2013-14 NBA Season Predictions

The NBA season tips off tonight.  For the first time in 7 years the Celtics are not title contenders.  They're probably not playoff contenders, but here is how I think the whole thing shakes out.

Eastern Conference:
1. Miami Heat
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Brooklyn Nets
4. Indiana Pacers
5. New York Knicks
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Detroit Pistons
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9. Washington Wizards
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Toronto Raptors
12. Boston Celtics
13. Charlotte Bobcats
14. Orlando Magic
15. Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Houston Rockets
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
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9. Denver Nuggets
10. Los Angeles Lakers
11. Portland Trail Blazers
12. New Orleans Pelicans
13. Utah Jazz
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Phoenix Suns

EAST: Heat over Nets

WEST: Thunder over Grizzlies

FINALS: Heat over Thunder

MVP: LeBron James, Miami Heat

Rookie of the Year: Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings

Defensive Player of the Year: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

Most Improved: Worst Award Ever.

6th Man of the Year: Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls

All-NBA 1st Team:
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

All-NBA 2nd Team:
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA 3rd Team:
Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls


All-Rookie 1st Team:
Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons
Cody Zeller, Charlotte Bobcats

All-Rookie 2nd Team:
Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers
Vitor Faverani, Boston Celtics
Glen Rice Jr., Washington Wizards
Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder


All-Defensive 1st Team:
Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

All-Defensive 2nd Team:
Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics
Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks
Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets


Eastern Conference All-Stars:
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Kevin Garnett, Brooklyn Nets

Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons
Paul Pierce, Brooklyn Nets

Western Conference All-Stars:
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

James Harden, Houston Rockets
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Anything else?

NBA Awards 2011-2012 Season

I’ve been sitting on this for a little while and realized I better get this out before they give away all the awards. Gregg Popovich already won Coach of the Year and Tyson Chandler will be named Defensive Player of the Year, two that I was going to pick anyway. You don’t have to believe me, that’s fine. But here are the rest of my picks.


MVP

LeBron James, Miami Heat

Defensive Player of the Year

Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks

6th Man of the Year

James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder

Coach of the Year

Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs

Rookie of the Year

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

All-Rookie 1st Team

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves

Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets

MarShon Brooks, New Jersey Nets

Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks

All-Rookie 2nd Team

Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons

Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves

Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento Kings

Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats

Honorable Mention:

Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs



All-Defensive 1st Team

Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies

LeBron James, Miami Heat

Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder

Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks

All-Defensive 2nd Team

Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics

Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks

Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls

Kevin Garnett, Celtics


All-NBA 1st Team

Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

LeBron James, Miami Heat

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

All-NBA 2nd Team

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers

All-NBA 3rd Team

Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics


-Keefe

2011-12 NBA Preview

The 2011-12 season tips off on Sunday, so now is the time to go on record with all my picks for the upcoming year. I'll take a shot at everything from MVP to All-Rookie 2nd Team to of course what team will be hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy this summer. Feel free to leave some of your winners in the comments section below. We'll start with team accomplishments followed by individuals awards.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Denver Nuggets

Western Finals: Thunder over Clippers

EASTERN CONFERECE:

1. Miami Heat
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Boston Celtics
4. New York Knicks
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Orlando Magic/ New Jersey Nets (whoever Howard plays more for)
8. Milwaukee Bucks

Eastern Finals: Heat over Celtics

NBA Finals: Heat over Thunder

Eastern Conference All-Stars

F - LeBron James, Heat

F - Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

C - Dwight Howard, Magic/Nets?

G - Dwyane Wade, Heat

G - Derrick Rose, Bulls

Reserves:

Deron Williams, Nets
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Chris Bosh, Heat
Danny Granger, Pacers
Al Horford, Hawks

Western Conference All-Stars:

F - Kevin Durant, Thunder

F - Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

C - Marc Gasol, Grizzlies

G - Kobe Bryant, Lakers

G - Chris Paul, Clippers

Reserves:

Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Steve Nash, Suns
Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Eric Gordon, Hornets

Rookie of the Year: Kemba Walker, Bobcats

All-Rookie 1st Team:

Kemba Walker, Bobcats
Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves
Jimmer Fredette, Kings
Enes Kanter, Jazz
Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers

All-Rookie 2nd Team:

Derrick Williams, Timberwolves
Brandon Knight, Pistons
Iman Shumpert, Knicks
Kawhi Leonard, Spurs
JaJuan Johnson, Celtics

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard, Magic/ Lakers?

All-Defensive 1st Team:

Dwight Howard, Magic
LeBron James, Heat
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Serge Ibaka, Thunder
Dwyane Wade, Heat

All-Defensive 2nd Team:

Chris Paul, Clippers
Shawn Marion, Mavericks
Tyson Chandler, Knicks
Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Darren Collison, Pacers

6th Man of the Year: James Harden, Thunder

Most Improved Player: DeMarcus Cousins, Kings

Coach of the Year: Lionel Hollins, Grizzlies

MVP: Kevin Durant, Thunder

All-NBA 1st Team:

Kevin Durant, Thunder
LeBron James, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic/ Mavs?
Chris Paul, Clippers
Dwyane Wade, Heat

All-NBA 2nd Team:

Blake Griffin, Clippers
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Derrick Rose, Bulls
Russell Westbrook, Thunder

All-NBA 3rd Team:

Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
Al Horford, Hawks
Deron Williams, Nets
Kobe Bryant, Lakers

-Keefe

Why The Grizzlies Could Win It All

The Memphis Grizzlies are only the fourth 8 seed to win a playoff series, and only the second team to win a 1st round best-of-7 match up. They defeated the Spurs in 6 games and have gotten out to a 1-0 lead over the Thunder. (Keep in mind the title of this post is Why The Grizzlies Could Win It All and not Why The Grizzlies Will Win It All, if I wanted more shock value I would have said that, but I don’t believe it.) Regardless, the Grizzlies, even without Rudy Gay, are a team that is feared by their opponents.

Coming into this post season the Grizzlies had a 0-12 franchise record in the playoffs. They never sniffed the second season while in Vancouver, but got there three straight years in Memphis (2003-2006) only to be swept each time. After four years of no playoffs, the Grizz went 46-36 this year (same record as the 7 seed Hornets) and were awarded with the last seed in the West.

Their young star Rudy Gay (20 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts this season) only played in 54 games as a shoulder injury cost him the rest of the year. The idea that Memphis could be a pesky 1st round opponent seemingly went out the window with Gay’s injury. However, when the regular season came to an end and the match up of #1 Spurs vs. #8 Grizzlies was official, some, like TNT’s Charles Barkley, thought that Memphis would beat the aging and banged up Spurs. But can they keep going?

Memphis is 5-2 in the playoffs. They proved they can win on the road (victories in both San Antonio and Oklahoma City) and they are a perfect 3-0 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. They have a combination of young guys and veterans. It’s clear that they feel like they belong. Obviously the notion that they would be satisfied with one upset is false thanks to their Game 1 performance in OKC.

How do they do it? It starts with Zach Randolph. A guy who put up 20-10s throughout his career on bad teams. He was labeled a clubhouse cancer, waste of money, etc. Whether it was Portland, New York, or his brief stay with the Clippers, it seemed like no buddy wanted his production because of his attitude. Well it’s working in Memphis; after they won their 1st playoff game (Game 1 vs. San Antonio) the team announced they had inked Z-Bo to a multi-year extension. And how about this for a complement, All-Star and 2-time NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant said that Randolph is the best power forward in the league today.

Whether that is true or not (Dirk & Pau are pretty good) it is incredibly high praise and it’s not an outlandish statement anymore. The combo of Randolph and Marc Gasol has been absolutely devastating. Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will have to slow those guys down if the Thunder are going to win this series. If not, Randolph-Gasol vs. Gasol-Bynum-Odom in the next round would be worth the price of admission.

So the 8 seed Grizzlies, have an advantage in most series at the 4-5 spot, they get great rebounding and scoring from those positions. Point guard Mike Conley has gotten better in each of his 4 years in the NBA. He’s no Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, or Russell Westbrook, but he knows his game, plays smart and doesn’t turn it over. He’s more of a pure point guard compared to the guy he is matched up with in this series, Westbrook. Conley is also not a liability like a Mike Bibby or Derek Fisher.

Over half of the Grizzlies points in the playoffs come from the trio of Randolph-Gasol-Conley. The lack of Rudy Gay has actually made the roles on the team more defined. Those three are relied on for the majority of the shots (50.2% of the shots). Fellow starters Tony Allen and Sam Young, score only when they are open (Young can hit the outside shot, I don’t need to tell you about TA). Off the bench, the Grizz bring in O.J. Mayo (who they tried to trade on deadline day), Shane Battier, Darrell Arthur, and a little bit of Greivis Vasquez to spell Conley.

With Rudy Gay out, they are not going to score a lot from the wing spots, however Tony Allen and Shane Battier force the opponent to work their ass of to get theirs. We know the Thunder are Durant & Westbrook. They hope they get a great night from James Harden or Serge Ibaka. Memphis comes at you with more of a team. Game 1 their bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 27-16, and one would think that advantage might be even greater at home.

Despite being an 8 seed, and despite not having Gay, look at how they match up against every team left in the playoffs (not counting the Hawks)…

Vs. Lakers:
Derek Fisher vs. Mike Conley
Kobe Bryant vs. Tony Allen/ O.J. Mayo/ Shane Battier
Ron Artest vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Pau Gasol vs. Zach Randolph
Andrew Bynum vs. Marc Gasol

Lamar Odom vs. Darrell Arthur/ Z-Bo

Vs. Mavericks:
Jason Kidd vs. Mike Conley
DeShawn Stevenson vs. Tony Allen
Shawn Marion vs. Sam Young
Dirk Nowitzki vs. Zach Randolph/ Darrell Arthur
Tyson Chandler vs. Marc Gasol

Jason Terry vs. O.J. Mayo/ TA/ Shane Battier

Vs. Bulls:
Derrick Rose vs. Mike Conley/ TA
Keith Bogans vs. Tony Allen/ O.J. Mayo
Luol Deng vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Carlos Boozer vs. Zach Randolph
Joakim Noah vs. Marc Gasol

Vs. Heat:
Mike Bibby vs. Mike Conley
Dwyane Wade vs. Tony Allen
LeBron James vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Chris Bosh (assuming he doesn’t take himself out because of the pressure that would be associated with the NBA Finals) vs. Zach Randolph
Big Z vs. Marc Gasol

James Jones vs. O.J. Mayo

Vs. Celtics:
Rajon Rondo vs. Mike Conley
Ray Allen vs. Tony Allen
Paul Pierce vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Kevin Garnett vs. Zach Randolph
Jermaine O’Neal vs. Marc Gasol

Delonte West vs. O.J. Mayo
Glen Davis vs. Darrell Arthur
Jeff Green vs. Shane Battier

Is it just me or do they match up extremely well with everybody? I’m not saying they are going to win the title, but the Grizzlies are going to be a very tough out. Between their down low scoring, great rebounding, elite perimeter defenders, and x-factors (Mayo or Young could go for a random 30 one night), toss in a home court advantage, they may not have the best looking dance team, but watch out. Good luck to the Thunder, because they need it.

-Keefe

2010-11 NBA Predictions

Yes, 3 games are in the books, but I still am going to release my 2010-2011 NBA Predictions. Proof that I came up with this list prior to last night, I have the Heat winning the East. Here are the playoff teams and winner of each conference, a finals winner, MVP, 6th Man, Rookie of the Year, D-Player, Most Improved, All-NBA 1st-3rd teams, and All-Rookie 1st and 2nd teams.

Eastern Conference Finish:

1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Charlotte Bobcats
8. Indiana Pacers

Heat over Celtics

Western Conference Finish:

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Utah Jazz
4. Dallas Mavericks
5. Portland Trail Blazers
6. San Antonio Spurs
7. Houston Rockets
8. Los Angeles Clippers

Thunder over Lakers

Finals: Thunder over Heat

Individual Awards:

MVP: Kevin Durant, Thunder

6th Man: Jason Terry, Mavericks

D-Player: Dwight Howard, Magic

Most Improved: Jrue Holiday, 76ers

Rookie: Blake Griffin, Clippers

All-Rookie 1st Team:
Blake Griffin, Clippers
John Wall, Wizards
DeMarcus Cousins, Kings
Landry Fields, Knicks
Jordan Crawford, Hawks

All-Rookie 2nd Team:
Evan Turner, 76ers
Wes Johnson, T-Wolves
Derrick Caracter, Lakers
Xavier Henry, Grizzlies
Greg Monroe, Pistons

All-NBA 1st Team:
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Deron Williams, Jazz
Kevin Durant, Thunder
LeBron James, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic

All-NBA 2nd Team:
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Pau Gasol, Lakers

All-NBA 3rd Team:
Derrick Rose, Bulls
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
Tim Duncan, Spurs
Al Jefferson, Jazz

Enjoy what should be a great NBA season.

-Keefe