TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary today will focus on an MVP, an All-Star team, some honorable mentions and a Coach of the Year. Then we’ll wrap it up with a few things to keep an eye on the last few days of the season in the joust for seeding position. We’ll also look back on TheSportsNotebook’s preseason picks regarding each team’s Over/Under number on the win props and see how far off base I wa
I’ve avoided devoting much of this site’s NBA commentary to the Miami Heat. I’m assuming we’ll have plenty of time in the playoffs to go over them, and similar to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Heat get more than their share of attention in the mainstream media. Although unlike Los Angeles, at least Miami gets their media love for all the right reasons. TheSportsNotebook gave in on the Lakers earlier this week, and today we’ll do the same for the Heat. We’ll look at why they’re having such a great year and if there are any weak points that could derail a run at a second straight title.
There’s eight days left in the regular season and I’m giving in and talking about the Los Angeles Lakers. I’ve resisted using this space’s NBA commentary to talk about the Lakers, because they managed to eclipse Tim Tebow as the most overrated topic in sports. But with five games left, they’re locked in a final battle for the #8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and let’s face it—they’d make a formidable challenger to anyone in a playoff series, regardless of how ugly it’s looked this season. So let’s diagnose why this team underachieved, and what its chances are at playoff redemption.
The NBA’s Western Conference has had some clear structure and definition throughout the season. San Antonio and Oklahoma City were the co-favorites, the Denver-Memphis-LA Clippers troika was next, and the Los Angeles Lakers were the soap opera that sucked up all the media oxygen in the room with whether they could make the playoffs or not. Teams that mostly slid under the radar were Golden State and Houston. Each has solidified their playoff position. Now’s the time to ask if they’re a live dog that can challenge a favorite in the first round. Answering that question will the focal point of today’s NBA commentary.
Today’s NBA commentary will focus on the Nets’ strengths and weaknesses, and evaluate whether they are the kind of playoff-tough team that can first win a series, and then put some pressure on the favorite.
The New York Knicks enter into the biggest week of the regular season starting tonight. The Knicks are 38-22, and a half-game up on the Indiana Pacers for the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. New York also starts a tough five-game road swing out west, most of which will be on national television. So for today’s NBA commentary, let’s break down the Knicks and see if this is a team that can fulfill the promise of its fast start to the regular season and at least reach the conference finals and a showdown with Miami.
The playoff race in the NBA’s Eastern Conference is nothing if not fluid, and once you concede the obvious top spot to the Miami Heat, it seems almost everything else is up for grabs. In that light, escaping the #8 playoff seed would be of paramount importance. It surely has to be considered a surprise that the Milwaukee Bucks have gotten on a four-game win streak against a good schedule and given themselves a puncher’s chance to do just that. The Bucks are still currently in eighth, but moving into striking distance of the seven-spot. TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary will focus on whether Milwaukee can actually get to #7—or higher—and if so, if they can pull off the supreme shocker and win their first playoff series since 2001.
So how good are the Grizzlies? Can they get out of the first round of the playoffs and maybe challenge for a top three seed position? Or are they a pretender that’s likely to slide in the standings and almost certainly headed for an early playoff exit? That’s the question TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary will seek to answer today.
What’s most noteworthy about these teams though, is the success the Pacers and Bulls have each had without their stars, especially given the emphasis the culture of the NBA places on the star system. Indiana is in third in the Eastern Conference at 32-21, while Chicago is fifth with a record of 30-22. Both are squarely in the mix of teams that are tightly packed from 2 thru 6 and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals is eminently realistic even if Granger or Rose never saw the court this year. Both teams are built on tough defense, each hits the boards hard to close out those defensive possessions and both control the pace with a slow tempo. Beyond these core similarities, TheSportsNotebook’s NBA coverage will break down each team a little further.