OKay I know it's early, but who is your pick to win it all this year. My pick is Phoenix and the reasons why: 1. Offensive chemistry. Phoenix has the best offensive chemistry I have ever seen. Everyone seems to know where the other guy is and is ready to catch a pass or make a pass. It's like watching one player. 2. Amare. Now that Amare is back, they have that x-factor to get them past Dallas. Two years ago, Amare punished Dallas and Phoenix won the series. Last year, no Amare and Dallas won. Amare's back and ready to punish Dallas on the block (although it will be harder than 2 years ago). 3. Diaw. When you have the best playmaker in the league on your team, that is great. When you have a second playmaker on your starting 5 that is also really good, that is just cake. Diaw's passing is ridiculous, which leads to reason 4. 4. Unusual style. Teams still aren't ready for Phoenix cause they don't play anything resembling your typical NBA teams of the last 15 years. Having a guy like Diaw just throws them off. THey don't have a typical 2-guard slasher type player and they don't have your typical center either. 5. Nash. Nuff said. The guy has the best court vision and the most creative passing in the last....um, looong time. ps ive made solid points dont leave posts picking apart my post without giving your theory about who will win it all and why......
It looks to me like its finally Dallas's year to win it. Theyre easily the most well rounded team as well as one of the deepest. They have size,speed,athleticism, and skill. They have a superstar, a 2nd and 3rd option as well effective role players. They play well on both ends of the floor. The Mavericks pretty much have the perfect mix of everything.
I agree on the Mavericks. I think Mavs knock out the Suns in the 2nd round and Mavs/Spurs play each other in the Final 4. On the East side I will go with Chicago and Washington. Chicago is starting to play really good ball with their lock down defense and plethora of weapons out on the wings. Arenas just doesn't seem like he will be denied anything, he has been absolutely crazy the last couple of weeks. I'm sure mine will change at least a dozen times by the time the playoffs start.
<div class="quote_poster">GatorsowntheNCAA Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I agree on the Mavericks. I think Mavs knock out the Suns in the 2nd round and Mavs/Spurs play each other in the Final 4. On the East side I will go with Chicago and Washington. Chicago is starting to play really good ball with their lock down defense and plethora of weapons out on the wings. Arenas just doesn't seem like he will be denied anything, he has been absolutely crazy the last couple of weeks. I'm sure mine will change at least a dozen times by the time the playoffs start.</div> interesting choices in the East. Chicago is criticized for not having that superstar player who can take over and Washington have been known to be defensively non-existent. plus Detroit has Chris Webber and we all know what a motivated Shaq can do. the East is definitely wide open, but if I HAD to pick at this point, I would go with the Heat coming out of the East. Insane I know considering they're 3 games under .500 but I just think they have the most talent - both coachers and players.
My dream: L.A. Lakers will win the title ! But who they'll problably going to play in the 1st round ? I believe that Lakers can get it past the 1st round this year. In West finals I think we're going to see Phoenix and Dallas. From East, my favourite teams are Cavaliers, Magic. Still, we can't count down Detroit. It would be cool if it's going to be Phoenix vs Cleveland. But I think that Phoenix will win it all this year. Their chemistry is SUPERB. They made the best winning streak this year with 15 consecutive W's. Nash is playing a MVP season again. Amare is getting better and better and Marion is doing his thing. And the role players like Bell, Diaw are still very valuable for them, but Amare is back and Diaw won't problably end up with numbers like the last year. And when Suns get into a rythm, you can't stop 'em. You can be hot as hell, but Suns will be hotter. Anyway, West owns the league atm ! Suns, Mavs, Spurs, Lakers, Houston, Denver.
This year is very hard to pick, from both conferences, but even more so the East. Literally, anyone in the East can win this thing this season. The West front runners are obviously the Suns and Mavs, but I also like the Lakers as sleepers, they're the most unpredictable team in the entire league, if 24/7 are healthy are firing come Playoff time, I think they have a good chance.
I've got to go with the Detroit Pistons right now. They lost a close one to a great Utah club tonight, but a lot of that has to do with lack of real chemistry at this point. It was Billups' first game back and Webber's first game with the club, but over time as this team gets fully healthy and can establish an identity with Webber, they'll be hard to knock off. Webber's one of the best passing big men in the game. He's past the stage in his career where he's going to be a scoring threat, but he's going to be a very valuable asset in setting up guys like Rip and Chauncey on the perimeter, especially Rip, coming off of those screens. Word is that they're going to make another move too, so that's something to keep an eye on. They're probably going to move Nazr Mohammed for Bonzi Wells, or something along those lines, which is a good deal because Mohammed is expendable with Webber now and Wells, even though he has a history of being a team cancer and chemistry-killer, is a very underrated defender. He'd be kind of an odd fit offensively, with his lack of a perimeter jumper, but he'll fit right in on the defensive end.
I think Lakers will win it all this year. They are looking like a team possessed right now. But it will be interesting to see how the chemistry will be once Odom and Kwame get back in the rotation.
<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I've got to go with the Detroit Pistons right now. They lost a close one to a great Utah club tonight, but a lot of that has to do with lack of real chemistry at this point. It was Billups' first game back and Webber's first game with the club, but over time as this team gets fully healthy and can establish an identity with Webber, they'll be hard to knock off. Webber's one of the best passing big men in the game. He's past the stage in his career where he's going to be a scoring threat, but he's going to be a very valuable asset in setting up guys like Rip and Chauncey on the perimeter, especially Rip, coming off of those screens. Word is that they're going to make another move too, so that's something to keep an eye on. They're probably going to move Nazr Mohammed for Bonzi Wells, or something along those lines, which is a good deal because Mohammed is expendable with Webber now and Wells, even though he has a history of being a team cancer and chemistry-killer, is a very underrated defender. He'd be kind of an odd fit offensively, with his lack of a perimeter jumper, but he'll fit right in on the defensive end.</div> Cool choice and totally unusual....I think if Webber stays at 15 feet he needs to be benched, but if he plays down low and focuses on passing and rebounding, they will be dangerous. I'm not so sure about how Bonzi Wells makes your team even better never mind a championship team but that's just me. I wasn't all that impressed with his sudden burst of good play for Sacramento at the end of a contract that all told only took them to the first round of the playoffs. <div class="quote_poster">dallasdude Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think Lakers will win it all this year. They are looking like a team possessed right now. But it will be interesting to see how the chemistry will be once Odom and Kwame get back in the rotation.</div> hmm, well I agree - with Phil Jackson and Kobe ANYTHING is possible. The only thing is that usually the team that wins it all has more experienced players than what the Lakers have right now.
Pistons need to actually learn to play team basketball with ball movement and actually defending again before talking about a title. Webber will help alot. He did ok considering he didn't have a practise before yesterday's game. Losing to the Jazz was bad considering how bad they have been playing. It's hard not to go against Dallas to win it all right now. They have the perfect balence from their starters to the bench. Dirk is the MVP thus far, Howard has improved a great deal. George, Buckner and Stackhouse are tough trio off the bench also. The Mavs are also rebounding the ball very well which you need to do to win a title.
My dream finals would be Lakers vs. Bulls, but in all seriousness, it's looking like Dallas' year. They're playing unbelievable right now. Their offense is clicking and their defense has been rock solid. This is not the Dallas of the past, that's for sure. Out East, I'm actually going with the Bulls. Their defense has picked up the intensity as of late and their wings are playing great on offense. Ben Gordon has turned in to that 20ppg scorer they needed, which helps, and the rest of the offensive guys (Noc, Hinrich, Deng), have all been great as well. They play the best defense out of any Eastern Conference team and their offense has been solid, so they're my Eastern pick. As for those who predict Phoenix, no. Their style does not translate to playoff wins, and it's been proven in the past (take note of them, pre-Avery Dallas, Washington). They don't play a lick of defense, which hurts, cause when they're off, there's no way they win. And with the style they play, I don't care how good of condition any of them are in, they're going to be more exhausted than the likes of the Spurs, Mavs, Bulls, in general, the teams that play a more methodical style as opposed to run and gun. Beyond that, I don't think they have enough defense to win a 7 game series against the Mavs or the Spurs, and hell, why not throw the Lakers into that bunch as well with how well they're playing. The Mavs are one team that can match them offensively in the West with the weapons they have, but the big diff is that they play defense. I think the Mavs are just too tough on defense and too physical for Phoenix to beat them out.
in all honestly...i think it has to do a lot with the western playoff standings....i think that will determine everything. no one wants to play the suns or mavericks. the spurs are not as threatening this year as they were even last year. many people are saying that it will be the mavericks....they have the best record, but if phoenix didnt have that slow start during amares first games back, it would be a different story. finals-Suns vs Cavs MVP- nash vs dirk vs lebron 6th man- Leandro Barbosa, i dont think that will be close rookie of the year- adam morrison coach of the year- up in the air... most improved-luke walton defensive-yo no se'
<div class="quote_poster">Flow Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Anyway, West owns the league atm ! Suns, Mavs, Spurs, Lakers, Houston, Denver.</div>
I think this is finally that year that the Phoenix Suns make it to the Finals and win it all. Steve Nash is playing even better than he has in the past two seasons (hard to imagine that even being possible), Shawn Marion is playing good, consistent basketball as usual, Amare Stoudemire is healthy again and is looking like the beast we saw two years ago, Leandro Barbosa is having a hell of a season and is making a case for sixth man of the year, and the Suns' role players like Diaw, Jones and Thomas are getting the job done. Dallas is playing great right now but I don't think they would be able to slow down Phoenix. In the East, who knows what is going to happen. Last night, the Magic fell from the third seed to the sixth seed so that tells you how close everything is. Mediocre teams are in the top four (Toroto) and top teams aren't living up to expectations (Miami). That entire conference is a mess and it'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. I see the Pistons coming out of the East simply because they are the most experienced team. Cleveland, Toronto, Chicago, and Orlando are all young teams that have little playoff experience. Meanwhile, you have the Pistons whose core has won a championship and knows what it takes to do well in a seven game series. Not to mention they just added Webber, another veteran with experience who will push that team over the limit. Suns and Pistons are my Finals teams and I see Phoenix winning in six.
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">As for those who predict Phoenix, no. Their style does not translate to playoff wins, and it's been proven in the past (take note of them, pre-Avery Dallas, Washington). </div>i respect that point of view but the reason why I think Phoenix will win it all is because they have proven they can beat the Lakers in the playoffs, the Spurs (unfortunately) are having an off year and offensively are stagnant as all hell and playing with little inspiration, and Dallas STILL has no answer for Amare. So it's not that I think they're such an amazing team, more like that all the matchups in the west are favorable for them. so it's more about the path they will take than the team itself. PLUS, if you can get up 20 or 25 points by the fourth quarter which they are fully capable of doing against just about anyone in the league, how many key stops do you need?
One big problem Suns have had and will continue to have against the Mavs is rebounding. Dallas beat them last month when really they shouldn't of done. Mavs shot just 41% from the field compared to Suns 51%. Suns also had a 9 point lead in that 4th quarter. Yet Dallas won. Why? because they played great defense in the last 5 minutes and dominated the boards. They had 7 offensive rebounds in the final quarter. Thats the difference. Thats why Dallas will be favourites against the Suns in a 7 game series. To win the title you need to be able to lock down teams in the final 3-5 minutes of games and also rebound the ball. Something Suns don't do well enough.
This is what I predict: Suns vs. Mavs (conference finals) Bulls vs. Cavs (conference finals) Bulls vs. Suns (finals) Suns (champs)
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">i respect that point of view but the reason why I think Phoenix will win it all is because they have proven they can beat the Lakers in the playoffs</div> While I agree that the Suns will win it all, there is no way you can use last year's series against the Lakers to determine that the Suns can beat Los Angeles. This years Lakers team is different and they are playing some great basketball. Kobe Bryant is much more passive offensively and guys like Luke Walton and Brian Cook have stepped up big after injuries have weakened this team. The Lakers are beating elite teams and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they upset a team like the Suns in th playoffs. Like I said, I still think Phoenix is going all the way but using last year's playoff win over the Lakers isn't proof that they could beat them this year. It's a different season and things change.
The history said defense wins championship. The Mavs and Spurs will win it all simply because they can turn on the defense whenever they want to.
