William Anderson's friends call him Bill. He is 30 years old and grew up in Long Beach, Calif. He played baseball and volleyball at LBCC, then transferred to San Diego State. At SDSU, he decided playing pro sports was a longshot and pursued a degree in urban studies. He recently moved to Austin, Texas, and after a wide ranging collection of job experiences, has finally decided to pursue his passion again. Since, at 30, he doesn't expect the NY Mets to come calling, he can get involved through sports writing.
Last year's NBA postseason was just a sniff of what we're going to get this year. That's a bold statement considering a lot of people think last year's playoffs were the most exciting the league has ever seen. The emergence of the routinely disappointing Golden State Warriors, the "clash of the titans" series between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, and Lebron James' "man amongst boys" march to the Finals, were some of the bigger stories last year.
This year, nine teams in the West, stacked with stars and good young talent, leave it as anyone's guess who the favorite is heading into the rigorous NBA post-season. The big-name trading frenzy this year helped most teams. The Suns and the Dallas Mavericks thought they should make moves, but they didn't have to. They actually got worse at the trade deadline. They'll say they were moves for the playoffs, but they have to make it to the playoffs first. With the West as tight as it is, nobody can afford to go on even a small losing streak.
This is the way I see the Western Conference playoffs shaking out. First, I'll assume the Portland Trail Blazers won't run the table, so they're out. Second, I think the Denver Nuggets are going to barely come up short of that final eighth playoff spot. They can score with anyone, but they play even less defense than the Golden State Warriors. Marcus Camby is a good defender, but has had a history of health issues. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony should be better on "D," but, for whatever reason, they just aren't. This group of players just can't figure out how to play team defense when they need a big stop.
Coming in at eighth, the Houston Rockets. Most people think with Yao Ming done for the year, the Rockets will be the odd team out. Rick Adelman has done a great job in his first season with the team. He's got a winning track record and the bottom line is Adelman is a good coach. Houston has now won 17 games in a row and don't seem to miss Yao a bit. Yao was having his biggest year as a pro, but ageless Dikembe Mutumbo is serviceable and a tougher post presence. I think the Rockets team defense is good enough to get them into the postseason, but the toll on the often injured Tracy McGrady and the increased work load for Mutumbo, will earn the Rockets a first round exit from the playoffs.
Surprisingly, I've got the perennially contending Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks coming in at seventh and sixth, respectively. As previously mentioned, these two teams hurt themselves at the trade deadline by acquiring a couple of aging superstars. The Suns' move to get Shaquille O'Neal was stunning, to say the least. Giving up Shawn Marion to get "The Big Cactus" was ridiculous. Marion was a key piece to the Suns dominance over the last few years. Sure his jump shot is uglier than Shaq's, which is almost enough to get rid of him right there, but it went in. Marion also contributed length, speed and hustle, which you can always welcome to your team. The Suns were hoping Shaq's recent health problems were bogus, and he just didn't want to play for the Miami Heat. Either way, why would you want someone like that on your team? Guess everything that happened in L.A. wasn't Kobe's fault after all.
The Mavericks trade is a little more understandable. Maybe it's because everyone knew about it for years now, or so it seemed. Jason Kidd is still a good player, but he's not the guy you want shooting the ball in crunch time. His jumper is weak, and he isn't quick enough to play man defense against the outstanding guards in the West. The trade hurt their post game by giving up DeSagana Diop, and their speed by trading Devin Harris. Josh Howard is going to have to raise his game a couple of notches for the Mavs to have a chance.
Everyone's sweetheart last year, the Warriors, come in fifth. Well maybe not everyone's sweetheart. I don't think the referees appreciate the way they complain about every call. The Warriors ride their emotions and can beat any team on any given night. When things don't go well, they hand it over to Baron Davis, and it usually works. Monta Ellis is emerging as a go to guy and Stephen Jackson makes this team scary come playoff time. But in the playoffs you have to be able to get a stop on "D" at the end of the game. The Warriors are vulnerable against elite post players and the signing of Chris Webber doesn't look like it's going to fix that problem. First round draft pick Brandon Wright, out of the University of Kansas, is starting to get some time and has looked good in limited action. He may be a secret weapon of theirs come playoff time.
At fourth strongest in the West are the New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul is already in Steve Nash's company as a dominating point guard in a small body. Peja Stojakovic is a proven big time shooter in the clutch, and David West and Tyson Chandler have emerged this year as legitimate starters on a legitimate playoff team. Byron Scott is a great coach for this team and the players love playing for him. They'll be hard to beat.
The Utah Jazz are the third best team in the conference. You know what you're going to get from a Jerry Sloan team. For years the Jazz have been giving their blood, sweat, tears, determination, heart and intelligence to Sloan, because they know that's how he played. They're going to play tough defense, they won't turn the ball over, they won't let the pressure get to them, they won't ever give up, and, oh yeah, they'll run the pick and roll to perfection. They've got tough players and are going to be a serious force to be reckoned with this post-season.
That leaves the Los Angeles Lakers and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs competing for the top two spots, and they will be the last two standing to meet in the Western Conference finals as well. It was a tough decision, but I put the Spurs second. Normally, in my eyes, the defending champs of any sport must be dethroned to say they're not the favorites. However, this time, there is too much going against the champs. The biggest thing against them is the Lakers, but we'll get to them next. Also, the Spurs have never won back-to-back titles during their recent dynasty. I don't put too much stock into that stat, but I needed a tiebreaker to pick between the Spurs and the Lakers. Tim Duncan is still going to come through in the clutch in the playoffs. Manu Ginobili's "controlled chaos" style will continue to catch the other team off guard, and Tony Parker will do well, for Eva Longoria. The Spurs will be the Spurs.
The Lakers pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory. Adding Pau Gasol made the Lakers the team to beat, even if Andrew Bynum doesn't come back or doesn't play like he did earlier this year. Kobe Bryant, owner of the leagues best nickname, "the Black Mamba," also owns the title of the leagues best player. He's patented his game after Michael Jordan, and with Phil Jackson's help, has become M.J.. He's got three rings and he's not done. The Lakers have the deepest bench in the NBA, and they're all confident right now. The Lakers will edge the Spurs in seven games, with the matchup between Manu and Kobe being very physical. Not many are able to survive the strike of a black mamba.
With all that said, don't be surprised if the NBA champs came out of the East. The western teams are going to beat each other up pretty good. All series could go seven games in the West. The Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers are all really good teams, and should not be taken lightly. However, like the western playoff race, my position could change next week.