It's been a while since my last posting, new job, lots of personal **** going on, but I've still managed to slip in and watch a few NBA games here and there this season, and now that the All Star break is coming up soon I thought I would throw out some of my thoughts regarding various teams - no specific orders, no axes to grind, just some blunt and straightforward thoughts...(And yes Im using the Harry Potter grading system, it's much more fun!)

Los Angeles Lakers: I have to admit, they have been impressing me so far this season.  I still don't think they will be able to keep this up for the whole road, but they'll make the playoffs and if they are playing then like they are now (or better), I feel sorry for the team that gets them!  Im an admitted Kobe hater, but in the 4 games Ive seen him play this year Ive asked myself "who is this guy and what's he done with Kobe Bryant?"  He's dishing, he's rebounding, he's TRUSTING his teammates!  I've been so amazed by all this it's even had me wonder if all the trade rumors and I want outta LA talk at the season's beginning was a secret plot with Kobe and Phil to rally the other team members!  So far so good for Laker Lovers, lets see how it holds up for the rest of the season is my only caveat.  GRADE O (Outstanding)

Miami Heat: Oh how the mighty have fallen.  Miami had all the makings of a dynasty, a solid core group of powerful veterans in Shaq, Zo and Wade, and a good group of role players, this team was ripe and ready to bring in some young talent through the draft and prepare for the inevitable passing of the torch, instead they stuck with basically the same team that won the championship and let father time pass them by.  It's truly a pity that the last two dominant big men we will ever see, Shaq and Zo, will end up their careers on such a down note, when there was SO much promise in the beginning.  Look for a 5 year rebuilding period before Miami even comes close to climbing out of the cellar.  GRADE T (Troll)

Phoenix Suns: It's been an unusual year for my team, no question.  Rumblings all around about discord, and there they sit in first place in the west, go figure.  Offensively the Suns can hang with anyone and beat anyone with the possible exception of a healthy Golden State or Hornets team.  Defensively there seems to be a bit more of an edge, Ive noticed.  They seem to be willingly giving up some games to work on their defense and then make up for it the next night with their standard offensive dominance.  After three successive years in the Western finals, I find myself wondering if D'Antoni is finally working on his bench and his defense to make a serious run at the Spurs and Mavericks of the world.  The problem is, I have a sneaking su####ion neither of those teams will be in the Western Finals this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hornets or Lakers there.  GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)

Boston Celtics: They play a weak schedule, and dominate.  They go .500 against each team that beats them.  They have the same formula that Miami used to win the title a few years ago (3 power players with a series of role players), and people are looking to find out what's wrong with this team.  While I am not a huge Celtic fan, I am a fan of good basketball, and this team is playing some of the best overall B-Ball Ive seen in years.  They are like the Anti-Spurs, proving you can play defense and make it exciting at the same time!  Do I think they will keep up this pace?  Not a chance, they will have a few slips and slides along the way.  Do I think they will be in the Eastern finals?  Absolutely.  GRADE O (Outstanding)

Detroit Pistons: After the debacle that was the Cavaliers series last year, this team could have folded its tent and completely rebuilt, but Joe Dumars and Flip Saunders were smarter than that, they knew their guys still had some legs, they just needed a bit more support from their bench, and voila!  More bench time, fresher starters!  Look at it this way, their starters are playing an average of 8 minutes per game less than last year, which if you add that up over 82 games means they will have play about 9 games less this year than last year, meanwhile they are dominating the league.  A seven game series of Boston and Detroit might be the best thing to happen to the NBA since the old Laker/Celtics series in the early 80's - I know I'd pay for a ticket, and I dont even LIKE the Pistons!  GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)

Chicago Bulls: I must admit I am NOT surprised at how the Bulls are playing this year.  Last playoffs I remember talking to a friend of mine when the Bulls lost that if they didnt get some inside presence in the offseason they were going ot be bottom of the barrel at BEST, and it's been pretty much as I thought I would be.  The Bulls made the cardinal mistake of believing their press clippings, not realizing they played well above their collective abilities last year.  Firing Scott Skiles was an expected move, but overall it's a useless gesture.  The Bulls will make the playoffs, but are a first round sweep waiting to happen for the Celtics and Pistons of the league.  Its a pity, though, because they are just 2 or 3 pieces away from being a real power.  GRADE P (Poor)

Portland Trailblazers: WOW!  This is a team of the future, no question about it.  When they get a bit older, a bit more seasoned, and get 100% healthy, this is the team that will dominate the Western Conference after the Spurs' age finally makes them drop off the Title radar.  They play exciting, energetic, fan friendly ball with just enough defense to make you realize that when they "grow up" and become veterans they will have little or no competition in defense or offense.  They have made Portland a fun team again, and can even make some of us forget about the "Jailblazers".  GRADE: E (Exceeds Expectations)

Dallas Mavericks: I will wrap this blog up with Big D, which for me means Big Disappointment.  I just can't get a handle on this team anymore it seems.  Last year they played all 82 regular season games at a Playoff intensity, only to find they didn't have another gear to move in to when OTHER teams (Golden State) played at THEIR intensity level.  This year they just seem to be going through the motions, it almost seems like they are afraid to get on a huge roll like they did last year because they wont have anything to draw upon come playoff time.  Jason Terry seems to be the only Mav playing with anything resembling energy and desire, Dirk looks like a statue most of the time, and Avery looks like he too is trying to figure out just what the hell this team is thinking.  They are playing like a team afraid to succeed, and unless they get it together during the 2nd half of the season this is another playoff debacle just waiting to happen.  GRADE A (Acceptable)

Last minute thoughts: 

Is it just me or does Isiah Thomas have to have some incriminating film of the Knicks' owner fornicating with various farm animals in order to keep his job?   I have never seen such incompetence rewarded with continued employment in over 30 years of watching the NBA. 

Speaking of incompetence, isn't it about time someone in Minnesota told Kevin McHale it's the 21st century now, you can draft big men and use your free agent money to bring in GOOD players?

I keep hoping Baron Davis' body holds up for the entire season and playoffs, he's one of the best point guards to ever play the game, but never got his due because of his continued health problems.  GOOD LUCK BARON!!!

You would think that before the Seattle Sonics move they would at least ensure they will give their new city a truly competetive product.  Durant's the only reason people watch this team right now, and he's going to probably end up like LeBron, a great player with VERY mediocre talent around him that he will have to make look like stars night in and night out.

Jason Kidd's mustache makes him look like Joe Pantoliano's long lost twin brother.  Shave that thing JK!!

Please bear in mind in this blog that I am a Western Conference guy with a healthy respect for the east.  Therefore I am rooting on the Spurs (Tho I am not a fan) in this year's NBA Finals.  All that being said, I would, were I a Spurs fan, nonetheless have a few areas for concern going in to Thursday's NBA Finals.

First off, the Spurs themselves.  Look at their playoffs so far this year - they have only barely been pushed to this point.  Denver was barely a blip on their radar, the prospective "finals" matchup with the Suns ended up controversially in their favor and ended up being easier than anticipated, and the Jazz registered even less of a blip on their radar than Denver did.  Other than having to come back from a deep deficit in game 4 against my Suns, the Spurs have not had any sort of a real challenge to this point in the playoffs.

I know, I know, this is a playoff tested team that has won 3 titles already in 8 years, they have all the pedigrees, all the playoff tests and experience, the works.  That's precisely WHY I would be worried.

Now let's look at the Cavs real quick.  Here is a team that flew beneath everyone's radar with the exception of a couple NBA analysts.  In the playoffs they were relatively unremarkable in their opening round, did a thorough job of thrashing New Jersey, and then were pushed, and pushed HARD, by another playoff tested, veteran team that also won a title, the Pistons. 

There is something that happens in all sports from time to time, the best team loses.  This is most prevalent in baseball, and there are innumerable instances of teams that on paper are a total mismatch against the other, only to wind up winning in the end (anyone remember the Pirates/Yankee's from the late '50s, or even this year, who would have guessed on paper the Warriors would eject the Mavs?)

No matter how hard a team might try to convince itself that they take the opposition seriously, there creeps in a bit of ego, a bit of over-confidence, that can remove just the very finest edge off of a team's killer instinct.  In all other ways the team is firing on all cylinders, but they just cannot put the other, inferior, team away. 

Do I think the Spurs are vulnerable to this?  Yes, I do.  They show ALL the signs of this possibility, having a relative walk over the powerful Western Conference, and a team that on paper has NO business being on the court with them for the NBAs biggest team prize saddling up to take them on.  The circumstances are too good for this to at least not be a consideration.

Do I think this will happen, not really.  But Popovich is not infallible, no coach is, and all the Cavs have to do is hang around, hang around, hang around, avoid any blowouts or morale-defeating games, and they could strongly challenge the Spurs for a close game here n there, and put a tiny sliver of doubt on the missing edge of their killer instinct, and from there crack the Spurs wide open.

The Spurs SHOULD win this, and probably WILL win this series, but that's why they play the games, because as long as you have another game, another play, and time on the clock, you are still in the game, and the Cavs have been pushed this playoff year to remember that in ways the Spurs have not.  Despite their experience, sometimes success can be your own worst enemy.

The Cav's, NBA champions?  Improbable, but still possible.  Watch for it...it could happen.

Have you ever noticed that each year there seems to be one "Cinderella" team ?  I call it the Nuggets of the Year, in honor of that fabulous series with the Nuggets/Sonics, where each game was simply fabulous.

This year the slipper was worn by the Golden State Warriors, who brought in ratings, casual fans, and probably THE loudest crowd the playoffs will see this year.  Their first round dismantling of the Mavericks was amazing to watch, and their second round collapse to Utah was almost as painful.

So where do they go from here ?  The bay area fans have had their first NBA playoff run in over a decade, and you can bet the franchise that season ticket sales went thru the roof when their playoff run ended.  So where do you go from up ?

First off, they MUST keep Don Nelson, plain and simple.  Their cast of players is made up of several who have suspect reputations, injury histories, and crunch time choking, and somehow Nellie managed to turn this eclectic group in to a first rate offensive unit.  Think of the film Major League and put it on the court, and you have the Golden State Warriors.  Nellie is their Lou Brown, he is the only glue strong enough to hold them together for another season.

Next, they need to address their bench.  While they played wonderfully well against the mavs, the ground and pound style of the Jazz just was too much for their bench to overcome once the starters got them any kind of cushion.  They need one big ####er to come in off the bench to offset the Carlos Boozers of the NBA, and a spot shooter to keep the defenses honest. 

Lastly, the Warriors need to look at their inside game.  Simply put they do not have one.  If Baron Davis is shut down from getting to the paint, their entire offense then consists of jump shots and long 3's, leaving them little to no opportunity for rebounds and 2nd chance points.   Someone along the lines of an Amare Stoudemire, who can run, shoot mid-range, and grab rebounds against the other team's big men is what they would need.   No other player comes to mind on this one, but I think there should be a couple coming up in this year's draft, and the Warriors would be smart to look in this direction.

They have a VERY explosive starting unit, one that can put up points in a hurry, and keep pouring it on once they get a lead, but in watching them on and off since the all-star break, it is pretty clear that if they fall behind, they are not a come from behind team for the most part.  They are easily frustrated when their offense is stymied, and start to focus more on the lack of scoring than rest of their game.

Nellie has done an amazing job in just a year with this team.  Now it's time to channel all that raw emotion and talent, focus on the basics, make shots in rhythm and transition, develop an inside presence and a more reliable bench.  If they do those things, then I think the bay area can look forward to many more years of playoff basketball with this team.

And I might end up having to re-evalute my 5 favorite teams :)

Next Blog:  New Jersey Nets