Los Angeles Lakers
Strengths: Roster, Home court advantage
Strengths: Roster, Home court advantage
The Los Angeles Lakers have the deepest, most talented roster in the NBA. Even without Andrew Bynum, no other team can put more talent and experience on the floor at once than L.A. Any team that wants to win the West will have to win at least one game in Staples Center, where the Lakers padded their record at the beginning of the season.
Weaknesses: Backcourt speed and defense
The Lakers inability to stay in front of smaller, quicker guards has been exposed more than Greg Oden, George Hill and Dorell Wright’s penises combined. Russell Westbrook is that type of guard. And Kevin Durant is too long and quick for an aging Artest.Opportunities: Seeds 2-7 all have bigger question marks
But these are still the Lakers. The World Champion Lakers. With Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom. With Phil Jackson on the bench and banners hanging from the sky. And no other team in the West has shown to be strong in more categories than these Lakers. Everyone has a weakness, but they seem to have the fewest. And in a season where having the healthiest team may matter more than having the best team, the Lakers have the depth to plug a lot of holes.
Threats: No fire…they better have an “on” switch, Tough road to title
The Lakers’ toughest opponent will always be themselves. Sometimes they just don’t seem interested. You would be hard pressed to find a team that won a championship after finishing their season 4-6. No other Western Conference playoff team finished worse than 6-4 (of course they all had something to play for). They were the third best team in the conference after the All-star break. It’s believed that when the Lakers are on, no one can beat them. Someone in the Staples Center better find that on switch, and quick. They'll have to go through Utah or Denver if there are no upsets...and both of those teams like to bruise and ugly the game up.
Dallas Mavericks
Strengths: Depth, versatility
The Mavericks are a Swiss Army team. They have every ingredient somewhere on their bench. Unfortunately, they can’t combine two or three players into one and shorten their rotation. They’ve played well and dealing Josh Howard was the right move.
Weaknesses: Chemistry still developing
The trade that brought Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler was a brilliant move. The only thing that could have made it better is if it had been completed before Halloween. When you watch the Mavs, you still see that players are learning on the fly. The good news is that they haven’t peaked yet. The bad news is there’s not much time to find out. They get the Spurs in Round 1, who have a similar issue, but more winning pedigree.
Opportunities: Lakers don’t look unbeatable
The Lakers look like they might be willing to give it away to the best team willing to take it. The champs are vulnerable.
Threats: Will Dirk show the killer instinct
Dirk has cemented himself in the Hall of Really Really Good. But he hasn’t proven to be great yet. He hasn’t grabbed a team and pulled them. If he has to do that…if he has to duel Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony or Steve Nash, will he step up and do it?
Phoenix Suns
Strengths: Scoring, The Dark Side
The Suns are the Suns. They’re 110 points per game is tops in the league, and the are the best shooting team in basketball. Their offensive efficiency puts a lot of pressure on their opponents to score every time down. They don’t run like they used to, but they can still short-circuit a scoreboard. They’ve been the best team after the All-star break and their new-found bench, nicknamed The Dark Side, has its own identity and has allowed Nash to stay as fresh as he’s ever been. His minutes per game are the lowest they’ve since the ’99-’00 season — his second year in Dallas.
Weaknesses: No go-to guy
The Suns don’t revolve around a player—they revolve around a play. The Nash/Stoudemire pick-and-roll is the most devastating combination in pro basketball. Stoudemire can roll or pop and Nash can shoot, dish or drive. It takes three players to defend it properly, which leaves someone open and Nash with the ball. Sounds great, but the playoffs often revolve around isolations; clearing out and letting your guy create his shot or react to the defense and create one for someone else. The Suns don’t have that, and that’s a problem.
Opportunities: No Roy, Easiest 1st round opponent
The Suns have the easiest first round west of the Mississippi. With Brandon Roy out, the Blazers are lame ducks. Watching them play against the Suns will be like watching Jim Zorn coach against…well, anyone.
Threats: Robin Lopez injury
Part of the reason for the Suns turnaround after a mid-season slump was the return of Robin Lopez and Gentry’s decision to start him. The Suns rebounding improved along with their interior defense. Lopez will probably give it a go at some point, but if he’s not at least 75%, this isn’t the Suns team that rolled through the second half; but it’s close.
Part of the reason for the Suns turnaround after a mid-season slump was the return of Robin Lopez and Gentry’s decision to start him. The Suns rebounding improved along with their interior defense. Lopez will probably give it a go at some point, but if he’s not at least 75%, this isn’t the Suns team that rolled through the second half; but it’s close.
Denver Nuggets
Strengths: Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony
Chauncey Billups should be the runner-up MVP every year he’s in Denver: LeBron, and then the Puff Daddy lookalike. Without Billups, the Nuggets are a bunch of misfits and lame-brains – the great Carmelo Anthony included. Melo is unstoppable. He’ll always give you a chance to win.
Weaknesses: Missing Marcus Camby and inside scoring
The Nuggets haven’t made up for saying good-bye to Marcus Camby. He’s not an inside scorer, but he’s a shotblocker. They’re missing both. Carmelo is their post game and Billups is their perimeter. Sounds good in theory, but that could leave them watching basketball in May.
Opportunities: Laker knowledge, Jazz Edge
The Nuggets played the Lakers in last season’s playoffs. And played them well until Lamar Odom decided he wanted to play in the NBA again. They know the Lakers as well as anyone, so may be able to give them the best battle. They were 3-1 against Utah this season, so there appears to be an edge there.
Threat: The health of George Karl
George Karl is a great coach. His presence on the bench will show late in games. In football, if a team gets blown out, they were outcoached. If they lose a close one, they were outplayed. Basketball is the exact opposite. If the Nuggets get in a close game, they will get outcoached if Karl isn’t holding the markerboard. I wish him well...some things are definitely more important than the playoffs.
Utah Jazz
Strengths: Deron Williams, Coaching
Strengths: Deron Williams, Coaching
The best point guard in the NBA may be in Utah again. I can’t say that with conviction, but I can say it without getting laughed at. He’s that good and the same can be said of his coach Jerry Sloan. As long as they are both there, the Jazz will be a formidable opponent.
Weaknesses: Kirilenko’s health, no legitimate shooting guard
Name a great point guard who has won an NBA title in the past 10 seasons. Again, I’ll wait. A great point guard is a luxury, not a necessity. In this game, you need a shooting guard or a small forward that can create his own shot. The Jazz lack that. And even if AK-47 is available, he’s not that. But he’s pretty good.
Opportunities: Great home court
The Jazz don’t have home court advantage, but Utah is a tough place to play, so they could hold serve, especially considering the Nuggets’ road mark reads more like a year than the record of a top-4 seed (19-22).
Threats: Boozer’s health
Boozer may play, but that won’t make him right. That’s 20 and 10 that they need to be able to count on. I think the Jazz are a watered down Suns team. A great point guard and power forward combo with niche-filling big men and role-playing wings. But there’s a big drop-off from Jason Richardson and Grant Hill to C.J. Miles and Wesley Matthews. I was surprised to find out his middle name isn’t “Who?”. Google him.
Portland Trailblazers
Strengths: Versatility
They have some good players who can do some good things.
Weaknesses: All over the place
Without Roy, this is like the Jackson 4. Were it a concert, I’d want my money back. Were it a Broadway show, I’d find out the understudy is Jerryd Bayless and still ask for my money back.
Opportunities: Unpredictable, Bayless coming out party?
No one knows what kind of team the Blazers are going to turn into without Brandon Roy around. That could work to their advantage. There’s no film of them. Their sets have to be different. And if Jerryd Bayless wanted an opportunity, this is it. Steve Blake is gone and Roy is out. Forget Martell Webster. If someone is going to make a difference and take step to a career-defining moment, it has to be Bayless.
Threat: Basketball
Everything is a threat when your holes are so big LenDale White could run through them.
San Antonio Spurs
Strengths: Veteran Leadership and coaching, strong finish
I don’t like the Spurs. That’s just being honest. But they do have the veteran presence to win a series that they’re not favored to win.
Weaknesses: Chemistry
Richard Jefferson still hasn’t found a way to become consistently effective alongside Tony Parker. He flourished while Parker was out, but hasn’t shown he can sustain that production when the ball is with Mr. Longoria and not Manu Ginobili. Don’t be surprised if Popovich decides to bring him off the bench or only start him as a symbolic gesture and opt to always play him with Manu.
Opportunities: Familiar foe
The Spurs are familiar with their in-state foes. Familiarity breeds contempt, right? Well, these two teams are too nice for contempt, but familiarity can breed competition. I think that will hold true.
Threats: The brutal west
San Antonio is equipped to mentally make out, but I just don’t think they have the tools to beat 3 teams in this conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Strengths: Kevin Durant, speed, athleticism
Durant is good. No one remembers that he could barely benchpress 185lbs. in pre-draft workouts. All we recall from this season is nets swishing. The Thunder have speed to burn. They get from end-to-end faster than any full roster in the league. They don’t use it the same way that, say, Don Nelson would.
Weaknesses: Inexperience, No more surprises, Shooting
OKC doesn’t shoot the ball incredibly well. They also don’t assist well. These are symptoms of a young team. The ball sticks and they can iso a little more than what’s healthy for a winning team. Their offense is middle-of-the-pack, so they rely on defense and Kevin Durant, and unlike early in the season, everyone knows that.
Opportunities: Playing questionable Lakers
The Lakers’ Threat is Okie’s opportunity. If the Lakers are lethargic or unmotivated, Oklahoma could steal one. They may be too young to know they aren’t supposed to have a chance.
Threats: Youth, Laker “on” switch
Or they may be too young to realize how different the playoffs are. The Thunder has played this regular season like the Cavs have played the past two – like every game is a playoff game. You’ll outplay a lot of teams like that…until after tax day. If the Lakers flip the playoff switch, the Thunder will be out like lightening.
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