive fire makes his teammates look good, and if Big Al can play to his full potential he will prove that he is one of the top low post players in the league.
With more minutes, C.J. Miles and Paul Millsap should excite the people of Utah.
21. Dallas Mavericks
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Dirk Nowitzki, the best shooting big man in the league, can be immensely entertaining, and while Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion aren’t the showmen they once were, they can still fire up the fans, as shown here.
In addition, Caron Butler and Jason Terry should continue to impress with their athleticism and scoring ability, and if Rodrigue Beaubois gets the playing time he deserves, Dallas tickets will start selling out very quickly.
20. Sacramento Kings
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Reigning rookie of the year Tyreke Evans is one of the most exciting players in the league, and he should form an entertaining trio with DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi. Donte Greene and Jason Thompson are two tall, athletic dunkers who should give Sacramento something to talk about.
19. New Jersey Nets
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Devin Harris and Terrence Williams are bound to create numerous highlights with their speed, athleticism and passing ability. Lopez and Murphy are excellent scorers and rebounders, but aren’t very flashy.
Rookie Derrick Favors’ athleticism leads me to expect numerous highlight reel plays from him, while wing players Damion James, Travis Outlaw and Anthony Morrow are electrifying scorers.
18. Denver Nuggets
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When J.R. Smith is on, he puts on quite the show. But when his shots aren't falling, it's inevitable a fan will get pissed off at the volume of stupid shots he's taking. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups are electrifying scorers who really turn it on in the clutch.
However, with the departure of Carmelo looking more and more likely, the Nuggets may soon be left with only Birdman, Smith and Nene to pump them up. However, that's hardly a boring group.
17. Philadelphia 76ers
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With a surplus of extremely athletic youth, the 76ers fast-breaks should continue to drive their fans insane. Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Mareese Speights are all fantastic dunkers, but what will really take the excitement of Philly games to the next level is the development of Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner.
16. Atlanta Hawks
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Two words: Josh Smith.
Well, and Jamal Crawford.
15. San Antonio Spurs
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The Spurs are very exciting to watch, and the reason for that is their foreign tandem of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They, along with George Hill, form one of the toughest backcourts in the league, and their finishing and passing abilities bring considerable flash and thrill to San Antonio.
14. Boston Celtics
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The star-power on the Celtics is unbelievable, and old time fans of Shaq, KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will all get a kick out of watching them join forces.
Despite the star power, the main appeal of watching the Celtics comes in the point guards. Three-time dunk contest champion and the NBA's most beloved little man Nate Robinson will electrify the crowd in the few minutes given to him, and the Shrek-Donkey duo he forms with Glen Davis brings much needed youth to the grandpa of the NBA named, the Celtics.
However, the player who makes the Celtics most exciting is Rajon Rondo. His tenacious defense, slick moves and jaw-dropping dishes make him one of the most exciting players in basketball.
13. Milwaukee Bucks
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The Bucks have a certain underdog vibe that I just love. Despite having a roster that, on paper, wasn't that great, they made it to the playoffs last season with Brandon Jennings, John Salmons and Andrew Bogut leading the way.
Salmons proved to be a reliable scorer and Bogut is one of the top centers in the league, but the player who really provides the face of the Bucks is Brandon Jennings. He's got plenty of confidence and plenty of skills to back it up, and his play, such as a certain 55-point performance, is the main reason that the rest of the NBA fear the dear.
Plus, just look at the picture—this guy is too fly.
12. Washington Wizards
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Washington, meet John Wall.
The first overall pick in this year's draft, John Wall will take over for Gilbert Arenas as the face of the Wizards franchise, and should form an electrifying duo with athletic center JaVale McGee.
Andray Blatche is an entertaining scorer and when he's hot, Gilbert Arenas can seriously pump up the crowd. Plus, fans should get a laugh out of his newfound intensity after certain problems with the law.
11. Golden State Warriors
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With the uptempo, all-offense system of the Warriors, they are bound to be exciting. Add to that the presence of arguably the best backcourt in the league in Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, and the Warriors will be very fun to watch.
10. New Orleans Hornets
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Chris Paul will be the star of the show in New Orleans, but his incredible passing ability will make high-flyer Trevor Ariza and scorers Marcus Thornton and David West look very good.
Emeka Okafor might decide to block shots and rebound at the clip he's supposed, or he won't.
Either way, the Hornets will be very fun to watch.
9. Los Angeles Lakers
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Shannon Brown's dunks provided highlight reels almost every week last season, and should do the same in 2011. Kobe Bryant and a masterful orchestration of the triangle offense will serve as the main dish in L.A. entertainment.
But mostly Kobe.
8. Memphis Grizzlies
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The Memphis Grizzlies snag the seventh spot due to a plethora of young, athletic wing players. Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Sam Young and Tony Allen should make Grizzlies' fast breaks a constant in the weekly top 10.
7. Portland Trailblazers
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Although not a very flashy team, the Blazers are regardless very fun to watch. Brandon Roy and Andre Miller score in a variety of ways and Oden, if healthy, should provide lots of excitement through blocks and thunderous slams. The Blazers fan base is fantastic and it’s hard not to get pumped up while watching a Portland game.
Apart from Oden, the Blazers have numerous athletic young players in Rudy Fernandez, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Jerryd Bayless, who all know how to score the ball.
6. Chicago Bulls
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The athleticism of Joakim Noah and Ronnie Brewer should provide for some excitement, and the sharp-shooting of Kyle Korver is practically an art.
But when fans watch a Bulls game, they're looking for the most electrifying point guard in the entire NBA.
Derrick Rose.
5. Orlando Magic
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Dwight Howard—Blocks and Dunks. Everyone Else—Threes. ‘Nuff said.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Durant’s scoring prowess will provide ample entertainment, and his athletic sidekicks (Green, Westbrook, Ibaka, Sefolosha and Harden) should create numerous highlight reels.
After an outstanding FIBA World Championship run in which Durant led the U.S. "B-Team" to gold, the 21-year-old out of Texas has solidified himself as the top scorer in the NBA. And who doesn't want to watch that?
3. New York Knicks
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With all-star Amar'e Stoudemire joining the fray, the Knicks up-tempo offense should be a much bigger show than it has been in a while. Meanwhile, Gallinari, Randolph, Felton and Chandler should be lots of fun to watch, and the new look Knicks should score a whole lot of points.
2. Phoenix Suns
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Two words: Steve Nash. Although STAT’s departure drops them to two, this team will still be one of the league’s most exciting with basketball's best passer leading the way.
If Jason Richardson can keep up the play he exhibited in the playoffs for a whole season, the Suns may even be more exciting than the Heat.
1. Miami Heat
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To be quite honest, I don't think I really need to explain this one.
Thanks For Reading
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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my article. If you have any questions, thoughts, opinions or disagreements, please comment below.
