The Easter NBA Reg Season Recap

Happy Easter everyone! Since the NBA playoffs start in 6 days I decided to give my NBA regular season wrap up blog. I thought about making playoff predictions, but what is the point? There has been about one upset in the NBA playoffs in about 20 years, the Pistons beating the Lakers in 2004. Yeah the Kings are playing well, but does anyone really think they could beat the Spurs? Sure ESPN is hyping up the race for the final playoff spot in the EAST, winner gets to destroyed by maybe the best defensive team in NBA history. The Eastern Conference Playoffs don’t start until the 2^nd round when the Heat and Nets play for the right to play the Pistons in the conference finals. Its a lot more interesting in the West, where the 8 seed is a lot better than your normal 8 seed (which has been true for the entire decade in the Western Conference). Yeah the Kings wont win, but I’ll still watch. However the only playoff series in question in the first round are Denver-Clippers and that is pretty much it. I really don’t see the Spurs, Suns, Mavs, Pistons, Heat, Nets or Cavs coming close to losing in the 1^st round. Why watch then? Well what the hell else are you gonna do? If everything went like it was planned why would they play? I think I am contradicting the shit out of myself here.

Here are the awards as I see them happening:

MVP: Steve Nash- Why not? I couldn’t decide between him or Lebron so I went with the homer pick. Its not like Nash does not deserve it, watching him play is one of my favorite things to do. A decade from now I will reminisce on these days I wish Nash was still playing. I wouldn’t be upset if Lebron won it, but he will have his chances in the future. Kobe could win it, but lets make Steve Nash back to back MVPs. You know you want to look back on the MVP awards in 10 to 20 years and say, “How the hell did that white, goofy looking six foot guy win back to back MVP awards.” Oh and he does deserve it, maybe more so then he did last year. However you won’t see me writing another Steve Nash is MVP blog, because I could make just a good of a case for Lebron.

Coach of the Year: Avery Johnson- I could say Flip, but I will stick with Avery. The guy has a ridiculous winning % as a head coach (something hovering around .800) He has his team playing better defense and they are tough to beat. They will probably lose in the 2^nd round to the Spurs however, but they could win. If Don Nelson was still coaching this team, well the Mavs would have no shot to do anything.

6^th man of the year: Jim Jackson- Okay just kidding I just have no idea who deserves this award. Jim Jackson will definitely win 12^th man of the year

Most Improved: Boris Diaw- This is easy. I remember hearing in training camp that he was playing some center and I groaned, I actually groaned. Joke was on me, this guy is freaking good. If he does not win this award I will cry, I seriously will. I’m going to stock up on tissue just in case.

My All NBA Team-

F Elton Brand

F Lebron

C Shaq

G Kobe Mamba Bryant

G Steve Nash

6^th man: Chauncey

Other random thoughts about this season:

• My preseason pick of Shawn Marion to win MVP is something I am very proud of. I knew he was not going to win it, but I had a feeling he was going to play like an MVP and he did. Best year of his career. The #2 guy on a really good team, in the past when he has been the #2 guy the Suns were bad.
• Listening to JT The Brick on Friday night for some reason and he was arguing for Kobe to be MVP. His argument as states: “If you put Nash on the Lakers and he plays alongside Smush Parker and Lamar Odom they are no where near as good, and that is a fact!” Also if you go to Mars kangaroos can fly and cook pancakes. That is a fact! Oh wait that’s an opinion. Let’s get out facts straight JT, just because it’s your opinion doesn’t make it “fact”.
• About a month ago I fired up NBA live 06 and played a game with the Lakers and decided I was going to take every shot with Kobe. I did and it was the exact same thing as watching a real Lakers game. My point being; the 2005-06 Kobe Bryant stepped right out of a video game, its amazing to watch.
• If the Hawks would have been smart and drafted Chris Paul they would be in the playoffs. The Joe Johnson-Chris Paul backcourt would be awesome. Instead they pass on their biggest weakness to take another swingman who is light years away from becoming anything. Then they sign JJ who even I, being as oblivious to life as I am, knew couldn’t run the point. That’s how you get stuck with a Tryone Lue running your team. I am counting down the days until David Stern walks up to that podium and announces the Hawks have selected Adam Morrison or Rodney Carney.
• I was watching the NBA pregame show this Easter Sunday morning and it was nice to see Wilbon in the booth hyping up Suns players. Anyway they asked some question about who has been the biggest surprise and someone (I forget who) said the Lakers. Stating this was Phil’s best coaching job ever (does 72-10 mean anything to this man) and who knows how far the Lakers could go in the playoffs (I know this one, I really do! Lets see, its um, oh wait it’s a 1^st round exit! Yes! I knew it!). Later in the segment Scottie Pippen said Ron Artest has been the biggest disappointment this year, that he let his teammates down and has had a bad year. Now I understand he fucked over the Pacers, but he did revive a dead Sacramento team and has them playing super well right now. I think Artest has had a good year.
• I think I have ripped on Jamal Crawford before, but he is the best player on the Knicks. Whenever the Knicks win its always because he had a good game. Its great to see Starbury saying he is going to “do things his way next year” and doesn’t care what Larry Brown thinks. As for Larry Brown, well his days of building teams up and ditching them when they are good finally came back to bite him in the ass. He found one thing he couldn’t rebuild (not that he rebuilt the Pistons). Secondly, who leaves maybe the best defensive team of all time to go to the worst run franchise in NBA history?
• Going back to Chris Paul, don’t think you’re off the hook either Utah.
• I really don’t mean to hate, but is there a less exciting good team then Memphis? If I see a Memphis game I just don’t want to watch.
• The Clippers have to be ecstatic that they are now the 6^th seed and avoid the Mavs/Spurs until the Conference Finals (I’m not saying they will make it that far). The Clippers/Nuggets series is going to be fun to watch, but I expect the Clips to take it. I’m worried about the Suns/Clippers 2^nd round matchup due to the fact that Elton Brand will feast on the Suns injury plagued front line and Sam Cassell has some big balls (mental image: Sam Cassell running down the court doing his “big balls” celebration.)

Alright I think that is all I have. Happy Easter and enjoy the NBA playoffs. I think I just might do an NBA playoff blog. Later kids.