So to my delight the NBA regular season tips off tonight with a game between the Boston Celtics and the revamped Miami Heat. This is the moment everyone has been waiting for, everyone has been waiting to see how the Heat can play in the regular season. Can they meet the hype that has been generated? It seems almost impossible in my opinion. Every single time the Heat lose a game it will make the headlines on ESPN. Every single error they make will be scrutinized beyond comprehension. Just imagine if they don't win the championship, or even worse, if they don't make the NBA finals. The Heat are in a must win situation pretty much every night. That isn't the only big story in the NBA though, can the Lakers three peat? Will Boston's aging roster finally cave in? Will the Magic be a threat in the East? Can any team in the West challenge the Lakers? Will the Thunder live up to the hype and contend in the West? Who will become the Champion?
In most expert's opinions, the NBA title will come down between the Lakers and the Heat, its a pretty common prediction and most experts think the Lakers will win it all this year. They think that the Heat will need an additional season playing together to win it all. I don't see that happening. If the Heat can stay healthy they will win it all. Lebron, Dwayne and Bosh are all amazing players. Lebron is by far the best small forward in the game and is one of most dominating players in the league. Dwayne Wade is the best shooting guard right now, he can play the point position but is best as a 2 guard. Bosh is one of the top power forwards in the game. The point I am making is this, if the Heat can stay healthy they will score 100 points every game, no doubt in my mind. The Heat don't have much of a bench, but they have 3 of the top 6 or 7 players in the game on their roster.
I am not sold on the Lakers this year, Kobe and Derek Fisher are both getting older, and Bynum's knee continues to give him problems. They are still an amazing team and should be the favorites in the West, but thinking they are invincible is not a wise thought.
Most of ESPN has the Oklahoma City Thunder as the second best team in the West. Why they think that I am not sure. Don't get me wrong, the Thunder are a really good team, but they were the 8th seed last year. My thinking is that since the Thunder gave the Lakers a tough series in the playoffs, people are now thinking that they can contend for the west. I don't see it happening. They have Kevin Durant, one of the best players in the league and also a decent PG in Westbrook, after that, their roster is kinda shaky. This is a good, young team, but they are not ready to contend for the west, the west is too deep.
Teams to look out for in the West. Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets. The Blazers last year were killed by injuries and still made the playoffs, if they can stay healthy they will be really good. Brandon Roy is one of the leagues best players and he has a good supporting cast around him. The Rockets will get Yao Ming back in limited minutes, they have a deep roster and I think they will surprise a lot of people. The Utah Jazz went through some pretty big roster changes, the biggest is they lost Carlos Boozer and picked up Al Jefferson. I think this move is one of the smartest off season moves made, Boozer doesn't work hard, is hurt a lot and doesn't seem to like being in Utah. Jefferson publicly stated that he wanted to play in Utah. How many people actually want to play in Utah? Well Jefferson does and he is happy, he wanted to play with Deron Williams. Jefferson is happy being here and he is dedicated to winning. Boozer was not dedicated, he just wanted his big payday. Plus Jefferson can play as a center, so the Jazz have him at center and then Paul Millsap at PF, I see them working well together. The Jazz also have the best PG in the game in Deron Williams. With a deep bench and a solid coach, they should surprise a lot of people.
I'm trying to be unbiased in my predictions, even though I am a huge Jazz fan. I do think they will be really good this year, they may not be able to beat the Lakers in the playoffs, but they should be a tough, tough team to beat.
In the East a sleeper team in Milwaukee. The Bucks got on a late season surge last year before their center Andrew Bogut got hurt for the year. They have a young, solid team and should surprise people again. I am not saying they will win the East, but they will be a good team.
The Magic will also contend, they have a good team, but they have big competition in Miami and Boston. If Dwight Howard wants to establish himself as an all time great, he can do it this year by leading his team to the Finals. I don't see that happening, but he has a chance to make a HUGE name for himself.
The Celtics are old, but still good. If they can stay healthy they will pose the biggest problem to the Heat. They have amazing chemistry and play very tough defense. I'm not saying they will win it all, but they won't go down easily.
The Heat should win it all this year, there is just too much talent on the roster. The Miami 3 all want to win, that is why they came to play together, its not about who makes the most money, or who gets the best stats, its about winning multiple championships, and I see them winning it all this year.
If I were a betting man I would say the Lakers will be in the finals, but don't be surprised if Portland or Utah makes it, they both have solid teams.
This season should be really, really good. Lets just hope it lives up to the hype.
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