NBA Reviews Con't

I'm going with a new, anti-verbiage format that hopefully won't bore fans to death. I really want to start previewing the NBA, but you know what they say: you can't move forward without taking a step back. Or something cliched like that, I don't know.

Anyway...

Detroit Pistons

How They Fared Vs. My Expectations: Underachieved





Reasoning: Pound for pound I thought they were by far the best team in what had been a weak Eastern Conference, but somehow Lebron James beat their boss starting five by himself. Harsh as it was, this team had to make the Finals just to meet expectations, and they didn't.

Golden State Warriors

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Overachieved

Reasoning: I'm still sipping some real bittersweet tea, but honestly I have to give them props. I knew they would be good, and they had they not beaten the Mavericks they would have simply met my expectations. Their improbable (understatement of the year) victory over Dallas pushed them over the top.

Houston Rockets

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations/Underachieved

Reasoning: They were on the bubble for me. I knew they would be around a four or five seed before the season started because there was no way they'd be better than the Spurs, Suns, or Mavs. However, with T-Mac and Yao Ming finally healthy, I expected this team to at least make it past the first round. Double that when they had a 3-2 lead against an inexperienced Utah Jazz team. Will T-Mac ever get out of the first round?

Indiana Pacers

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Underachieved

Reasoning: I'm a realist (except possibly when it comes to my Mavs, and believe me--THAT might change this year) and I never expected the Pacers to be world beaters. However, when you play in the East and you have one of the best fours in the game, I would have expected them to at least make the playoffs. Granted, there were some injury problems, but it's the East.

Los Angeles Clippers

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Underachieved

Reasoning: It was November, and I looked at the standings one day to see this team at 8-1 and I thought they were about to make me look like the basketball genius I truly am. Then, out of nowhere, their backcourt became old; chemistry problems started to erupt, and then there was this. I feel dumb, and things aren't going to get better anytime soon. One word sums up this team for next year: lottery.


Los Angeles Lakers

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: I know I said they wouldn't make the playoffs in my preview, and while they did, they were only one game better than I predicted they would be. If I were Kobe Bryant, I would be pissed off, too. They just refuse to give him any semblance of talent. The Lakers making the playoffs last year is a testament to how good Kobe really is.


Memphis Grizzlies

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Underachieved

Reasoning: Yeah, I thought they could at least play around .500 until Pau Gasol got back. Boy, was I wrong. What a bad team. The funny thing is, they, like the Celtics, tried to tank and get Oden or Durant. That worked out nice, huh? Mike Conley, Jr. will be good, but give it up to the basketball gods for not rewarding quitters.

Miami Heat

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Underachieved/Met Expectations

Reasoning: Talent wise, they were certainly good enough to get back to the finals. However, as I semi-predicted would happen, they weren't hungry enough to get another one. Had Dwyane Wade been fully healthy, maybe they would have gotten past the Bulls, but now way they were beating the Pistons. They'll be back in the mix this year, though.

Milwaukee Bucks

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Incomplete

Reasoning: No, this is not a Justin Cherot report card. Honestly, how can I fairly judge this team? See, at least with Memphis, I thought the team could have at least played above water for a bit. I didn't anticipate Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva missing significant time. Had they not, I truly believe in my heart of hearts that they would have beaten out Orlando. They'll be around the eight spot this year, too.

Minnesota Timberwolves

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: I knew they wouldn't even sniff the playoffs last year even with Kevin Garnett. Your boy was right. For both the T'Wolves and Garnett's sake, I'm glad he's gone. Now, Garnett can have a chance to compete for a 'chip and Minnesota can re-build, albeit with a D-League roster.

New Jersey Nets

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: To paraphrase Dennis Green, they were who I thought they were, and Toronto let them off the hook. Good play from their starters, no depth, and although I will give them a bonus point for making it into round two without Nenad Kristic, I wasn't surprised with how they finished the year.

New York Knicks

How They Fared vs. My Expectation: Overachieved

Reasoning: I think Anna Nicole Smith died a few weeks after I posted this. If you're reading this Anna Nicole, no disrespect intended. Seriously though, Isiah Thomas has been taking a beating this year, so I will say that while he didn't merit an extension at the snap of a finger, they did play much better. At least last year they were semi-competitive, which is better than I gave them a chance to be.

New Orleans Hornets

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Underachieved

Reasoning: Chris Paul hit the sophomore jinx. That and the injury bug damned the Hornets. I think they're better than they showed last year, but numbers don't lie. I expect them to be in the playoff hunt this year near the bottom of the West.

Orlando Magic

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: I think they were the only team that I was spot-on record-wise with. I wasn't fooled by their hot start, and yet I knew they'd sneak into the playoffs. Chances are they'll be back again, although I don't know about Rashard Lewis in a feature role yet. He's so Topher Grace (am I sick with the Hollywood metaphors or what?).

Philadelphia 76ers

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: I think it was sad the way Allen Iverson went out, forcing his hand and making the owner say, "We'll do everything to accomodate his wishes." Still, with him, they sucked; without him, they teased at the end of the year, but will still suck in a full 82 game schedule.

Phoenix Suns

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations/Overachieved

Reasoning: Was I or was I not right about a second round exit this year? I know, I know. To be honest, however, I thought they overachieved slightly. I didn't think they'd crack the 60 win total, but I have to admit that Amare Stoudemire looked great. I didn't think he'd have the immediate impact coming off of an injury that he did. Had it not been for Tim Donaghy's "habits"--OK that's unfair, let me re-phrase that: had it not been for some poor officiating decisions on and off the court, Phoenix would have been in the Finals last year.

Portland Trailblazers

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Overachieved

Reasoning: Look, I know they missed the playoffs by a wide margin, but they impressed me with their heart (I know, I know... I just can't think of a better way to put it). With so many young players in the rotation, they actually managed to win 32 games. I honestly feel like if Greg Oden were healthy this year, they would have had a Maryland over Rutgers chance to make the playoffs (not a huge upset).

Sacramento Kings

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: Their bench was inconsistent. Mike Bibby was inconsistent. Brad Miller's health was inconsistent. Hell, Ron Artest's temperment was the most consistent thing in Sacramento last year (well, that and Kevin Martin's jumper).

San Antonio Spurs

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: Unhappy to sit through another boring NBA Finals thanks to the Spurs? Yes. Surprised to see them there when I pegged them as the pre-season favorites despite my allegiance to Dallas? No. God, they're boring... except against the Mavs. I really want to see them tangle in the playoffs this year, Donaghy-less.

Seattle Supersonics

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations/Underachieved

Reasoning: They were horrific defensively again last year, giving up 102 a game. What shocked me a little bit was the fact that they were mediocre on offense. That's why I'm pegging them as an underachieving squad. By the way, anyone want to give me action on Kevin Durant's numbers this year. I'll take the over on 23 points and the under on seven rebounds.

Toronto Raptors

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Overachieved

Reasoning: Put it this way: I forgot to preview them last year. What an oversight. If I had previewed them, however, I probably would have had them better than people were giving them credit for, but if someone had told me they'd win the Atlantic, I'd tell them, "Yeah, and Appalachian State will beat Michigan in the Big House."

Utah Jazz

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Overachieved

Reasoning: Although I expected them to make the playoffs, I waited on Denver to catch them in the regular season; Houston to sweep them in the playoffs; and Golden State to run them out of the building in round two. And yet, they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Good for them; however, with the West set up the way it is this year, it's back to hatin'.

Washington Wizards

How They Fared vs. My Expectations: Met Expectations

Reasoning: I bash the Wizards sometimes to get a rise out of a couple of my friends, but seriously, no team should have to endure the injuries they did at the end of the season. Their playoff chances were slim to none without Gilbert Arenas (lovin' Live by the way, wish they'd add some more depth and make the computer a tougher opponent) and Caron Butler. That being said, I didn't have them any higher than a six seed anyway, and while some maintain that the collapse happened after Gilbert got hurt, the downward spiral was beginning anyway. Now, John Hollinger has a prediction about this year's Wiz, but fear not: they'll make a good run in the East this year.

Speaking on Live vs. NBA 2K8 from a couple posts back, here's my unbiased opinion: Live is a better game to play against another human. The dribbling control is absolutely ridiculous, and the player graphics are off the chain. However, NBA 2K8 is a better basketball sim, and the drop-off from actual gameplay really isn't that much, plus the shooting motions are a ton more realistic. If I ever get a 360, I'd get both. I'd play XBox Live with Live, and NBA 2K8 when I'm playing with myself... er, by myself... er, against the computer or when I'm running Association mode.

Hindsight Before I Do My Previews

I love doing previews, if for no reason other than to have something to laugh at when the season ends. Let's go back over some of last year's gems...

Atlanta Hawks

"Marvelous Marvin [Williams], as I've heard Dickey V call him countless times as a collegiate athlete, apparently made people remember who he was this past summer. He didn't have to, but he played on the Hawks summer league roster and destroyed the competition. Now that Harrington's gone, Williams is in prime position to blossom this year."

Comment: He blossomed, alright... blossomed like (insert a flower that does not blossom well at temperatures below -50 degrees Celsius). Honestly, though, in his defense he was hurt for a portion of the year. He'll be a good sixth man for them this year, now that Atlanta added Al Horford in the draft.

Boston Celtics

"[Ryan] Gomes looked really good during the second half of the year, and even though he's a tweener at 6'7", he's a grinder like Mike McDermott (sorry, too much poker lately). I think his overall upside is limited (compared to the other kids on this roster), but I expect to see a jump in production for him this season."

Comment: Ah, that was back when poker was still fun. Anyway, technically I was right. Boston did tank near the end of the season (and remember it was Gomes who called them out on it), but Gomes was one of the few bright spots on a really bad team. His points jumped from seven to nearly 13, while his rebounding went from five to... well almost six. Okay, kind of a reach there. I think he'll have a good year in Minnesota, but if you thought things were bad in Boston, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Charlotte Bobcats

"With another year of experience, I look for Raymond Felton to emerge as one of the East's top point guards this year."

Comment: Let me do a preliminary rundown of the best point guards in the East and we'll see how far it takes me to get to Felton:

Gilbert Arenas (I guess he's a point guard)
Jason Kidd
Chauncey Billups
Kirk Hinrich
Andre Miller
T.J. Ford
Mo Williams
Felton
Stephon Marbury
Jameer Nelson

I gave him the benefit of the doubt over Marbury because he's younger. You'll see later on that a draftmate of his made me look really stupid, but honestly, this list isn't neccesarily a knock on Felton. He's still got plenty of upside, and with the Hornets planning on a more uptempo attack this year, 16 and 8 isn't out of the question. One of the best in the East, though? Come on, Justin, put down the pipe; he's got to shoot at least 40% from the field to be up there.


Chicago Bulls

"Player on the Rise: I think we have a tie. The Arlington Heights Daily Herald, a Chicago based publication, reported that [Luol] Deng had beaten out [Andres] Nocioni for the starting small forward slot. It honestly doesn't matter which of them start, because they are both obviously going to play heavy minutes. Deng is a versatile swingman who is just starting to come into his own, and Nocioni showed me a great deal in both the playoffs against Miami and in the FIBA Basketball Championships for Argentina. It's a luxury to have both of these guys on the same team for two reasons: 1) match-up problems and, 2) trade bait."

Comment: Everything in this tidbit is kind of boring except for the last two words: trade bait. Chicago has a very good team, but unfortunately they're not going to take another step forward until they get either more help in the post and/or more consistency/explosiveness on the perimeter. Either one of these two combined with one other player could have gotten them Pau Gasol before the trade deadline last year, or even Kobe Bryant this summer if the team had pushed hard enough. I tend to like Deng better than Nocioni, who struggled through an injury plagued year, but the Bulls need that one great player to push them over the top. Why not trade two good ones to get that?

Cleveland Cavaliers

"I think the Cavs and the Bulls are fighting for three and four in the conference this year. James has tasted the playoffs, and even though there weren't any huge additions to the team in the off-season (too early to tell with Brown), I think the Cavs will be a little better than they were this season. That still won't mean a trip to the finals, but the conference finals aren't out of the question. Detroit and Miami may have something to say about that, but I think they'll be in the mix. Second round knockout, however, seems more likely."

Comment: I gotta be real: the Cavaliers shocked me last year. And, actually, scratch that... LeBron James shocked me. He cruised through the regular season, but really cranked it up in the playoffs, especially against Detroit. They had a weak draw before that, which opened the floodgates to some haters (cough, Hakeem, cough, Colin), but after watching him in Game 5 last year... even I was taken aback.

But, I think what sums up James in a nutshell came a funny moment from the 2007 ESPY Awards which I couldn't find on YouTube. Jimmy Kimmel introduces Lebron, who gets carried in on this gigantic throne. Punchline: "Imagine if they won a game in the finals."

The NBA wants him to do so well, but he can only get the Cavs so far. He needs help, and especially with the Celtics re-loaded, the Pistons pissed off, D-Wade's chip on his surgically repaired shoulder, and Gilbert being Gilbert, there's NO way they get back.


Dallas Mavericks

"That being said, this team won 60 games last year, and I feel like while they didn't do anything drastic, they're definitely better than they were last year. The only obstacle I see is themselves. Anything less than a trip back to the finals would be a disappointment."

Comment: God, I absolutely hate being right. I knew they'd win more than 60, but I knew they'd shoot themselves in the foot, although I didn't know that it'd be against Golden State. I think last year Nelly and that "small ball" shit really got into their heads, and Dirk just was out of his comfort zone the entire series, all adding up to me being right about the last sentence as well.

As big of a Dallas fan as I am, we're going to learn a lot about them this year as a team.

Denver Nuggets

"J.R. Smith is turning heads this pre-season for the Nuggets, both in good and bad ways with Coach George Karl. Talent wise, there's no questioning who the starting shooting guard should be on this team. He was in Byron Scott's doghouse for a reason, but in Karl's system he should flourish."

Comment: Before the fight at Madison Square Garden, Smith was having a pretty solid season, and he was making people remember why he jumped straight from high school in the first place. But, once A.I. came to town, he got lost in the shuffle and found a way into another coach's doghouse. And then came the off-season, where his friend died in a car accident where Smith was behind the wheel.

From a basketball standpoint, I'm just not sure about Smith. I mean, he is only 21 and most would say he has a bright future ahead of him. I just don't think it's in Denver.


I'll hit some more up tomorrow. God, I'm lazy.

2K8 or Live '08?

So, yeah, I've been gone for quite awhile. Maybe it's because I spent practically the entire summer being bitter about the Dallas Mavericks' monumental collapse against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of last year's otherwise uneventful playoffs.

Then again, compared to the New York Mets (poor Willie Randolph, even though he kept his job) and the San Diego Padres (poor Trevor Hoffman), maybe the Mavericks collapse wasn't that monumental.

With that, I'm past 2006-2007. 2007-2008 is where it's at. And, as training camps opened yesterday, I'm faced with a quandary.

While it's true that I don't have a next generation gaming system at press time, I plan on getting one fairly soon, hopefully by the end of the month. So, the question is... Live '08 or NBA 2k8?

Personally, anybody who knows me knows that I'm a big Live guy, having essentially grown up with the series (I used to give people fits with Penny Hardaway, who gets one more crack at it with Shaquille this season), I am partial to giving Live a chance every single year.

But, with the past couple of seasons basically being mirror images of each other (except for those crappy freestyle moves that I couldn't use on my slow ass computer), I've been seeking solace in the 2K series. In fact, NBA 2K7 was probably one of the best basketball game I've ever played.

Here's the thing: Live promised an overhaul from last year's version, all but admitting that they did a subpar job in '07. I've seen screen shots, I've seen video: DEFINITELY different. Now, I have read some reviews that said 2K8 is still better, but I don't know. I'm A-K vs. pocket 8's right now (for more on poker and my ups and downs, click it.

Actually, I guess the next step is getting the next gen. system, right, Shanta?

NBA previews starting tomorrow. Good to be back.