Advertisement The Western Conference is absolutely nothing like the Eastern Conference when it comes to championship odds. We have what I call a two-horse race in the East versus what I am going to call the six-plus team race in the West. In the 15 previous seasons, only four teams (the Lakers, seven times; the Spurs, five times, the Mavericks, two times; the Thunder, once) have won the Western Conference, which is a similar concept to what the Eastern
Remember back in October, when the handicappers in Vegas said the Philadelphia 76ers would win about 16 or 17 games? And remember in November, when the 76ers started their season with three straight wins, beating the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls with Derrick Rose? How are those 17 wins looking now? Without the Hubble telescope, the Sixers can’t see them. The small sample size of the season’s first week – three surprising wins, a rookie as Player of the Week – is
The Clippers are hardly the Knicks/Nets dumpster fire through their first 25 games. They’re not a sub-.500 bunch with a new coach working in the shadow of the old like the Grizzlies, or a sexy preseason Finals pick currently positioned outside the top 8 out West like Golden State. Nope, the Clippers are firmly planted in the playoff picture, coming home for six of their next eight after polishing off a seven-game road trip with a win Saturday in Washington. Chris Paul
Kevin Garnett accurately described what everyone thought after he and Paul Pierce battled his former coach, Doc Rivers. “It was a bit weird,” said Garnett. You know what’s even more weird? Watching Pierce come off the bench in back-to-back games for the first time in his career and Garnett on a minutes restriction comparable to a role player. [Read more…]
If you know me or follow me on twitter, you know that I follow the Golden State Warriors more closely than any other team in the league. No player intrigues me the way Stephen Curry does (can you blame me?), and the belief that this team may be good enough to come out of the West became a reality when the team acquired Andrew Bogut two seasons ago. They were half way there to prove this point last season, and
At this very moment, the fate of the Western Conference might be hanging in the balance of the Phoenix Suns’ front office. Let me explain. Let’s start out with a simple question: Does anyone still take the Clippers seriously as Western Conference favorites? We’ve seen this act before: Chris Paul and Lob City put up highlights every night and make fans drool over the thought of a potential star-studded Heat-Clippers Final. When the playoffs eventually come around, however, the Clippers recede back to looking
The standings are always a little wonky at this point. Some contenders get off to slow starts, some pretenders look like world-beaters. [Read more…]
It has been a tough road for Steve Nash since leaving the Phoenix Suns to join the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Aside from all the scrutiny his team has faced due to a lack of success with what was supposed to be a championship roster, he has not been the same player he once was since breaking his leg last season. When he did come back, his impact on the game diminished as he adjusted to playing next to Kobe Bryant