COLUMN: Predicting NBA champions before the break
The Super Bowl is over, friends. It’s time to talk NBA.
Now, I’ll be frank, I was one of the macro skeptics who honestly thought this NBA season wouldn’t exist. What with David Stern with the ship’s helm in one hand and a Bop It in the other, things just didn’t look founded enough to give us a solid year’s worth of basketball.
In lieu of such, I declined the opportunity to give preseason picks, but that won’t stop me from rounding up some predictions before the All-Star break. Buckle up.
Western Conference
Big Men On Conference – The upstart Los Angeles Clippers have shown their share of momentum but may find themselves on a steady decline with an injured Chauncey Billups sidelined for the year.
At this end I’d say one of three teams have their hats in the ring for dominance of the conference: the red hot youthful Oklahoma City Thunder, the not-freaking-sure-how-they-lead-their-division-every-season-with-no-players-under-38-years-old San Antonio Spurs and – gasp – the Los Angeles Lakers.
If the Kobe and crew can seek a decent trade and gather momentum as the second half of the season nears, they have every shot at reaching their eighth NBA Finals in 12 years. That’s a big if, though; and there are too many young legs leaguewide to go around.
They May Surprise You – You may call me crazy, but you just can’t count out the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have a low-post weapon in Kevin Love, a backcourt weapon in Ricky Rubio and a certain little guy who was quite clutch when his team needed him last postseason — you may know him as JJ Barea. The ‘Wolves may be sitting last in their division now, but trust me when I say you’d be a fool to call them dead just yet.
Final Thought – In a league when almost nobody has the tools to take it in the West, there is really only one team that comes close, even if “coming close” simply means they have Kevin Durant. Welcome to the Finals, OKC.
Prediction: Western Conference Champion – Oklahoma City
Eastern Conference
Big Men On Conference – There are the obvious choices with the generally favorite Chicago Bulls and the three-man new world order over in Miami, but don’t get flabbergasted when I throw the Indiana Pacers into the mix. With the young talent and weakness of conference, look for the Pacers to get hot and stay hot, and possibly manage a run deep into the playoffs.
They May Surprise You – If the New Jersey Nets manage to snag Dwight Howard from Orlando, they may have the tools to make a more-than-forceful run through the East as the season finishes up. It’s a stretch, but it certainly isn’t impossible.
Final Thought – LeBron James and company will certainly be a strong force this year, but if I’ve learned anything from the Eastern Conference this season it’s that a healthy Derrick Rose is a scary one. There just may be no stopping him this time.
Prediction: Eastern Conference Champions – Chicago
As for the Finals, it all comes down to which team can come together at the right time. With two young teams full of league-leading talent, it could go just about either way. My two biggest motivators here are Oklahoma City’s overwhelming defense and the curse of Jordan of the Windy City. Maybe next time, Rose.
Finals Prediction: Oklahoma City 4, Chicago 2
– Steve Schwartzman is a junior majoring in communication studies. He has had just about every job in sports writing, including blogs, analysis, statistics and fantasy football tips, but especially loves making bold picks. Think you can outpick Steve? Let him know: steve.schwartzman@aggiemail.usu.edu.