THE Gr8est sport that the people of America have ever seen that doesn't involve ice, bats, is indoors, and doesn't require armour, is soon to be back! Can the Warriors Defend? Can the Rockets rule the roost in the West? Can the Eastern Conference not be crap for a change? I doubt it Since Seattle lost their team I've supported the Rockets, (harden left okc etc) and I think this year theyve got a chance! In the east its a different story. Since LBJ left I've started supporting Miami in the 2nd division and with a strong looking team maybe they can pull something off. However expectation is definitely on Cleveland again but I just don't see it happening. Sorry Lebron. On and Harden for MVP..... My head says Westbrook though
Rockets - No chance. It will be all about Dwight looking at Free Agency, and with Harden sitting comfortably with his new 200M Adidas deal, I can see him getting lazy on defence again. Spurs with LMA and Leonard taking a greater role will be pretty hard to beat. Clippers and OKC with Durant back will be there when the whips are cracking again. Oh yeah - then there is the GSW. Hard to pick in the West. Cleveland and Miami fight out the East IMO. Miami have almost the best starting 5 in the league with a fit Bosh. MVP. No way Harden. No way Westbrook. He is not even the best player at OKC. All the regulars will be up there again.
Never understood the Westbrook MVP talk. Durant did the same thing he did a year ago (pile up big numbers while his partner in crime was injured) except Durant did it efficiently and kept his team at the top of the conference. Westbrook is great but he hasn't demonstrated that level of value as yet. On paper I like Houston but I still have nagging doubts about Harden and Howard as the leaders of a championship contender. Miami is intriguing but they're betting on Wade staying relatively healthy and Whiteside keeping his head in the game all season. I also don't know if their starting 5 has enough shooting. Cleveland massive favourites in the East for me.
OKC would have made the playoffs if Westbrook wasn't injured. They woulda got drilled by the Warriors but he woulda got them there on his back. So MVP talk was justified. Anyway who cares about that, he's definitely the most entertaining player to watch in the league. This season OKC don't have Scott 'no plays' Brooks holding them back & might actually play as a team!
A couple of things I am looking forward to in the upcoming season: - The first meeting between Mavs and Clippers and the Deandre saga; - How long it takes for the Sacremento Kings to implode with Rondo and Boogie going banana's; - How the Miami Heat and SA Spurs are going to perform; - What has Kobe Bryant got left in the tank, and whether he can put an all time shot attempts/all time low scoring efficiency together for the whole season; - How OKC perform under new coach and fully fit Westbrook, Durant and Ibaka; - Whether Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler can make anything of the Chicago Bulls; and - The team that comes from nowhere (i.e. Milwaukee Bucks) to grab a spot in the top eight. My money is on Utah Jazz
[video=youtube;Mq9wZzS6vmo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq9wZzS6vmo[/video] meltdown Injuries & Scott Brooks, fatal combination
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/1...bo-sefolosha-found-not-guilty-nyc-arrest-case Good result for Sefo. I hope he and the Atlanta Hawks go after NYPD and the Government for compo big time. It seems amusing they offered a plea deal, whereby the charges would be dropped for him doing one day of community service. That in itself indicates the crimes and events, if true, did not justify the heavy handed approach of the officers, including breaking his leg. The circumstances surrounding tennis player, James Blake seem even more ridiculous. An ex AFL player was also assaulted by police at the US Open this year without cause. I am all for Police using whatever force is necessary to respond to a situation. However, they need to be a bit more selective in their use of force and how they apply it.
Pistons get past Hawks in opener to the season, and Bulls hold off LBJ and the Cavs. Good to have NBA back. Can't wait for the Thunder v Spurs match tomorrow. Oh and btw - Steph Curry has hit a lazy 24 points in the first quarter against the Pelicans. He is unbelievable. 39-35 in the first quarter. Both teams might want to look at playing a bit of D. I am also fascinated by the pundits and people who say GSW were lucky last year. They were almost the best offensive AND defensive team in the comp. Can't argue with that.
Definitely, no luck involved at all, Andrew Bogut is one of the most underated defenders that there is, I think all the regular season games they lost last year was when Bogut didn't play for one reason or another. Want to see what Kobe gets up to as well
Probably getting injured again and/or blowing up at teammates. I think Kobe as a player is unreal - however that was circa 5 years ago. If he played the roll he did for the Dream Team last time then he could be really handy for a Championship challenging team. Unfortunately peace in Syria is more likely than that happening, and he is not going to displace the legacy he has built at Lakers. This last contract has just been a noose round the neck of the Lakers franchise - in a playing and results sense. How he and Joe Johnson are two if the highest paid players in the NBA has me stuffed
