I had these written out and ready to blog on Oct. 27, then I lost said paper, then found it this morning. WEEEEEEEE!
Eastern Conference (top 8)
1)
(55-27)A lot has been said about the Celtics and the Big 3, but I am not as optimistic as some others. Yes, they are a shoe-in for the playoffs, but when have Garnett, Pierce OR Allen ever made a meaningful run in the playoffs that makes people think they can suddenly win it all? I'll go with the boring, steady former champs, thanks.
2)
(53-29)They go here by default because of how terrible the East is. They have already impressed me with their 7-0 start, but I don't care about regular season stuff. Pierce and Allen have injuries in their past(s) and at some point somebody's getting hurt and all the sudden Eddie House is starting. Not good. They could win the East...but not the title.
3)
(50-32)OK, so this prediction isn't looking good early. I didn't know Arenas' knee was as bad as it is and I certainly didn't expect him to ask to play less because of it. In the end I think they'll be there, though perhaps not in this spot. Arenas is in his walk year, so I don't buy this 'sit me down' stuff.
4)
(52-30)Soooooooooo, yeah. I predicted this before Kobe-gate and the entire team playing like tired little squirrels. Ben Wallace is becoming frighteningly old before our eyes and is proving he wasn't worth that giant contract he got. I still like their chances of finishing strong so long as they don't trade for Kobe. Why would getting him make them good? Are the Lakers good?
5)
(48-34)They've gotten off to a bit of a sluggish start and I don't know how bad Bosh's knee is. If it's bad, they miss the playoffs, but if he is reasonably healthy they will make the playoffs without much struggle. They are like the mini-Suns. They have a Colangelo in charge, a kick-ass big man (Bosh), an assist donkey at point (Ford), three-point shooters galore (Parker, Bargnani, Kapono, Garbajosa) and a 'shoot it in four seconds or Ima brain you' approach. I enjoy watching them.
6)
(46-36)This team is as exciting as a Roger Ebert/Keanu Reeves porno. I simply hate watching them plod along and score 72 points with far too high a frequency. LeBron is magical to watch and I hope he gets away from his god awful team before long. The Cavs are like the Spurs in that they're boring, but not like the Spurs in that they suck. At least they played in the Finals last year.
7)
(44-38)They have started off much stronger than I expected and look like a stone-cold lock to finish higher than this. If Dwight Howard can improve at the line and shoot just 70% (which isn't a ridiculous task) this team is all the sudden a force in this crappy conference. No one in the East can match up with Howard and he is perhaps just a year or two away from carrying his team to the Finals.
8)
(42-40)I think they just sneak in ahead of surprising teams like Atlanta and Charlotte. Yi is apparently not as big of a stiff as I thought he would be this year and he is with a solid group of players. This team's downfall, as has been a problem for everyone except for the 1990s Bulls, is that their SG is their best player. Nothing good can come of this. If you want to win a title, your best player must be a PF or C. That's it. I love Michael Redd, but this team is forever an eight seed until they get a dominant big man for him.
Notice that the Heat are not listed above. That is no mistake. They are simply stunningly bad and will not make the playoffs. Not even if Wade is Wade.
Tomorrow: Western Conference Preview
Saturday: Playoff Picks
