Basketball

2012-13 NBA Season Preview

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* – indicates playoffs
(R) – indicates rookie
# – indicates new to team
MVP – LeBron James – Heat
Rookie – Damian Lillard – Trail Blazers
Coach – Vinny Del Negro – LA Clippers
Defensive Player – Dwight Howard – LA Lakers
Most Improved – DeMarcus Cousins – Kings
Sixth Man – Jamal Crawford – LA Clippers
Executive – Mitch Kupchak – LA Lakers
Playoffs
Eastern Conference Finals
Miami vs. Indiana
Heat in 6
Western Conference Finals
LA Lakers vs. Oklahoma City
Lakers in 7
NBA Finals
Miami vs. LA Lakers
Lakers in 7
Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant
Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat*
2. Indiana Pacers*
3. Boston Celtics*
4. Chicago Bulls*
5. Philadelphia 76ers*
6. Brooklyn Nets*
7. New York Knicks*
8. Atlanta Hawks*
9. Milwaukee Bucks
10. Detroit Pistons
11. Toronto Raptors
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
13. Washington Wizards
14. Orlando Magic
15. Charlotte Bobcats
Heat – 1st in Southeast
Starters
C Chris Bosh

F Shane Battier
F LeBron James
G Dwayne Wade
G Mario Chalmers
Three Man Rotation

G Ray Allen#, F Rashard Lewis#, F Udonis Haslem
Pacers – 1st in Central
Starters
C Roy Hibbert

F David West
F Gerald Green#
G Paul George
G George Hill
Three Man Rotation

F Tyler Hansbrough, G D.J. Augustin#, G Lance Stephenson
Injuries: F Danny Granger
Celtics – 1st in Atlantic
Starters
C Kevin Garnett

F Brandon Bass
F Paul Pierce
G Courtney Lee#
G Rajon Rondo
Three Man Rotation

G Jason Terry#, F Jeff Green, F Jared Sullinger (R)
Injuries: G Avery Bradley
Bulls – 2nd in Central
Starters
C Joakim Noah

F Carlos Boozer
F Luol Deng
G Richard Hamilton
G Kirk Hinrich#
Three Man Rotation

F Taj Gibson, G Marco Belinelli#, G Nate Robinson#
Injuries: G Derrick Rose
76ers – 2nd in Atlantic
Starters
C Lavoy Allen

F Thaddeus Young
F Evan Turner
G Jason Richardson#
G Jrue Holliday
Three Man Rotation

C Spencer Hawes, G Dorell Wright#, G Nick Young#
Injuries: C Andrew Bynum
Nets – 3rd in Atlantic
Starters
C Brook Lopez

F Kris Humphries
F Gerald Wallace
G Joe Johnson#
G Deron Williams
Three Man Rotation

G C.J. Watson#, G MarShon Brooks, F Andray Blatche#
Knicks – 4th in Atlantic
Starters
C Tyson Chandler

F Carmelo Anthony
F Ronnie Brewer#
G Jason Kidd#
G Raymond Felton#
Three Man Rotation

G J.R. Smith, F Steve Novak, F Kurt Thomas#
Injuries: F Amare Stoudemire
Hawks – 2nd in Southeast
Starters
C Al Horford

F Josh Smith
F Kyle Korver#
G Devin Harris#
G Jeff Teague
Three Man Rotation

G Lou Williams#, G DeShawn Stevenson#, C Zaza Pachulia
Bucks – 3rd in Central
Starters
C Samuel Dalembert#

F Ersan Ilyasova
F Tobias Harris
G Monta Ellis
G Brandon Jennings
Three Man Rotation

F Ekpe Udoh, F Mike Dunleavy, G Beno Udrih
Pistons – 4th in Central
Starters
C Greg Monroe

F Jason Maxiell
F Tayshaun Prince
G Rodney Stuckey
G Brandon Knight
Three Man Rotation

F Jonas Jerebko, G Will Bynum, F Kyle Singler (R)
Raptors – 5th in Atlantic
Starters
C Jonas Valanciunas (R)

F Andrea Bargnani
F Landry Fields#
G DeMar DeRozan
G Kyle Lowry#
Three Man Rotation

G Jose Calderon, F Amir Johnson, F Ed Davis
Cavaliers – 5th in Central
Starters
C Anderson Varejao

F Tristan Thompson
F Alonzo Gee
G Dion Waiters (R)
G Kyrie Irving
Three Man Rotation

F C.J. Miles#, G Daniel Gibson, C Tyler Zeller (R)
Wizards – 3rd in Southeast
Starters
C Emeka Okafor#

F Trevor Booker
F Trevor Ariza#
G Bradley Beal (R)
G A.J. Price#
Three Man Rotation

G Jordan Crawford, F Martell Webster#, F Jan Vesely
Injuries: G John Wall, F Nene Hilario
Magic – 4th in Southeast
Starters
C Nikola Vucevic#

F Glen Davis
F Hedo Turkoglu
G Arron Afflalo#
G Jameer Nelson
Three Man Rotation

G J.J. Redick, F Josh McRoberts#, G E’Twaun Moore#
Injuries: F Al Harrington
Bobcats – 5th in Southeast
Starters
C Brendan Haywood#

F Byron Mullens
F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (R)
G Gerald Henderson
G Kemba Walker
Three Man Rotation

G Ben Gordon#, G Ramon Sessions#, F Tyrus Thomas
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder*
2. Los Angeles Lakers*
3. Los Angeles Clippers*
4. San Antonio Spurs*
5. Memphis Grizzlies*
6. Denver Nuggets*
7. Dallas Mavericks*
8. Portland Trail Blazers*
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Utah Jazz
11. Houston Rockets
12. Phoenix Suns
13. Golden State Warriors
14. New Orleans Hornets
15. Sacramento Kings
Thunder – 1st in Northwest
Starters
C Kendrick Perkins

F Serge Ibaka
F Kevin Durant
G Thabo Sefolosha
G Russell Westbrook
Three Man Rotation

G Kevin Martin#, F Nick Collison, G Eric Maynor
Lakers – 1st in Pacific
Starters
C Dwight Howard#

F Pau Gasol
F Metta World Peace
G Kobe Bryant
G Steve Nash#
Three Man Rotation

F Antawn Jamison#, F Jordan Hill, G Steve Blake
Clippers – 2nd in Pacific
Starters
C DeAndre Jordan

F Blake Griffin
F Caron Butler
G Willie Green#
G Chris Paul
Three Man Rotation

G Jamal Crawford#, G Eric Bledsoe, F Lamar Odom#
Injuries: G Chauncey Billups, F Grant Hill#
Spurs – 1st in Southwest
Starters
C Boris Diaw

F Tim Duncan
F Kawhi Leonard
G Danny Green
G Tony Parker
Three Man Rotation

G Manu Ginobili, F Stephen Jackson, G Gary Neal
Grizzlies – 2nd in Southwest
Starters
C Marc Gasol

F Zach Randolph
F Rudy Gay
G Tony Allen
G Mike Conley
Three Man Rotation

F Marrese Speights, G Jerryd Bayless#, G Wayne Ellington#
Nuggets – 2nd in Northwest
Starters
C Kosta Koufos

F Kenneth Faried
F Jordan Hamilton
G Andre Iguodala#
G Ty Lawson
Three Man Rotation

G Andre Miller, F Wilson Chandler, C JaVale McGee
Mavericks – 3rd in Southwest
Starters
C Chris Kaman#

F Elton Brand#
F Shawn Marion
G O.J. Mayo#
G Darren Collison#
Three Man Rotation

G Vince Carter, G Rodrigue Beaubois, F Brandan Wright
Injuries: F Dirk Nowitzki
Trail Blazers – 3rd in Northwest
Starters
C J.J. Hickson

F LaMarcus Aldridge
F Nicolas Batum
G Wesley Matthews
G Damian Lillard (R)
Three Man Rotation

C Meyers Leonard (R), G Sasha Pavlovic#, G Nolan Smith
Timberwolves – 4th in Northwest
Starters
C Nikola Pekovic

F Derrick Williams
F Andrei Kirilenko#
G Brandon Roy#
G Luke Ridnour
Three Man Rotation

G J.J. Barea, F Dante Cunningham#, F Chase Budinger#
Jazz – 5th in Northwest
Starters
C Al Jefferson 

F Paul Millsap
F Marvin Williams#
G Gordon Hayward
G Mo Williams#
Three Man Rotation

G Randy Foye#, F Derrick Favors, C Enes Kanter
Rockets – 4th in Southwest
Starters
C Omer Asik#

F Patrick Patterson
F Chandler Parsons
G James Harden#
G Jeremy Lin#
Three Man Rotation

G Carlos Delfino#, F Marcus Morris, G Toney Douglas#
Suns – 3rd in Pacific
Starters
C Marcin Gortat

F Luis Scola#
F Michael Beasley#
G Jared Dudley
G Goran Dragic#
Three Man Rotation

G Shannon Brown, F Markieff Morris, F Jermaine O’Neal
Injuries: F Channing Frye
Warriors – 4th in Pacific
Starters
C Andrew Bogut

F David Lee
F Harrison Barnes (R)
G Klay Thompson
G Stephen Curry
Three Man Rotation

G Jarrett Jack#, G Brandon Rush, F Carl Landry#
Hornets – 5th in Southwest
Starters
C Robin Lopez#

F Anthony Davis (R)
F Al-Farouq Aminu
G Austin Rivers (R)
G Greivis Vasquez
Three Man Rotation

F Ryan Anderson#, G Roger Mason#, C Jason Smith
Injuries: G Eric Gordon
Kings – 5th in Pacific
Starters
C DeMarcus Cousins

F Jason Thompson
F James Johnson#
G Tyreke Evans
G Isaiah Thomas
Three Man Rotation
G Marcus Thornton, F Thomas Robinson (R), G Aaron Brooks#

2012 NBA Champions

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I’m not going to do what ESPN has and will be doing for the next 3 months and start to carve out LeBron James’ legacy now and for the future.  If there’s one thing I don’t like about the 24/7 news cycle, it would be that ESPN has ruined it.  
The Miami Heat have won their second title in franchise history. The one thing that they have in common is that Dwayne Wade was apart of both of them.  Kind of funny to think that the Heat went after championships through free agency and trades.  Not necessarily through the draft and scouting.  But that doesn’t take away from what they’ve done.
This was perhaps the most hyped, most covered and most criticized team in sports history.  They brought a lot of it on themselves, but to their credit they did deliver a title.  It’s the first for LeBron James and Chris Bosh.  Their big reason for joining forces with Dwayne Wade was to win championships.  The key word is ‘championships’.  Not just one.
Does this mean they will be able to keep this going?  Probably not. The NBA is heading for some difficult times for teams with high salary cap numbers.  Miami is apart of that crowd.  The speculation was that if the Heat didn’t win this year that the team would be dismantled.  Now that they’ve actually won, do they stay together another year?
Either way they will most likely remain the favorites going into next year.  Health will remain a big question as will their depth.  But what they did to one of the best teams of the 2011-12 season in Oklahoma City will go down as one of the best performances in NBA Finals history.  
LeBron James has found that killer instinct that everyone figured he had when he entered the NBA.  It’s just amazing to think that everyone has finally come to their senses and realized that it does take most, if not all the great players a while before they win a championship.  
Now lets all take a moment to congratulate the Miami Heat on winning the NBA championship.  I too was part of the crowd who would’ve rather seen them lose than win.  But I can at least acknowledge they played a great series and were the better team. I can’t say the same for Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert.

2012 NBA Finals Preview

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Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
It honestly wouldn’t have surprised me if the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs were here instead of Miami and Oklahoma City.  The way Boston and San Antonio were playing in the conference finals, it looked as if it would be that way.  However, Miami won the last two games (6 & 7) and Oklahoma City won 4 in a row.  
Miami is in a tough spot though.  They were able to out run the Celtics.  That isn’t going to work against the Thunder.  Their bench will have to step up big time in this series.  LeBron James can have 40 point nights.  Dwayne Wade can be a defensive stalwart. And Chris Bosh can knock down a couple 3-pointers.  None of that will matter if guys like Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem have tremendous performances.  Also Dwayne Wade hasn’t been the same since the start of the conference finals. Everyone looks beat up at this point in the lockout shortened season, but it’s really obvious watching Wade play.
The Thunder are on a roll, literally.  They swept the defending champions, the Dallas Mavericks.  They took care of the Los Angeles Lakers.  And after losing the first two games against San Antonio, they went on a tear winning the next four.  When it was all said and done, Kevin Durant was as cold blooded as any superstar the NBA has ever seen.  All the talk will be about seeing him go against LeBron James.  But I still believe that the Thunder’s chances rely on that feisty point guard in Russell Westbrook.  He has been playing great basketball throughout this entire playoff run. He keeps it up he might be hoisting a MVP trophy with the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Key Players: G Dwayne Wade and G Russell Westbrook
Results: Thunder in 6 games

NBA Conference Finals Preview

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Eastern Conference Finals
2. Miami Heat vs. 4. Boston Celtics
You couldn’t ask for a better performance out of both LeBron James and Dwayne Wade in the semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.  When the Heat needed them both to step up, they did in full force from Games 4, 5 and 6 in that series.  Now they have to do it again against the Celtics.  Boston had their fair share of trouble against the Philadelphia 76ers, but Boston has one thing the Heat don’t.  A reliable point guard.  Rajon Rondo was the hero in that series.  Not Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce.  Ray Allen has been hobbling on one leg for most of the season.  If Rondo can take over this series, the Heat will have a hard time with the Celtics and their stifling defense first strategy.
Key Players: G Dwayne Wade and G Rajon Rondo
Results: Heat in 7 games
Western Conference Finals
1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 2. Oklahoma City Thunder
It isn’t exactly the matchup the NBA would be hoping for in the Western Conference Finals, but basketball fans will love this one. The Spurs are the ‘boring’ team and the Thunder are the ‘exciting’ team.  They’re both actually exciting and in my opinion San Antonio isn’t boring at all.  They play basketball the right way.  This will boil down to the point guards for both teams in this series. Tony Parker is playing his best basketball for the Spurs.  He’s also making Tim Duncan look like he’s still in his late 20s.  San Antonio’s depth will be hard to match.  Oklahoma City has an even more dynamic point guard in Russell Westbrook.  However, he does have stretches of selfishness and the Spurs will try to exploit that.  If Westbrook doesn’t give in and play like he did against the Lakers.  The Thunder will be playing for their first NBA title.
Key Players: G Tony Parker and G Russell Westbrook
Results: Thunder in 6 games

NBA Semifinals Preview

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Eastern Conference
2. Miami Heat vs. 3. Indiana Pacers
Key Players: F LeBron James and C Roy Hibbert
Results: Heat in 7 games
4. Boston Celtics vs. 8. Philadelphia 76ers
Key Players: F Kevin Garnett and G Andre Iguodala
Results: Celtics in 6 games
Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 5. Los Angeles Clippers
Key Players: G Tony Parker and G Chris Paul
Results: Spurs in 6 games
2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 3. Los Angeles Lakers
Key Players: F Serge Ibaka and F Pau Gasol
Results: Thunder in 7 games