Which teams are good, but often get overlooked? I am going to say the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors get the most underestimated when people think of playoff potential. I think the Lakers could sneak into the Western Conference finals, and the Raptors/Bucks can make some serious noise in the playoffs.
Definitely the Lakers, and I think what helps that is because our record is really good but we aren't leading the division. The Suns are basically overshadowing the Lakers. No one really would think of them as one of the best teams right now because in the past couple years, their record wasn't elite-calibur. But right now they are the fourth/fifth seed in the West. And the West is not an easy conference.Also, I would count in the Magic. Maybe not for everyone, but in my case they are. They don't [to me] look like a great team on paper, but they really do have a solid team built around Howard. You still can't forget what Grant Hill was capable of pre-injury, and I wouldn't take that away from him completely. Plus they are leading the division... that is a big wow to me because they don't even seem like they are.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Jan 8 2007, 12:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Which teams are good, but often get overlooked? I am going to say the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors get the most underestimated when people think of playoff potential. I think the Lakers could sneak into the Western Conference finals, and the Raptors/Bucks can make some serious noise in the playoffs.</div>I don't know much about the bucks, so I decide not to comment.The Lakers play in L.A. and will never be overlooked. And they broke the Mavs win streak which whill will give them some more press. Attention whores.The Raptors should be overlooked. they are in a division where everybody is at least four games under .500, and they are part of that group. You tell me if any praise is deserved with those "credentials".
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Lakers play in L.A. and will never be overlooked. And they broke the Mavs win streak which whill will give them some more press. Attention whores.</div>The Lakers have the 5th best record in the entire league, how many times have you heard people calling them contenders? I think the Lakers could make it as far was the Western Conference Finals, most of the posts I read have them being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Raptors should be overlooked. they are in a division where everybody is at least four games under .500, and they are part of that group. You tell me if any praise is deserved with those "credentials".</div>I'm not saying the Raptors are going to be the champs or anything, they deserve more recognition then what they are getting. They play in the horrible Atlantic Divison, so what. Did you know that the Raptors have only had 5 games against Atlantic Division opponents?They have been playing some pretty good teams so far, half of them have been against Western Conference teams or teams with winning records. They lost Chris Bosh for 12 games and still remained .500 during that time. Yes, I consider that extremely impressive.
The Rockets did the same thing without T-Mac and there is contender talk in their favor. They may have Yao but he doesn't constitute the entire team.
Not really, he missed 7 games and they went 2-5 during that stretch. They still had Yao Ming who is the best center in the entire league.
Okay fine, you win on the Rockets. But I'm holding strong on that the Raptors shouldn't be considered a team that could make noise in the playoffs.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ProStix#6 @ Jan 8 2007, 01:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The Rockets did the same thing without T-Mac and there is contender talk in their favor. They may have Yao but he doesn't constitute the entire team.</div>Umm at least you had Yao Ming. A top scorer in the league. We had no one but TJ Ford and a bunch of rookies, and maybe Morris Peterson, Joey Graham, and Fred Jones at most. Which do you think had the better chance?
The Houston Rockets are overlooked. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are the best combo in the league, their only issues are health and the point guard. They could also sneak into the Finals. Dikembe is overachieving at 40-something, and could possibily be back next season too. They have solid third and fourth options in Bonzi Wells and Shane Battier. Chuck Hayes is underrated, he can grab a ton of rebounds, and has pretty decent size. He's undersized, but he's like Jason Maxiel.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Jan 8 2007, 05:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think the Lakers could sneak into the Western Conference finals...</div>No way the lakers will make it to the Western Conference Finals. They would have to beat 1or 2 of the top 3 teams. It depends on their seeding. The suns of last year almost lost to the Clippers as well. They are much better this year and the mavs and spurs will own them.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mavsfan1000 @ Jan 8 2007, 01:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>No way the lakers will make it to the Western Conference Finals. They would have to beat 1or 2 of the top 3 teams. It depends on their seeding. The suns of last year almost lost to the Clippers as well. They are much better this year and the mavs and spurs will own them.</div>I see what you are saying...but wheather you would like to think so or not the Lakers ARE an Elite team and are up there with the Mavs, Spurs, Suns etc. BTW the Lakers have beaten each of those teams. Now with Lamar Odom coming back I see us being nothing short of unstoppable. The team is growing, we will see who gets owned come playoff time.
I'd say definitely the Lakers. They've been having a great year this year, up with the elite teams, and some of this without Lamar Odom. They've been playing great team ball and Kobe's come through like the All-Star that he is. Text book.
Spurs, though they are getting older as a team and decling in many ways it dosen't change the fact that there one of the best teams in the league if not the best and should defently not be overlooked this year in which they have been a bit.Denver Nuggets, earlyer in the season melo was playing his heart out and I felt they were one of the teams being overlooked at the time, they should be a force to reckin with later in the season once carmelo returns to the team.New York Knicks, When they play good they play like a good team .. people don't relise that and im not saying there going to do well this season im just saying at different moments the knicks can look and play like a playoff contending team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Jan 8 2007, 01:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Which teams are good, but often get overlooked? I am going to say the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors get the most underestimated when people think of playoff potential. I think the Lakers could sneak into the Western Conference finals, and the Raptors/Bucks can make some serious noise in the playoffs.</div>I dont think that the Raps or Bucks would make "serious" noise in the playoffs, but I definitely dont think ti is out of the question for them to get there. If the Raps and Bucks got in to the playoffs, they would be a lower seed, and they would most likely get eliminated in the first round. But I do agree with you that they are overlooked. I think that for the Bucks, since they are last in their division, people dont view them as a good team, even though they have a winning record. I dont really know why for the raptors.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LakersFan247 @ Jan 8 2007, 05:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I see what you are saying...but wheather you would like to think so or not the Lakers ARE an Elite team and are up there with the Mavs, Spurs, Suns etc. BTW the Lakers have beaten each of those teams. Now with Lamar Odom coming back I see us being nothing short of unstoppable. The team is growing, we will see who gets owned come playoff time.</div>IMO, I definitely see the lakers as being the 4th best team in the west (even with a fully healthy Rockets and Denver team) but they arent on the level of the Spurs, Mavs, or Suns. They have yet to win a really big series in the playoffs, they haven't been consistent for an entire season yet, and they haven't really done what the other 3 teams have. Now I am a pretty big Lakers fan right now(they are my 2nd favorite and close to being 1st) but they are not on the level of those 3 teams yet. They just haven't completley proven themselves in the playoffs yet. They had a good series agaisnt a good Phoenix team, but they fell apart when they were up 3-2. '
Bucks are a good choice, but with Redd, and Williams out for atleast two weeks, they may have trouble. The Minnesota Timberwolves are fitting here. They currently hold the 7th seed (17-15) in the tough Western Confrence, and have won seven of there last nine. Kevin Garnett, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Mike James, Trenton Hassell, and Randy Foye have all played really well lately, and this team is flying under the radar.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LakersFan247 @ Jan 8 2007, 09:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I see what you are saying...but wheather you would like to think so or not the Lakers ARE an Elite team and are up there with the Mavs, Spurs, Suns etc. BTW the Lakers have beaten each of those teams. Now with Lamar Odom coming back I see us being nothing short of unstoppable. The team is growing, we will see who gets owned come playoff time.</div>Not looking too elite lately. lol
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mavsfan1000 @ Jan 10 2007, 08:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Not looking too elite lately. lol</div>:no1: and now Kobe is hurt again...ugh..
