OK Folks here it is, what you have all been waiting for... (drum roll please)... Our shotty attempt at predictions for the NBA's Second Season. But first lets take care of some predictions for end of year awards.
MVP:
Kyle - Lebron James. He is the best player in the league and means more to his team than any other player. That is a rare combination and a slam dunk for the MVP award.
Patrick - Lebron James. He is the best. (Patrick really went in depth on this one)
Nic - Lebron James. He is the best player in the league, and impacts his
team more than any other player.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Kyle - I am tempted to go with Lebron because he has to guard a guy who can light up teams far more often then Dwight Howard does. But Dwight Howard does absolutely change games so I will go with Dwight.
Patrick - Dwight Howard. He is a beast in the paint.
Nic - Dwight Howard. He is a beast, and all stats
aside, has the biggest influence on the defensive end of any player in the
league.
6th Man of the Year:
Kyle - Manu Ginobli. No other 6th man is an all-star. Plus you can't tell me that every single fan of an NBA team would love him on their team.
Patrick - Lamar Odom. HE is the reason that LA is so scary.
Nic - Jamal Crawford. He is averaging 18.0 ppg off the bench! Enough said!
Coach of the Year:
Kyle - I think it should go to Jerry Sloan (It wont) because he won 53 games with 1 lottery pick. That is incredible.
Patrick - Scott Brooks. I want to choose Jerry but I know everyone will vote for Scott Brooks.
Nic - Jerry Sloan. He will get shafted again, and OKC's coach
will probably win this year, but Jerry truly deserves it.
Most Improved Player:
Kyle - I originally said Andrew Bogut, but I am instead going with Kevin Durant. I know it sounds crazy, but the difference between his game last year and this is unreal.
Patrick - Aaron Brooks. He has become a factor against any team.
Nic - Channing Frye. Although Chris Douglas-Roberts had better improvement in per game averages from 2009 to 2010 (11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.9 steals, It's hard to give
an award to a guy on the worst team in the NBA.) Channing Frye improved his outside shooting in the off season, and helped the Suns snag the #3 seed in the West.
Rookie of the Year:
Kyle - Stephen Curry. Mainly because my love fest for Curry has been going on since his sophomore days at Davidson.
Patrick - Brandon Jennings. Mostly because of his hair do.
Nic - Tyreke Evans
OK now here comes the playoff Predictions
Cleveland v Chicago:
Kyle - Cleveland in 4.
Patrick - Cleveland in 4.
Nic - Cleveland in 5.
Orlando v Charlotte:
Kyle - Orlando in 5.
Patrick - Orlando in 6.
Nic - Orlando in 5.
Atlanta v Milwaukee:
Kyle - Atlanta in 5.
Patrick - Atlanta in 5.
Nic - Atlanta in 6.
Boston v Miami:
Kyle - Boston in 7.
Patrick - Boston in 6.
Nic - Boston in 7.
LA v Oklahoma City:
Kyle - LA in 7.
Patrick - LA in 7.
Nic - LA in 5.
Dallas v San Antonio:
Kyle - Dallas in 7
Patrick - Dallas in 5.
Nic - Dallas in 7.
Phoenix v Portland:
Kyle - Phoenix in 5.
Patrick - Portland in 6.
Nic - Phoenix in 5.
Denver v Utah:
Kyle - Denver in 7.
Patrick - Utah in 7.
Nic - Utah in 7.
Second Round
Kyle:
Cleveland v Boston: Cleveland in 5.
Orlando v Atlanta: Orlando in 6.
LA v Denver: LA in 6.
Dallas v Phoenix: Phoenix in 6.
Patrick:
Cleveland v Boston: Cleveland in 5.
Orlando v Atlanta: Atlanta in 7.
LA v Utah: LA in 6.
Dallas v Portland: Dallas in 4.
Nic:
Cleveland v Boston: Cleveland in 6.
Orlando v Atlanta: Atlanta in 7.
LA v Utah: LA in 6.
Dallas v Phoenix: Phoenix in 7.
Conference Finals:
Kyle:
Cleveland v Orlando: Cleveland in 7.
LA v Phoenix: LA in 7.
Patrick:
Cleveland v Atlanta: Cleveland in 6.
LA v Dallas: Dallas in 7.
Nic:
Cleveland v Atlanta: Cleveland in 6.
LA v Phoenix: LA in 6.
NBA Finals:
Kyle:
Cleveland v LA: Cleveland in 7.
Patrick:
Cleveland v Dallas: Cleveland in 6.
Nic:
Cleveland v LA: LA in 7.
Miscellaneous Questions:
What is your opinion of how the Jazz season went?
Kyle - You know I am pleased with the season. I feel like if we look at the overall picture there was a lot to be happy about. We had a lot of injuries and through great scouting and key player pickups, we ended just 2 games from the 2 seed. Plus, in a surprise, Bill Simmons on ESPN finally relented on the Deron Williams v Chris Paul debate. He now acknowledges that Deron Williams is every bit as good as Chris Paul. Finally.
Patrick - Great! Without injury we would be a 2 seed but what NBA team can't complain about that.
Nic - I am happy with how they did this year. As always, they struggled with key injuries at inconvenient times, but such is the life of professional sports. The one disappointing
thing is their playoff matchups. The 2 teams I am most afraid of for the Jazz, they will face in the first two rounds (DEN and LAL)
Which team is the most surprising this season?
Kyle - I have to go with Milwaukee here. When they were healthy they were legitimately good. Bogut and Jennings are a huge part of that.
Patrick - Bobcats. I didn't think they could make the Tourney and they did.
Nic - The most surprising team for
me is the Milwaukee Bucks. In the 2008-2009 season, they went 34-48, didn't add anyone substantial in the off season and this year turn in a 46-36 record and the 6th seed in the East. Like most people I wrote the Bucks off long before this season truly got under way.
Most surprising Player?
Kyle - I am going to go with Wesley Matthews. This is simply because no one expected him to be on a team, let alone starting for a semi-contender in the brutal west.
Patrick - Kevin Durant. I didn't think he would be an MVP candidate, but hopefully he doesn't pull a Dwayne Wade and disappear.
Nic - The most surprising player for me was someone I didn't even know existed when the season started. Wes Mathews! He is an undrafted rookie that is now starting for one of the best teams in the league and playing considerably well. I don't think anyone saw him coming, and in my opinion should be recognized by the league on the Rookie team (probably 2nd team),
but probably won't because he plays for the Jazz.
Which team was most disappointing this season?
Kyle - I have to go with the Toronto Raptors. They make this big splash in the off season and get Turkoglu, they already have Bosh and in the awful east they still make the playoffs.
Patrick - Clear cut for me, the Knicks disappointed me by winning. Jerks.
Nic - The most disappointing team this year for me was the 76ers. Last year they are the 6th seed in the East and this year, losing Andre Miller, but having Elton Brand healthy, they are
a lottery team.
Most disappointing player?
Kyle - I would have to say it's hard not to go with Gilbert Arenas, but I am going with Hedo. He has to be the biggest bust as a free agent.
Patrick - Gilbert Arenas. When you are in the NBA and a star, you have to know better than that.
Nic - Chris Paul is the most disappointing player this season. As much as I hate the Deron Williams v Chris Paul debates, I think it is great to have 2 players that play the same position and match up well able to compete at a high level. In a sense, I think Chris Paul doing well makes Deron do better. So for Chris Paul to be injured almost half the season
Well folks that is all for now. WE here at the Upper Bowl hope that you thoroughly enjoy the NBA's Second Season. Go Jazz.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
NBA Tidbits Possibly Worth Your While
With the NBA season winding down in spectacular fashion, I thought it would be a good time to through out some thoughts and observations on the NBA season thus far.
Awards:
This is my take on the NBA awards for the year
MVP: This one is easy. Lebron James. He is the most dominant player in the league. We could just pencil him in for a few years to come.
Defensive Player of the Year: This one is funny to me because everyone automatically says that Dwight Howard is the winner of this one, but I feel like they do not give enough consideration to the likes of Lebron James or Andrew Bogut. Lebron is a beast that physically can hound any player, and Bogut has been very good on the defensive end. Although I am tempted to give this to Lebron, I still say Dwight Howard. He just changes everything.
6th Man of the Year: While most "experts" are saying Jamal Crawford, I am going with Manu Ginobli. Yes, everyone loves to hate Manu, especially in Utah. But he is an all-star that comes off the bench and Jamal Crawford isn't.
Most Improved Player: This one is up for grabs, you have Bogut, George Hill, Russell Westbrook. But I would have to give it to Durant. And that seems a little counter-intuitive to me, but here is why. From last season to this he has improved in every single statistical category, most importantly W's.
Coach of the Year: This award is a mystifying award. Year after year this award has no consistency. One year it is given to Phil Jackson for coaching Kobe or MJ, the next year it is given to Byron Scott for his team being better than expected. What exactly is the criteria for this award? 3 out of the last 5 winners of this award are not even currently still coaching, what does that tell you. With all that said, I would say that Scott Brooks, coach of the Thunder, will win this award. And it is a load of crap! Jerry Sloan absolutely deserves this award. What if I gave you the following two seasons and asked you to pick the coach that did the better job: Season #1. The team has a 54-28 record. The team takes 1st place in their division and is the #2 or #3 seed in the Western Conference. Their record last year was 48-34 when they were the #8 seed in the Western Conference. The number of Lottery picks on the roster is 1. Season #2. The team has a 50-32. The team is the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Their record last year was 23-59. The number of Lottery picks on the roster is 6. Which coach would you say did the better job? This is my problem with this award, I say the coach of Season #1 did the better job because he did it with less talent and has finished higher in the conference. Season #1 is coached by Jerry Sloan. But Jerry will get screwed again and be left off the ballot by most voters. Won't even make the top 5.
Predictions:
Final Standings: This is how I think the final standings will look.
Eastern Conference:
1. Cleveland
2. Orlando
3. Atlanta
4. Boston
5. Miami
6. Milwaukee
7. Charlotte
8. Chicago
Not much drama there.
Western Conference:
1. LA Lakers
2. Utah Jazz
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Phoenix Suns
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
There are a lot of assumptions made in these standings. Those assumptions come via the predictions I have made regarding the last 4 meaningful games of the year. Portland should beat Golden State tomorrow night and that will solidify them at the 6th seed due to tiebreakers. So the 4 meaningful games are as follows: Denver at Phoenix tonight, San Antonio at Dallas tomorrow, Utah at Golden State tonight and Phoenix at Utah tomorrow. Basically if Denver wins tonight at Phoenix, they get the 3 spot and Dallas gets the 2, regardless of what else happens. However, if Phoenix wins at home tonight then the circus ensues. Scenario 1: Phoenix wins tonight and then wins in Utah. While Dallas wins tomorrow. Then the order would be Dallas 2, Phoenix 3, Denver 4, Utah 5. Scenario 2: Phoenix wins tonight but loses in Utah. While Dallas wins tomorrow and Utah wins tonight also. Then the order would be Dallas 2, Utah 3, Denver 4, Phoenix 5. Scenario 3: Phoenix wins tonight but loses in Utah. While Dallas loses tomorrow and the Jazz beat Golden State tonight. Then the order would be Utah 2, Dallas 3, Phoenix 4, Denver 5. Scenario 4: The Jazz lose tonight to the Warriors. Then the Jazz are at best 4 and worst 5, while Dallas is 2, Denver 3 and Phoenix 4 or 5. So as you can see from my predicted standings above, I have Phoenix winning tonight, Dallas losing tomorrow and the Jazz winning out. Whatever happens the last 2 days of the regular season will be crazy that is for sure.
Playoff Pairings and Results
Based on the above information the playoff pairings in the East are:
Cleveland vs. Chicago (My prediction Cleveland in 4)
Orlando vs Charlotte (Orlando in 4)
Atlanta vs Milwaukee (Atlanta in 5)
Boston vs Miami (Boston in 7)
The pairings in the West are:
LA vs Oklahoma City (LA in 6)
Utah vs San Antonio (Utah in 7)
Dallas vs Portland (Dallas in 5)
Phoenix vs Denver (Denver in 6)
Based on those predictions, here are the second round pairings in the East:
Cleveland vs Boston (Cleveland in 6)
Orland vs Atlanta (Orland in 5)
In the West the second round pairings are:
LA vs Denver (LA in 7)
Utah vs Dallas (Utah in 6)
Taking it another step further, the Conference Finals are:
Cleveland vs Orlando (Cleveland in 7)
LA vs Utah (LA in 7)
Moving it to the Finals:
Cleveland vs LA (Cleveland in 5)
Once the playoffs are actually set. We will put out a round table with more opinions than just mine and some actual analysis. That is probable enough babbling on from me for now. Expect more from the Upper Bowl soon.
Awards:
This is my take on the NBA awards for the year
MVP: This one is easy. Lebron James. He is the most dominant player in the league. We could just pencil him in for a few years to come.
Defensive Player of the Year: This one is funny to me because everyone automatically says that Dwight Howard is the winner of this one, but I feel like they do not give enough consideration to the likes of Lebron James or Andrew Bogut. Lebron is a beast that physically can hound any player, and Bogut has been very good on the defensive end. Although I am tempted to give this to Lebron, I still say Dwight Howard. He just changes everything.
6th Man of the Year: While most "experts" are saying Jamal Crawford, I am going with Manu Ginobli. Yes, everyone loves to hate Manu, especially in Utah. But he is an all-star that comes off the bench and Jamal Crawford isn't.
Most Improved Player: This one is up for grabs, you have Bogut, George Hill, Russell Westbrook. But I would have to give it to Durant. And that seems a little counter-intuitive to me, but here is why. From last season to this he has improved in every single statistical category, most importantly W's.
Coach of the Year: This award is a mystifying award. Year after year this award has no consistency. One year it is given to Phil Jackson for coaching Kobe or MJ, the next year it is given to Byron Scott for his team being better than expected. What exactly is the criteria for this award? 3 out of the last 5 winners of this award are not even currently still coaching, what does that tell you. With all that said, I would say that Scott Brooks, coach of the Thunder, will win this award. And it is a load of crap! Jerry Sloan absolutely deserves this award. What if I gave you the following two seasons and asked you to pick the coach that did the better job: Season #1. The team has a 54-28 record. The team takes 1st place in their division and is the #2 or #3 seed in the Western Conference. Their record last year was 48-34 when they were the #8 seed in the Western Conference. The number of Lottery picks on the roster is 1. Season #2. The team has a 50-32. The team is the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Their record last year was 23-59. The number of Lottery picks on the roster is 6. Which coach would you say did the better job? This is my problem with this award, I say the coach of Season #1 did the better job because he did it with less talent and has finished higher in the conference. Season #1 is coached by Jerry Sloan. But Jerry will get screwed again and be left off the ballot by most voters. Won't even make the top 5.
Predictions:
Final Standings: This is how I think the final standings will look.
Eastern Conference:
1. Cleveland
2. Orlando
3. Atlanta
4. Boston
5. Miami
6. Milwaukee
7. Charlotte
8. Chicago
Not much drama there.
Western Conference:
1. LA Lakers
2. Utah Jazz
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Phoenix Suns
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
There are a lot of assumptions made in these standings. Those assumptions come via the predictions I have made regarding the last 4 meaningful games of the year. Portland should beat Golden State tomorrow night and that will solidify them at the 6th seed due to tiebreakers. So the 4 meaningful games are as follows: Denver at Phoenix tonight, San Antonio at Dallas tomorrow, Utah at Golden State tonight and Phoenix at Utah tomorrow. Basically if Denver wins tonight at Phoenix, they get the 3 spot and Dallas gets the 2, regardless of what else happens. However, if Phoenix wins at home tonight then the circus ensues. Scenario 1: Phoenix wins tonight and then wins in Utah. While Dallas wins tomorrow. Then the order would be Dallas 2, Phoenix 3, Denver 4, Utah 5. Scenario 2: Phoenix wins tonight but loses in Utah. While Dallas wins tomorrow and Utah wins tonight also. Then the order would be Dallas 2, Utah 3, Denver 4, Phoenix 5. Scenario 3: Phoenix wins tonight but loses in Utah. While Dallas loses tomorrow and the Jazz beat Golden State tonight. Then the order would be Utah 2, Dallas 3, Phoenix 4, Denver 5. Scenario 4: The Jazz lose tonight to the Warriors. Then the Jazz are at best 4 and worst 5, while Dallas is 2, Denver 3 and Phoenix 4 or 5. So as you can see from my predicted standings above, I have Phoenix winning tonight, Dallas losing tomorrow and the Jazz winning out. Whatever happens the last 2 days of the regular season will be crazy that is for sure.
Playoff Pairings and Results
Based on the above information the playoff pairings in the East are:
Cleveland vs. Chicago (My prediction Cleveland in 4)
Orlando vs Charlotte (Orlando in 4)
Atlanta vs Milwaukee (Atlanta in 5)
Boston vs Miami (Boston in 7)
The pairings in the West are:
LA vs Oklahoma City (LA in 6)
Utah vs San Antonio (Utah in 7)
Dallas vs Portland (Dallas in 5)
Phoenix vs Denver (Denver in 6)
Based on those predictions, here are the second round pairings in the East:
Cleveland vs Boston (Cleveland in 6)
Orland vs Atlanta (Orland in 5)
In the West the second round pairings are:
LA vs Denver (LA in 7)
Utah vs Dallas (Utah in 6)
Taking it another step further, the Conference Finals are:
Cleveland vs Orlando (Cleveland in 7)
LA vs Utah (LA in 7)
Moving it to the Finals:
Cleveland vs LA (Cleveland in 5)
Once the playoffs are actually set. We will put out a round table with more opinions than just mine and some actual analysis. That is probable enough babbling on from me for now. Expect more from the Upper Bowl soon.
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