On Tuesday, October 30, the NBA season kicks off, promising another season full of excitement, unexpected occurrences, and disappointment. As the NBA gains more and more fans across the world every day, the hype for this season is incredible. Here are a few things to look forward to.The talk of the Eastern Conference going into this season has been the Boston Celtics. After adding 10-time All-Star forward Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and 7-time All-Star Guard Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics, the Celtics have been picked by many to automatically dominate the East.
But the Celtics will be lucky to grab the eighth seed in the playoffs. Adding Garnett and Allen to the Celtics, who already have 5-time All-Star Paul Pierce, is a disaster waiting to happen. Pierce, who already refuses to pass the ball to his teammates, will have a hard time handing the rock off to Allen, who averaged a career best 26.4 points per game last season, and Garnett who averaged 22.4 points per game last season with the Wolves. There are not enough balls to go around for this team. None of these three players have ever played along side other All-Stars, so team chemistry should prove to be a big problem.
Another problem plaguing the Celtics will be their lack of bench production. With the likes of Eddie House and James Posey anchoring the gang of substitutes for the “big three,” Celtics fans should pray that Allen, Garnett, or Pierce never get fatigued during a game or suffer any substantial injury.
Being led by head coach Doc Rivers, who coached the team to a record 18-game losing streak last season (in the mediocre, at best, Eastern Conference), the Celtics don’t have a chance.
On the other hand, be on the look-out for the Orlando Magic to play the role as a sleeper team in the Eastern Conference. Fourth year All-Star forward Dwight Howard continues to get better and better for the Magic, and he looked phenomenal in the preseason. Howard should rise to be the most dominant player at his position in the Eastern Conference this season.
With the addition of All-Star forward Rashard Lewis from Seattle, the Magic have finally given Howard some help in the front court. Also look for second year guard J.J. Redick to have an impact in the Magic back court this season. Redick’s accuracy is deadly, and his three-point shot has been compared to the likes of Reggie Miller, the NBA’s all time leader in three point field goals made.
Although the Magic will make a run this season, expect the Eastern Conference finals to take a familiar look with Lebron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwayne Wade’s Miami Heat. A finally fully healthy Shaquille O’Neal should give Wade the help he needs to lift the Heat into the NBA Finals.
The Western Conference will also have a similar look this year with the usual teams dominating: the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs.
Most people want to put the Golden State Warriors in the same boat as these elite teams this year because of their improbable first round playoff upset last season of the Mavericks, but it won’t happen this year.
Look for teams to begin to take advantage of the Warriors’ lack of size in their front court. Fourth year forward Andris Biedrins and second year seven-foot center Patrick O’Bryant are expected to complete the Warriors’ inside game this season, so expect the team to rely heavily on the 3-point shot for the second season in a row. It’s impossible to shoot well from behind the arc every game like the Warriors need, and they sent Jason Richardson, one of their best 3-point shooters last season, to the Charlotte Bobcats over the summer, so Golden State will struggle this year.
As the Western Conference continues to be dominated by its teams in Texas, look for the Seattle Supersonics to shock some teams this season and make a run into the playoffs. After obtaining All-American rookie forward Kevin Durant with the number two pick in the draft, the Sonics have set themselves up to have a solid team for years to come.
Durant, who averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game at the University of Texas, has made a tremendous impact for the Sonics in the preseason and looks to be at the center of the Sonics’ future. Seattle has added proven veterans Wally Szczerbiak and Kurt Thomas to help Durant in the front court this season. With Nick Collison, Jermaine Jackson, Delonte West, and Luke Ridnour settled into the Sonics’ system, the team has added depth at all positions. This will keep key players rested throughout games, which will in turn help the Sonics close teams out in the fourth quarter, something the Sonics have struggled with in previous seasons.
The Western Conference Finals will feature the usual teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs should end the Suns’ hopes of any championship run, just as they did last season.
With Miami and San Antonio matching up in the NBA Finals, expect dominant performances from Shaq and Dwayne Wade in conquering the Spurs in seven games. Wade’s performance throughout the regular season and playoffs should land him the league’s Most Valuable Player Award.