Going Deep
Western Conference — More of the Same?
Will it be more of the same, or something completely different? In other words, will the Western Conference continue to be the more competitive half of the league, or will the young, up-and-coming teams of the Eastern Conference give the defending-champion Boston Celtics a run for their money?
This is just one of many questions facing sports fans as the NBA gets into full gear for the 2008-09 season this November.
We have so many new faces coming up from the draft, so many old faces wearing new uniforms, so many teams that held lottery picks last year looking to restate their claims at legitimacy, and so much uncertainty heading into this brand new year.
You gotta love it
I’ve narrowed it down to five questions facing this new NBA season:
Lakers-Celtics Finals rematch?
I’ll tell you what — it seems that way. And if the Los Angeles Lakers and Celtics meet in the NBA Finals for the second straight year, it will likely resemble the rivalries of old rather than the sappy six-game contest from last year — which saw the Celtics dominate on the glass and the Lakers go out with a whimper. With a healthy Andrew Bynum clogging up the lane, Los Angeles will only be better. And thanks to an Eastern Conference that doesn’t appear to be much more competitive than last year, the Celtics are favored to make a return trip to the Finals.
Can Artest take the Rockets to the next level?
Meet the Adam “Pacman” Jones of the NBA. Ever since Ron Artest came to the league in 1999, two things have been known about the 6-foot-7 forward: he’s incredibly talented, and he’s got a volatile personality. This year, Artest will be on a Houston Rockets team that has a legitimate chance to compete for a title — or at least get past the first round for the first time since the 1996-97 season. If Artest ever wants to shake the label that he’s cancerous in the locker room, now is the time to do it. And if a trio of Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Artest isn’t good enough to at least win one seven-game series, something’s wrong in South Texas.
Will D-Wade be the D-Wade of old?
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade showed the world his greatness when he did things no third-year player had any business doing during the 2005-06 NBA Finals. Now, after two years of disappointment — individually and team-wise — as well as shoulder and knee surgeries, “The Flash” is ready to show the NBA he’s back. And if you didn’t think that was the case, then you obviously didn’t watch the Beijing Olympics, when Wade shot an unbelievable 67 percent from the floor en route to a team-leading 16 points per game — off the bench, I might add — and a gold medal. Now, with Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley by his side, we may just see Wade be heroic again.
Can the Magic take the next step?
I got a chance to speak with head coach Stan Van Gundy this summer, and the thing he told me was most disheartening about the way last year ended for his Orlando Magic was the fact that his team is much better than it showed in a five-game loss to the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the playoffs. That may be true, but that was a young, unproven Magic team. This year, that shouldn’t be the case. All the crucial pieces are back for Orlando, as well as the addition of wing player Mickael Pietrus. And, other than the Celtics, there is no clear-cut dominant team in the East. The Magic can certainly be one, though.
How will the West play out?
If there aren’t enough dominant teams in the East, then there are just way too many in the West. I already talked about the Lakers and Rockets, but that’s only scratching the surface. The New Orleans Hornets are a team on the rise; the Dallas Mavericks have the personnel to get deep into the postseason; the Phoenix Suns have championship aspirations; the Utah Jazz look to be one of the better teams in the NBA; the Spurs are always in the thick of things; and the Blazers look scary now with Greg Oden in the middle.
Who knows how the West will play out, and who knows what will happen as the NBA kicks off this month?
Isn’t that the beauty of it?
Alden Gonzalez is a freelance writer and associate reporter for MLB.com, living in Miami.
He may be contacted at Alden@towerpublications.com.
