Originally posted by: NeoV
how about having a clue before you post in an NBA-related thread?
Amare is done for the season, and if you want to say that the Suns are better than "TEAM X" with Amare, go ahead, but the fact remains he's not likely to contribute anything to them this season or in the playoffs...and clearly it's affected them, they just got clobbered by the Nets and the Bucks
I've said all season that the East has caught up to the West.
Duncan's foot may still be an issue, but the Spurs are still very deep and the team to beat in the West. Dallas is very good, and this is a different team than the typical Mav's teams of the past 5 or 6 seasons, they are deep, athletic, defend well - all things they have not done in the past.
I think the Suns are ripe for an upset, and even if they win in the first round I don't see them winning in the 2nd round.
Denver is ok - can give the Suns problems, but not the Mavs or the Spurs...Memphis is a step down from them, Sacramento is nothing (Artest continues to be the most overrated player in the league in the last 25 years) - and in fact he's already causing problems with Adelman, who I think has done a nice job this year considering the roster turnover they have gone through, and the Lakers, well....nuff said....I think Utah could actually cause some problems for teams if they can sneak in, but it isn't likely..they have excellent front-court depth.
Clearly the Pistons are the best team in the NBA thus far - they have been exceptionally fortunate on the injury front, and their depth is average at best...they did add a few big bodies to help against Shaq in Davis and Cato, but they have no offense at all off the bench - if any of their starters gets hurt, they could be in trouble, but if they stay healthy they have to be the favorites.
The Heat are very good - they need Alonzo to be available to be able to beat Detroit though. They can score off the bench, Wade is amazing, and they still have Shaq.
NJ is playing very well, and there is a lot more to them than "clear out for Carter" - Jefferson is very good, Kidd is back to his old self, Kristic is a solid player, and Robinson is a nice versatile guy to bring off the bench. They are at least as good as the Suns in terms of being the #3 team in their conference - in fact they just beat them by 30+ a few days ago.
Cleveland is a solid #4 seed, they have wins over Detroit, Dallas, SA, and the Suns this year...they have been very 'streaky', but when they shoot well they are tough to beat....LeBron's first playoff series will be interesting, they get homecourt against the Wizards most likely.
I'm looking forward to it, though there should never be more than a single day in between games, it's silly to have 2 or 3 day breaks in between games in a series.
Pgold and I agree on something sports related? Stop the press!
