2007/08 NBA Preview

[NJTank]

Here is my preview of the upcoming NBA Season

2007/08 NBA Preview

Comments?

[Braden]

The Raptors flaws were exposed due to injury. I think they'll be better than that, although I'm a fair bit biased.

The Cavs will be worse. there's no way LeBron can do what he did again with less talent and an improved Conference.

The Wizards were one of the top teams in the East until Arenas went down, and although their defense is bad, I think they'll win more games than that.

I can't see the Heat doing that well either. It all depends on the health of Shaq, and I don't like their chances.

1) Celtics

2) Pistons

3) Bulls

4) Wizards

5) Raptors

6) Cavaliers

7) Heat

8) Nets

------

9) Magic

10) Hawks

11) Bucks

12) Knicks

13) Bobcats

14) Pacers

15) 76ers

I've never seen the East so unpredictable. Anybody could win. Our predictions both will probably be far from what'll actually happen.

The West, is pretty predictable. I would put it 1) Mavs, 2) Spurs, 3) Suns again in the West though.

Not bad predictions, Tank.

[Drew22]

I agree with you on the Hawks, but MArvin Williams isn't going to get much PT this year.

[Starchild]

I'm more or less with you on the predictions for the playoff teams, just not their placement. I don't agree on Boston and Cleveland being 1 and 2.... hell, Boston may not win the division, let alone the top seed in the conference. And Cleveland certainly isn't going to be as good as they were last year. For the Western conference, a Suns vs. Warriors first round matchup would be interesting... two teams that play absolutely no defense, the scores would be ridiculous. Oh, and I predict NY to have between 35-40 wins this season. Likely missing the playoffs (although 40 wins could be good enough for the 8th spot) but still better than 32-50.

[ShinyHubCaps]

I didn't read the whole thing, but I might later. But you mention that the Bucks stayed level; this is not true, because last year was only so bad because of all the injuries. They were in the 4-spot through December, but then Redd went down (Jan. 5, a game I was at, after I left). Plus they added some defense, and a defensive-minded coach. When everything clicks, and Simmons, Bell, and Villanueva are the 6th men, the team is deep.

Just defending my team.

Overall, the Celtics are overrated. I don't even think they'll make the finals.

[DEAD!]

Most Improved Player: Darko Milcic Grizzlies

[ShinyHubCaps]

Ha I forgot he even got traded until I saw him on SportsCenter today.

[fuzzywarble]

I'm a long-time lurker. I never post, but I just had to throw in my two cents.

Why does everyone feel the need to constantly point out how 'boring' the Spurs are, instead of celebrating what a talented team they are? It's either, "They're SO boring!", or "They won last year because they got some lucky breaks." Slam dunks are exciting, yes. But they don't always translate to championships. If you don't like the Spurs then fine. If you think Ginobili is a dirty player, then fine. If you think Duncan is a whiner, well...that's fine too. But to constantly point out the fact that they're boring, instead of recognizing the fact that they're a GOOD team who knows how to play fundamentally (not to mention their team-first, community-first reputation) says, to me, that you aren't fully knowledgeable of the team.

I'm a Spurs homer, yes. However, I'll go on record by saying that, although I WANT them to win this year, I think it's the Suns' year. Partially because the Suns are hungry, but also because the Spurs can't seem to win it all in even-numbered years. However, those of us who are true Spurs fans love the way they go about winning, even if it does translate to them being called 'boring' by other fans who can't appreciate their work ethic.

[leedsunited]

The Suns remind me of those old 80s-era Doug Moe Denver Nuggets teams. They'll run you off the court and march right on into the playoffs on a yearly basis, but they always got bounced by a more physical opponent.

I frankly have yet to see how the Suns will ever overcome the Spurs in a seven-gamer.

[Starchild]

While the Spurs style is boring (not really to me, I like defensive oriented teams... reminds me of the mid-90s Knicks, but significantly less physical and intimidating) it does win championships, further proof of the phrase "defensive wins championships." It is for this reason that I believe the Suns will once again fall short of their goal of a championship.

The Suns are an incredible offensive team and that's about it. Their offensive is perfect... run and gun, fine. Half court game? They can do it too. Volume shooters? Sure. Unselfish point? The best. Bigs that can step outside and shoot to spread the floor? Easy. They have no holes there.

Defensively, not one player is intimidating. Raja Bell is a solid defender, but is by no means a lockdown guy like a Ron Artest or Bruce Bowen. Steve Nash may score 30 points and dish out 15 dimes, but who cares when the guy he's guarding drops 40? Amare has the making of an incredible defensive powerhouse, but hasn't reached it yet. If the Suns were to reach the Finals, assuming they don't play either Detroit or Chicago, they'd win it all. Only those two teams can take the Suns in a championship series. However, I don't believe that Phoenix will even make it that far. To get out of the West, you need to shut people down for stretches over a 7-game series. Dallas, San Antonio, Utah and Houston all are capable of shutting you down for stretches (Houston's main problem last season was scoring droughts). The Suns are close... if they were capable of bringing in another player or two that are capable of sustained defensive intensity and the ability to run-and-gun, they'd be perfect. But I just don't see how Phoenix is intimidating other than their ability to score 150 points... after all, they can't stop you from scoring 151, so if you hold them, you can win.

[NJTank]

I'm a long-time lurker. I never post, but I just had to throw in my two cents.

Why does everyone feel the need to constantly point out how 'boring' the Spurs are, instead of celebrating what a talented team they are? It's either, "They're SO boring!", or "They won last year because they got some lucky breaks." Slam dunks are exciting, yes. But they don't always translate to championships. If you don't like the Spurs then fine. If you think Ginobili is a dirty player, then fine. If you think Duncan is a whiner, well...that's fine too. But to constantly point out the fact that they're boring, instead of recognizing the fact that they're a GOOD team who knows how to play fundamentally (not to mention their team-first, community-first reputation) says, to me, that you aren't fully knowledgeable of the team.

I'm a Spurs homer, yes. However, I'll go on record by saying that, although I WANT them to win this year, I think it's the Suns' year. Partially because the Suns are hungry, but also because the Spurs can't seem to win it all in even-numbered years. However, those of us who are true Spurs fans love the way they go about winning, even if it does translate to them being called 'boring' by other fans who can't appreciate their work ethic.

The Spurs are boring and business like its not an insult its just their style Im a Devils fan and you could sya the same thing about their Stanley Cups. Flash is overrated.