We are now two months into the NBA season, and things in the Eastern Conference are starting to take shape. There are 4-5 teams clearly separating themselves from the rest of the pack, and really there are only 2 teams that I think are serious contenders for the championship. Here are the current NBA Eastern Conference standings:
1. Boston Celtics (23-5)
2. Miami Heat (23-9)
3. Chicago Bulls (19-10)
4. New York Knicks (18-12)
5. Orlando Magic (18-12)
6. Atlanta Hawks (19-13)
7. Indiana Pacers (13-15)
8. Milwaukee Bucks (12-16)
9. Philadelphia 76ers (12-18)
10. Toronto Raptors (10-19)
11. Detroit Pistons (10-20)
12. Charlotte Bobcats (9-19)
13. New Jersey Nets (9-21)
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-22)
15. Washington Wizards (7-21)
Obviously only the top eight teams make the playoffs, and right now things are shaping up like many of the experts thought they would. Its pretty clear who the best teams in the conference are, so let's take a look at each of the teams who might be contenders to make the NBA Finals this season.
1. Boston Celtics: I think they are easily the most complete team in the NBA. I know they have some questionable losses (Toronto and Cleveland), but those were near the beginning of the season. The Celts have unbelievable depth in the front court with Garnett, Shaq, Big Baby Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Kendrick Perkins (when he comes back from injury), and Semih Erden. That is just their front court. They also have a great rotation of guards, and three all stars in their starting back court (Rondo, Pierce, Allen). They do everything well on the offensive end, and are the best defensive team in the league. Clearly they have the best chance of representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals.
2. Miami Heat: The Heat seem to have figured out how to use their "Big Three" effectively. LeBron James continues to play at an MVP level, Wade has rebounded very strongly from a terrible start to the season, and Chris Bosh has shown that he can be a really good third wheel. However, the Heat still struggle in the post. They are near the bottom of the league in points in the paint, but it doesn't really matter because they are very good in transition, and they spread the floor with good shooters as well. Mike Miller coming back from injury will only help them, and give them another shooter to spread the floor for LeBron and Wade. They aren't as complete a team as the Celtics, but they have an all-star cast, and should be capable of competing with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
3. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls have had bad luck with injuries this season. Boozer missed the first fifteen games of the season, during which the Bulls were 9-6. When Boozer came back the Bulls went on a stretch where they went 7-2, including wins over the Thunder and Lakers. Then, just at the end of a seven game win streak, Joakim Noah goes down for at least 8 weeks, and they have to figure everything out all over again. They should be alright without Noah in the meantime, especially since they are in the weakest portion of their schedule. Derrick Rose is having an unbelievable season, and Carlos Boozer has been better than advertised since his return. When they get Noah back, and if they can trade for a bonafide starting shooting guard, the Bulls can compete with anybody. The problem is that they are young, and don't have much experience when it comes to winning a long series.
4. New York Knicks: The Knicks have been a surprise. Amar'e Stoudemire is playing the best basketball of his career, and Raymond Felton has given them a spark as well. They are running the D'Antoni offense perfectly, and they can spread the floor with fantastic three point shooters (Gallinari, Fields, Chandler, Douglas, etc.). They don't play enough defense to be a serious championship contender this year, but they are good enough now to attract Carmello Anthony is next summer's free agency. If that happens, they might jump into the championship equation next season.
5. Orlando Magic: Orlando is a completely different team from the start of the season. Gone are Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mikael Pietrus. The Magic in return for those players got Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas. They will still be able to shoot the three, and they still have Dwight Howard, but they don't have enough around him to seriously contend anymore. Plus, they gave up their back up center, so now when Howard gets in foul trouble, they have nobody to back him up. Howard gets into foul trouble almost every game, so that could be a problem. However, they did just beat the Spurs and the Celtics, two of the best teams in the league, so I guess they do have the potential to contend in the East.
After those 5 teams the talent pool in the East gets thin. The Hawks are up and down, and without Joe Johnson, they shouldn't be a major player in the East this season. The Pacers and Bucks are improving, but will most likely be one and done in the playoffs.
Here are my revamped predictions for how the rest of the season will play out:
1. Boston Celtics (62-20)
2. Miami Heat (61-21)
3. Chicago Bulls (54-28)
4. Orlando Magic (52-30)
5. New York Knicks (48-34)
6. Atlanta Hawks (45-37)
7. Milwaukee Bucks (44-38)
8. Indiana Pacers (40-42)
We'll see how the rest of the season pans out, but I don't see how anybody other than the Celtics and Heat can get to the Eastern Conference Finals. I thought maybe the Bulls would have a chance to get there, and I really didn't expect the Celtics to be as good as they have been to this point. Those two teams at the top are the best in the conference, and I would expect to see them playing eachother at the end of the season in the playoffs.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Bulls/Bears/Blackhawks
There is lots of interesting stuff going on in Chicago sports right now. I figured I would take a look at all three teams currently in season.
I have really liked what I have seen from the Chicago Bulls all season, but especially in the past 3 weeks since Carlos Boozer has joined the team. With Boozer in the lineup the Bulls are 8-3, and are winning games by double digits, which is nice to see. Boozer has been a double-double machine as of late, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per night since coming back from injury. The bad news for the Bulls is that Joakim Noah is out for at least 8 weeks with a torn ligament in the thumb of his shooting hand. He was playing so well, and looked poised to make his first all-star game. Not only that, but he and Boozer were playing fantastic basketball alongside each other. Noah's outstanding defensive play gives Boozer more opportunities to bring down rebounds on the weak side, and Noah's ability to play pick and roll basketball also gives Boozer opportunities to score from the post offensively. They had won seven straight games, and then Noah goes down and the Bulls let up for one game against the Clippers. They did rebound tonight with a blowout win against the 76ers, and their schedule for the next 3-4 weeks is extremely favorable, so they should be able to continue winning games until Noah gets healthy. It's just a shame that he went down when the team looked poised to put together an unbelievable win streak.
The Blackhawks have been an up and down team this season, as they too have been bit by the injury bug. Kane and Hossa have not seen game action for 2-3 weeks, and it has hurt the Hawks. They can't seem to find any consistency for a solid length of time. They'll win 2, then lose 3, then win 2, then lose 2, etc. They recently defeated the Red Wings and Kings at home, so that is good. Corey Crawford has taken over the number one goalie spot, and deservedly so. Turco hasn't played anywhere near what he is capable of, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks just went with Crawford for the rest of the season. Toews and Sharp have been great lately, Bryan Bickell and Troy Brouwer have increased their offensive production as well. They just aren't finding enough wins right now, and in a tough Western Conference that is so tightly packed, they need all the standings points they can get right now, while they play a heavy portion of their next 10-12 games at home. Hopefully Kane and Hossa get healthy within the next few days, and the Hawks can put together a nice win streak.
Finally, the Bears did what most analysts said wouldn't happen this year. They won the NFC North Division Championship, and secured a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. At the beginning of the season I said it wouldn't shock me to see the Bears win 10-11 games, and I am glad they helped me out. The game against the Vikings was so much fun to watch, especially the Devin Hester punt return TD to break the return TD record. A 40-14 romp was exactly what this team needed to regain their confidence after being manhandled against the Patriots a week ago. I don't care what everybody thinks of him, I actually really like Jay Cutler as the quarterback for the Bears. He can make all of the throws, he is very accurate, he is athletic, and this season he has played great football compared to last season. He has four games this season of 3 touchdown passes or more, and hasn't played a terrible game since the Redskins game where he was picked off 4 times. Take away that game, and he has 20 TD passes, 9 interceptions. Those are very good numbers. The Bears' defense is one of the best in the league again this season, and with an improved offense in a conference where there are no guarantees, it wouldn't shock me to see the Bears playing deep into January. I am not predicting that they will be in the Super Bowl or anything like that, but it wouldn't shock me if they were in contention.
I have really liked what I have seen from the Chicago Bulls all season, but especially in the past 3 weeks since Carlos Boozer has joined the team. With Boozer in the lineup the Bulls are 8-3, and are winning games by double digits, which is nice to see. Boozer has been a double-double machine as of late, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per night since coming back from injury. The bad news for the Bulls is that Joakim Noah is out for at least 8 weeks with a torn ligament in the thumb of his shooting hand. He was playing so well, and looked poised to make his first all-star game. Not only that, but he and Boozer were playing fantastic basketball alongside each other. Noah's outstanding defensive play gives Boozer more opportunities to bring down rebounds on the weak side, and Noah's ability to play pick and roll basketball also gives Boozer opportunities to score from the post offensively. They had won seven straight games, and then Noah goes down and the Bulls let up for one game against the Clippers. They did rebound tonight with a blowout win against the 76ers, and their schedule for the next 3-4 weeks is extremely favorable, so they should be able to continue winning games until Noah gets healthy. It's just a shame that he went down when the team looked poised to put together an unbelievable win streak.
The Blackhawks have been an up and down team this season, as they too have been bit by the injury bug. Kane and Hossa have not seen game action for 2-3 weeks, and it has hurt the Hawks. They can't seem to find any consistency for a solid length of time. They'll win 2, then lose 3, then win 2, then lose 2, etc. They recently defeated the Red Wings and Kings at home, so that is good. Corey Crawford has taken over the number one goalie spot, and deservedly so. Turco hasn't played anywhere near what he is capable of, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks just went with Crawford for the rest of the season. Toews and Sharp have been great lately, Bryan Bickell and Troy Brouwer have increased their offensive production as well. They just aren't finding enough wins right now, and in a tough Western Conference that is so tightly packed, they need all the standings points they can get right now, while they play a heavy portion of their next 10-12 games at home. Hopefully Kane and Hossa get healthy within the next few days, and the Hawks can put together a nice win streak.
Finally, the Bears did what most analysts said wouldn't happen this year. They won the NFC North Division Championship, and secured a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. At the beginning of the season I said it wouldn't shock me to see the Bears win 10-11 games, and I am glad they helped me out. The game against the Vikings was so much fun to watch, especially the Devin Hester punt return TD to break the return TD record. A 40-14 romp was exactly what this team needed to regain their confidence after being manhandled against the Patriots a week ago. I don't care what everybody thinks of him, I actually really like Jay Cutler as the quarterback for the Bears. He can make all of the throws, he is very accurate, he is athletic, and this season he has played great football compared to last season. He has four games this season of 3 touchdown passes or more, and hasn't played a terrible game since the Redskins game where he was picked off 4 times. Take away that game, and he has 20 TD passes, 9 interceptions. Those are very good numbers. The Bears' defense is one of the best in the league again this season, and with an improved offense in a conference where there are no guarantees, it wouldn't shock me to see the Bears playing deep into January. I am not predicting that they will be in the Super Bowl or anything like that, but it wouldn't shock me if they were in contention.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Bulls win seventh straight, but lose Noah for 8-10 weeks
The Chicago Bulls continue to roll through what should be their easiest stretch of the season by far. The Bulls beat up on an extremely weak Toronto Raptors team tonight, winning by a score of 110-93, but it took a big fourth quarter from the Raptors against the Bulls' bench just to get to the 17 point loss.
On a night where Derrick Rose wasn't exactly healthy (sprained wrist and ankle, and apparently a sore hip as well), Carlos Boozer continued to show why he is a huge pick up for the Bulls. He scored a season high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as well. His offense has gotten better every game, and tonight his ability to finish at the rim while taking contact was on display. The first three quarters of this game belonged to Boozer. Toronto had no answer for him, or anybody else for that matter. The Bulls basically ran a layup drill for the first three quarters of this game, and it was a route from start to finish.
Rose only scored 6 points in this game, but he was not looking for his own points because Boozer was unstoppable. Rose did have 11 assists, and was excellent at leading his team on both ends of the floor. Korver stepped in off the bench with a big game, Deng played another solid game offensively, and Ronnie Brewer continues to play stellar defense off the bench.
The worst news coming out of the game was about Joakim Noah. He played very well tonight, scoring 11 points and collecting 11 rebounds along with 2 blocks. However, after the game it was reported that Noah will have surgery to repair the torn ligament in his right thumb, and he is expected to miss 8-10 weeks. That is a huge loss for the Bulls, who were just beginning to gain confidence and improved chemistry.
The good news about Noah going down with an injury at this point in the season is that the Bulls play against inferior teams for the next 3-4 weeks. Hopefully they can continue to win games while figuring out a new rotation for their big men. Taj Gibson and Omer Asik should see alot of minutes now, and Boozer is going to have to be consistent with both his rebounding and scoring now. The Bulls cannot afford anybody else to get injured if they are going to stay near the top of a very competitive Eastern Conference.
The Bulls currently sit in first place in the Central Division, a full five games ahead of the Indiana Pacers. They are also 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Hopefully they won't lose too much ground in either race, but it has to be a huge let down for the Bulls, who were just starting to play with confidence and swagger.
On a night where Derrick Rose wasn't exactly healthy (sprained wrist and ankle, and apparently a sore hip as well), Carlos Boozer continued to show why he is a huge pick up for the Bulls. He scored a season high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as well. His offense has gotten better every game, and tonight his ability to finish at the rim while taking contact was on display. The first three quarters of this game belonged to Boozer. Toronto had no answer for him, or anybody else for that matter. The Bulls basically ran a layup drill for the first three quarters of this game, and it was a route from start to finish.
Rose only scored 6 points in this game, but he was not looking for his own points because Boozer was unstoppable. Rose did have 11 assists, and was excellent at leading his team on both ends of the floor. Korver stepped in off the bench with a big game, Deng played another solid game offensively, and Ronnie Brewer continues to play stellar defense off the bench.
The worst news coming out of the game was about Joakim Noah. He played very well tonight, scoring 11 points and collecting 11 rebounds along with 2 blocks. However, after the game it was reported that Noah will have surgery to repair the torn ligament in his right thumb, and he is expected to miss 8-10 weeks. That is a huge loss for the Bulls, who were just beginning to gain confidence and improved chemistry.
The good news about Noah going down with an injury at this point in the season is that the Bulls play against inferior teams for the next 3-4 weeks. Hopefully they can continue to win games while figuring out a new rotation for their big men. Taj Gibson and Omer Asik should see alot of minutes now, and Boozer is going to have to be consistent with both his rebounding and scoring now. The Bulls cannot afford anybody else to get injured if they are going to stay near the top of a very competitive Eastern Conference.
The Bulls currently sit in first place in the Central Division, a full five games ahead of the Indiana Pacers. They are also 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Hopefully they won't lose too much ground in either race, but it has to be a huge let down for the Bulls, who were just starting to play with confidence and swagger.
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Bulls are for real!
The Bulls won their fourth straight game tonight, and against a very good team too. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 88-84 tonight at home, pushing their record to 13-8, and a surprising 10-4 against the Western Conference, which in past years has been the dominant conference. Not surprisingly, this four game winning streak has coincided with the return of Carlos Boozer to the lineup. His presence on the floor gives the Bulls a legitimate second scoring option, and also spaces the floor for the Bulls' shooters, who have improved tremendously since Boozer's return.
I talk about this all the time now, but Derrick Rose is the man. If he wasn't being talked about as an MVP candidate, he should be after tonight's performance. Rose put up 29 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds in the win. He outplayed Kobe Bryant, who has been considered the game's best closer for the past several seasons. Rose also severely outplayed any of the Laker point guards, who couldn't do anything to stop him, and also could not get anything going on the offensive end. Rose's numbers look good, but his timing and clutch performance was fantastic, and has been unbelievable all season long. Rose made a fade away, long distance two point shot coming out of an inbounds pass with 3 seconds on the shot clock, right in front of the Lakers' bench. He also nailed a mid-range jumper to put the Bulls up by 5 with 25 seconds to go in the game. He has been fantastic all season long, and is only showing signs of getting better. It should be exciting to watch him continue to improve, and hopefully he can lead this team to a big win total this season.
This was a very important game for the Bulls because they were on a three game win streak coming in, and have 12 of their next 13 games against teams currently under .500. If they continue to play as well as they have over the first 21 games, they can run off alot of wins during this stretch. They need to win at least 10 games during that stretch. The elite teams in the league take care of business against the weaker teams in the league. Are they going to win every game? No. However, they need to beat the teams they are supposed to beat a vast majority of the time. Not only that, but I think it would do wonders for the Bulls' confidence (which is not lacking at all right now) if they could blow out a few of these weaker teams. Winning games by alot of points gets the whole team involved, excited, and it also allows the starters to get rest in the fourth quarter. The Bulls have only really blown out two teams so far this season (Portland and Golden State). Hopefully they can win big tomorrow against the T-Wolves, and keep this winning streak going.
I talk about this all the time now, but Derrick Rose is the man. If he wasn't being talked about as an MVP candidate, he should be after tonight's performance. Rose put up 29 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds in the win. He outplayed Kobe Bryant, who has been considered the game's best closer for the past several seasons. Rose also severely outplayed any of the Laker point guards, who couldn't do anything to stop him, and also could not get anything going on the offensive end. Rose's numbers look good, but his timing and clutch performance was fantastic, and has been unbelievable all season long. Rose made a fade away, long distance two point shot coming out of an inbounds pass with 3 seconds on the shot clock, right in front of the Lakers' bench. He also nailed a mid-range jumper to put the Bulls up by 5 with 25 seconds to go in the game. He has been fantastic all season long, and is only showing signs of getting better. It should be exciting to watch him continue to improve, and hopefully he can lead this team to a big win total this season.
This was a very important game for the Bulls because they were on a three game win streak coming in, and have 12 of their next 13 games against teams currently under .500. If they continue to play as well as they have over the first 21 games, they can run off alot of wins during this stretch. They need to win at least 10 games during that stretch. The elite teams in the league take care of business against the weaker teams in the league. Are they going to win every game? No. However, they need to beat the teams they are supposed to beat a vast majority of the time. Not only that, but I think it would do wonders for the Bulls' confidence (which is not lacking at all right now) if they could blow out a few of these weaker teams. Winning games by alot of points gets the whole team involved, excited, and it also allows the starters to get rest in the fourth quarter. The Bulls have only really blown out two teams so far this season (Portland and Golden State). Hopefully they can win big tomorrow against the T-Wolves, and keep this winning streak going.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Bears/Patriots
This week's matchup featuring the Bears and Patriots at Soldier Field is easily the biggest game the Bears have played in since they were in the Super Bowl four years ago. The Bears are riding a 5 game winning streak, and the Patriots are widely recognized as the best team in the NFL. Both teams are in first place in their division, and the game has huge playoff implications. So, the question for most Bears fans is: Do the Bears have any chance of beating the Patriots?
The Patriots are coming off a very inspired, dominating performance at home against the New York Jets. What was built up for weeks as the biggest game of the season in either conference, the Patriots rolled the Jets, 45-3, looking like a team destined for a championship run. Tom Brady hasn't thrown an interception in 228 pass attempts, and has over 20 touchdowns during that span. His receivers are playing at a high level, and you really can't key in on any one player. Brady has two very good pass catching tight ends as well. Right now the Patriots have to be considered the best offense in the league, especially in their passing game. Defensively, the Patriots are young, but very athletic and extremely well coached. They play at a high level as well, but can be scored on. The Jets didn't take advantage of a young defense, as they turned the ball over alot this past week. However, if you can take care of the ball on offense, you should have success against the Patriot defense.
The Bears, however, are coming off of a weak defensive effort, especially in the first half, against the Detroit Lions. The Bears defense gave up over 250 yards in the first half of that game, before settling down and finishing strong in the second half. Their tackling was the main problem. They have to be sound in their tackling against the Patriots, and I would expect them to play better in this game. Offensively the Bears have improved every game since the bye week. Jay Cutler is doing a great job of taking care of the football as of late, and is easily in his best stretch as a Chicago Bear. The running game has gotten on track, and the offensive line is improving, although they are probably still the worst in the league. To me, the biggest improvement hasn't been by a player, it has been by a coach. It took Mike Martz 7 games to realize that he just didn't have the offensive line to call 5 and 7 step drops. During the bye week Martz tweeked his philosophy (for this season at least), and began to dial up a great balance of run and pass plays, while still being creative in doing both. We've seen the Wildcat, pitch outs, options, end-arounds, wide receiver screens and reverse plays, quick slants, and various other quick hit plays to help Jay Cutler get the ball out quickly. Hopefully that continues down the stretch.
One thing to watch this Sunday will be how each team reacts to the weather conditions. I read that the forecast is calling for snow, as well as cold temperatures (possibly negative) and wind. It sounds brutal, and should make for an interesting game if that kind of weather does happen, especially for two teams who depend highly on the passing game to produce.
The Bears have stepped up to the challenge this season in big games (Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Eagles). I would expect them to play alot better defensively in this game. If they are able to somehow eek out a win against the Patriots, you would have to consider them one of the top teams in the NFC, if not the NFL.
The Patriots are coming off a very inspired, dominating performance at home against the New York Jets. What was built up for weeks as the biggest game of the season in either conference, the Patriots rolled the Jets, 45-3, looking like a team destined for a championship run. Tom Brady hasn't thrown an interception in 228 pass attempts, and has over 20 touchdowns during that span. His receivers are playing at a high level, and you really can't key in on any one player. Brady has two very good pass catching tight ends as well. Right now the Patriots have to be considered the best offense in the league, especially in their passing game. Defensively, the Patriots are young, but very athletic and extremely well coached. They play at a high level as well, but can be scored on. The Jets didn't take advantage of a young defense, as they turned the ball over alot this past week. However, if you can take care of the ball on offense, you should have success against the Patriot defense.
The Bears, however, are coming off of a weak defensive effort, especially in the first half, against the Detroit Lions. The Bears defense gave up over 250 yards in the first half of that game, before settling down and finishing strong in the second half. Their tackling was the main problem. They have to be sound in their tackling against the Patriots, and I would expect them to play better in this game. Offensively the Bears have improved every game since the bye week. Jay Cutler is doing a great job of taking care of the football as of late, and is easily in his best stretch as a Chicago Bear. The running game has gotten on track, and the offensive line is improving, although they are probably still the worst in the league. To me, the biggest improvement hasn't been by a player, it has been by a coach. It took Mike Martz 7 games to realize that he just didn't have the offensive line to call 5 and 7 step drops. During the bye week Martz tweeked his philosophy (for this season at least), and began to dial up a great balance of run and pass plays, while still being creative in doing both. We've seen the Wildcat, pitch outs, options, end-arounds, wide receiver screens and reverse plays, quick slants, and various other quick hit plays to help Jay Cutler get the ball out quickly. Hopefully that continues down the stretch.
One thing to watch this Sunday will be how each team reacts to the weather conditions. I read that the forecast is calling for snow, as well as cold temperatures (possibly negative) and wind. It sounds brutal, and should make for an interesting game if that kind of weather does happen, especially for two teams who depend highly on the passing game to produce.
The Bears have stepped up to the challenge this season in big games (Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Eagles). I would expect them to play alot better defensively in this game. If they are able to somehow eek out a win against the Patriots, you would have to consider them one of the top teams in the NFC, if not the NFL.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Second Straight Win for Bulls!
The Chicago Bulls won their second straight game at home tonight against one of the better teams in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was an important game, and a timely one as well, catching the Thunder on the second night of back to back games. The Bulls definitely took advantage, especially on defense, forcing the Thunder to shoot just 35% from the field. The Thunder are one of the better offensive teams in the league, and the Bulls held them to just 90 points for the game.
Carlos Boozer had his second strong performance in a row after struggling in his first two games against Orlando and Boston. Boozer scored 29 points and chipped in 11 rebounds, his first double-double as a member of the Bulls. He has increased his scoring every game so far, which was important tonight because Derrick Rose had an off night shooting the ball. Rose was just 3-13 from the field, and one of those was a lucky half-court shot at the end of the third quarter. Rose did other things very well though, adding 9 assists and 5-6 rebounds in the game. He also had several key defensive plays, including a charge. Luol Deng had an excellent game as well, with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Korver and Brewer each had nice games off the bench. Korver hit two huge three pointers in the second quarter that gave the Bulls a little separation. Joakim Noah did a nice job when he was in the game, but he was in foul trouble tonight, and ended up fouling out in the final minute of the game. The line on Noah was 6 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. It was great to see the Bulls win a game when two of their top players didn't have great offensive nights. It is also good to know that they have other players who can step up when Rose and Noah aren't scoring as they normally do.
I can't believe how awful the Bulls' free throw shooting is. I don't know what they finished from the line tonight, but at one point they were 3-10 from the line. 30% from the line is ridiculous for any team, especially a professional team. Eventually they are going to be in some close games where a couple of free throws missed could cost them the game. They need to be better than that at the free throw line.
There is a pretty nice stretch of games coming up for the Bulls in the next few weeks. They do play the Lakers at home this Friday, which is always a tough match up, but before then they play against a struggling Cleveland team, and after the Lakers on Friday, 12 of their next 14 games are against teams with losing records. Hopefully the Bulls can get a pretty good win streak going against some of those weaker teams in the league, gain confidence, and start putting up some wins against the elite teams. Good win tonight, and hopefully they keep it rolling. Go Bulls!
Carlos Boozer had his second strong performance in a row after struggling in his first two games against Orlando and Boston. Boozer scored 29 points and chipped in 11 rebounds, his first double-double as a member of the Bulls. He has increased his scoring every game so far, which was important tonight because Derrick Rose had an off night shooting the ball. Rose was just 3-13 from the field, and one of those was a lucky half-court shot at the end of the third quarter. Rose did other things very well though, adding 9 assists and 5-6 rebounds in the game. He also had several key defensive plays, including a charge. Luol Deng had an excellent game as well, with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Korver and Brewer each had nice games off the bench. Korver hit two huge three pointers in the second quarter that gave the Bulls a little separation. Joakim Noah did a nice job when he was in the game, but he was in foul trouble tonight, and ended up fouling out in the final minute of the game. The line on Noah was 6 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. It was great to see the Bulls win a game when two of their top players didn't have great offensive nights. It is also good to know that they have other players who can step up when Rose and Noah aren't scoring as they normally do.
I can't believe how awful the Bulls' free throw shooting is. I don't know what they finished from the line tonight, but at one point they were 3-10 from the line. 30% from the line is ridiculous for any team, especially a professional team. Eventually they are going to be in some close games where a couple of free throws missed could cost them the game. They need to be better than that at the free throw line.
There is a pretty nice stretch of games coming up for the Bulls in the next few weeks. They do play the Lakers at home this Friday, which is always a tough match up, but before then they play against a struggling Cleveland team, and after the Lakers on Friday, 12 of their next 14 games are against teams with losing records. Hopefully the Bulls can get a pretty good win streak going against some of those weaker teams in the league, gain confidence, and start putting up some wins against the elite teams. Good win tonight, and hopefully they keep it rolling. Go Bulls!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls eeked out a close game at home against the Houston Rockets tonight, 118-116 in overtime. They currently sit at 10-8, which is good enough for first place in the division. Derrick Rose was unbelievable again in this game, posting 30 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 steals. Carlos Boozer had easily his best game as a Bull, eventhough there has only been a three game sample space. He went for 25 points and 9 rebounds. The play of the game was Derrick Rose's game tying three pointer as the buzzer sounded to force overtime. While I am glad they won the game, there are a few things that concern me about the team right now.
1. They are not playing very good team defense. They have given up over 100 points in three straight games, including tonight against a Rockets team that didn't have two of their top players (Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks). Tom Thibodeau is known as a defensive coach, and he did an excellent job the past few seasons with the Boston Celtics. However, the Boston Celtics have players who are willing to sacrifice some of their offense to play great team defense, and I don't think the Bulls are there yet. Noah plays good defense, and Taj Gibson gives great defensive effort when he's on the floor, but that is about it. They are routinely late on rotations, and so far this season good shooting teams have murdered them from the three point line. If they are going to make the jump from the middle of the pack to the top of the pack, they need to turn it around on the defensive end.
2. The Bulls struggle to win games against good teams. I hope this will change as the season moves along, and Rose and Boozer continue to develop good chemistry (which really started in the game tonight). So far this year they have lost games to Oklahoma City, Boston (twice), San Antonio, Denver, LA Lakers, Orlando, and the New York Knicks. All of those teams are well over .500, and will make the playoffs and be competetive. They were only really blown out by Orlando, so they have been competing. However, they need to start winning some of those games if they are going to be an elite team. I don't think they will be competing for a championship this year, but in order to gain the confidence and swagger that championship teams need, the Bulls have to learn how to beat those kinds of teams.
3. Clearly the Bulls need a starting shooting guard. Right now they have one of the top 3 point guards in the league in Rose, an above average small forward in Deng, a great low post scorer and rebounder in Boozer, an energetic, defensive minded center in Noah, and a rotation of 4 back up shooting guards (Bogans, Korver, Brewer, and James Johnson). Bogans should not be starting anymore. He can't handle the ball, he can't shoot that well, and he doesn't play good enough defense to warrant starter's minutes. Korver isn't the answer either, as he is all offense, and for the money the Bulls paid, his shooting percentage from 3 isn't what it should be. Brewer is a great defender, and I like how he fits in with what the Bulls do in transition. He can't shoot from outside though, and the Bulls need a shooter to stretch the floor. Alot of people have been calling for the Bulls to make a huge deal to try and get Carmelo Anthony. That move would likely cost the Bulls both of their first round picks, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng. To me, that is way too much to give up. I would much rather see the Bulls develop their team chemistry, and use both of their draft picks (one of which should be a lottery pick coming from the Charlotte Bobcats) on shooters that can stretch the floor.
It's been a long time since the Bulls have had a team that was exciting to watch. I really think they are close now. Derrick Rose is a great player having an MVP calibur season, Joakim Noah is a much improved offensive player, and is a winner, and Boozer adds another serious offensive threat for Rose to look to for help. They are close to becoming a good team, and hopefully another season or two of experience will make them an elite team.
1. They are not playing very good team defense. They have given up over 100 points in three straight games, including tonight against a Rockets team that didn't have two of their top players (Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks). Tom Thibodeau is known as a defensive coach, and he did an excellent job the past few seasons with the Boston Celtics. However, the Boston Celtics have players who are willing to sacrifice some of their offense to play great team defense, and I don't think the Bulls are there yet. Noah plays good defense, and Taj Gibson gives great defensive effort when he's on the floor, but that is about it. They are routinely late on rotations, and so far this season good shooting teams have murdered them from the three point line. If they are going to make the jump from the middle of the pack to the top of the pack, they need to turn it around on the defensive end.
2. The Bulls struggle to win games against good teams. I hope this will change as the season moves along, and Rose and Boozer continue to develop good chemistry (which really started in the game tonight). So far this year they have lost games to Oklahoma City, Boston (twice), San Antonio, Denver, LA Lakers, Orlando, and the New York Knicks. All of those teams are well over .500, and will make the playoffs and be competetive. They were only really blown out by Orlando, so they have been competing. However, they need to start winning some of those games if they are going to be an elite team. I don't think they will be competing for a championship this year, but in order to gain the confidence and swagger that championship teams need, the Bulls have to learn how to beat those kinds of teams.
3. Clearly the Bulls need a starting shooting guard. Right now they have one of the top 3 point guards in the league in Rose, an above average small forward in Deng, a great low post scorer and rebounder in Boozer, an energetic, defensive minded center in Noah, and a rotation of 4 back up shooting guards (Bogans, Korver, Brewer, and James Johnson). Bogans should not be starting anymore. He can't handle the ball, he can't shoot that well, and he doesn't play good enough defense to warrant starter's minutes. Korver isn't the answer either, as he is all offense, and for the money the Bulls paid, his shooting percentage from 3 isn't what it should be. Brewer is a great defender, and I like how he fits in with what the Bulls do in transition. He can't shoot from outside though, and the Bulls need a shooter to stretch the floor. Alot of people have been calling for the Bulls to make a huge deal to try and get Carmelo Anthony. That move would likely cost the Bulls both of their first round picks, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng. To me, that is way too much to give up. I would much rather see the Bulls develop their team chemistry, and use both of their draft picks (one of which should be a lottery pick coming from the Charlotte Bobcats) on shooters that can stretch the floor.
It's been a long time since the Bulls have had a team that was exciting to watch. I really think they are close now. Derrick Rose is a great player having an MVP calibur season, Joakim Noah is a much improved offensive player, and is a winner, and Boozer adds another serious offensive threat for Rose to look to for help. They are close to becoming a good team, and hopefully another season or two of experience will make them an elite team.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
NBA Eastern Conference Predictions: November
A couple of posts ago I made predictions of what would happen this season in the NBA's Eastern Conference. I decided that at the end of each month I would go back and review my predictions, and make new predictions as necessary. At the end of November the NBA Eastern Conference doesn't quite look like I thought it would. The standings are as follows:
1. Boston Celtics (12-4)
2. Orlando Magic (12-4)
3. Atlanta Hawks (11-7)
4. Chicago Bulls (9-6)
5. Miami Heat (9-8)
6. New York Knicks (9-9)
7. Indiana Pacers (7-7)
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-9)
9. Milwaukee Bucks (6-10)
10. Detroit Pistons (6-11)
11. Charlotte Bobcats (6-11)
12. Toronto Raptors (6-11)
13. Washington Wizards (5-10)
14. New Jersey Nets (5-11)
15. Philadelphia 76ers (4-13)
There are a few surpises in the early going this season, and the biggest one is definitely the Miami Heat. Many basketball analysts in the media had them winning 70 plus games. I will admit, I had them approaching 70 wins as well (my preseason prediction was that they'd win 68 games, and cruise to the number 1 seed in the East). However, after watching them play almost a quarter of the season, it is apparent that they are all perimeter. They are dead last in the league in points in the paint, and have been getting outrebounded on a nightly basis. Chris Bosh is a perimeter big man, not a post up, work for offensive rebounds and score in the paint big man. LeBron James has played very well, but Dwyane Wade has been flat out awful. Not only have the so called "Big Three" for Miami been outplayed by a majority of their opponents, their bench is the oldest bench in the league. They are blowing leads against teams they should beat, losing at home against teams they should beat, and getting blown out by the elite teams. People have been saying it'll take time for the Heat to figure it out. They've already played 17 games together. They should at least have a few things figured out by now. They clearly don't, but because of their perimeter talent they have managed to win 9 games.
Another big disappointment through November has been the Milwaukee Bucks. I picked them to go 46-36, and place second in the Central Division. Currently, they sit at 6-11, and in fourth place in the Central. Jennings hasn't played as well as he did last year, and the additions they made in the offseason are not working out as they planned either. However, I do think they will pick it up. Scott Skiles coached teams have typically gotten off to slow starts, and recovered in a big way. The 2005 Bulls were 0-9 before finishing 49-33, and gaining home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Skiles was the coach of that team. He has more talent now, and I think the Bucks will rebound from a tough start.
The Knicks and Pacers have played alot better than I thought they would. The Pacers have already beaten the Heat in Miami, and the Knicks have won 6 of their last 8. Both of those teams play hard, and will probably make the playoffs this year if they stay healthy.
There have been some surprises, both disappointing and exciting, in the first month of the NBA season for the Eastern Conference. Here are my revised predictions after one month:
1. Boston Celtics (60-22): Boston is clearly the best team in the East when they are healthy. They have the best front court depth in the entire league (better than the Lakers' depth by far). Add to that the "Big Four" (Pierce, Allen, Garnett, and Rondo), plus two of the better bench players in the Eastern Conference in Big Baby Davis and Nate Robinson, and the Celtics are a deadly team. They do have a couple of head scratching losses (the Durant-less Thunder at home, the Raptors, and the Cavaliers have all beaten the Celtics this season). However, all 4 losses have come on the second night of a back-to-back, which are tough situations for any team, much less an older team. The Celts have several big wins, including two against the Miami Heat, who are clearly the inferior team when playing against Boston. One more thing about Boston before I move on: they have the best pure, all around point guard in the East. Rondo is the best passer, and one of the top defenders in the league, and is the force that drives the Celtics offensively, even if he doesn't score all that well. I like the Celtics to win the East.
2. Orlando Magic (58-24): Orlando keeps plugging along. They are 1-1 against the Heat, but are clearly better than them. Dwight Howard has an improved post game, and the work he did with Hakeem Olajuwon in the off-season has helped. They still hit a ton of three pointers, and run the floor extremely well in the fast break. While he isn't my favorite person, Stan Van Gundy is doing a great job coaching this team to play an up-tempo style, while also playing much better defensively. I will stick with Orlando to finish second in the East.
3. Chicago Bulls (52-30): My preseason prediction for the Bulls was that they would win 54, and I think they still could. I didn't know they'd be without Boozer for the first 15-20 games when I made that initial prediction, and I think alot of Bulls fans feared that they'd get off to a slow start without him. However, the Bulls sit at 9-6, and first place in the division without Boozer, who should be a huge factor offensively when he comes back. Joakim Noah has played inspired basketball to this point in the season (15.6 pts, 13.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game so far). Derrick Rose has emerged as the best offensive point guard in the league. He is averaging 26.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. His assist totals should be higher too, if the Bulls had more players who could hit wide open mid-range jumpers. Nobody gets to the basket quicker and with more ease than Rose, and he is one of the best players in the leage at finishing at the rim. He has been unbelievable. I think the Bulls will only get better when they get Boozer back, and in the near future this team should put up alot of wins. They have a very favorable schedule in December and January.
4. Miami Heat (55-27): I think the Miami Heat will still be a good team eventually. They need a big man to step up and play good post basketball, but right now they don't have it. James has been great in his first season in Miami, but Bosh has been quiet, and Wade has been bad so far. They need those two to play well all the time, and I just don't see that happening for them. They will probably win a few more games than Chicago, but because they won't win their division, they get the fourth seed, and home-court advantage in round one.
5. Atlanta Hawks (49-33): Atlanta got off to a 6-0 start, and since have come back to the pack. They stand at 11-7. They are a decent team right now, but there is no way they can stay with the top teams in the conference as they have unpredictable play at the guard positions outside of Joe Johnson. I'll give them the fifth seed in the East.
6. New York Knicks (45-37): I predicted the Knicks would win 41 games at the beginning of the season. I like what I have seen from them so far as a team, even though I hate their freakin' guts. Raymond Felton was a great pick up for them at point guard, Toney Douglas has played well off the bench, Amar'e has done what they signed him to do, and they are scoring points in bunches, as a Mike D'Antoni team should do. They will get beat against good defensive teams, but they are better at this point than I thought they'd be.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (43-39): Milwaukee has gotten off to a poor start, but I think they'll rebound. They have too much talent not too with Bogut, Jennings, Maggette, etc. Skiles is a very good defensive coach, and they will right the ship on offense.
8. Indiana Pacers (41-41): I picked the Pacers to make the playoffs as the eighth seed, and I am stick with them. I liked their backcourt coming into the season (Collison, Rush, and Granger). Roy Hibbert has played much better that I thought he would. I still think the Pacers lack the front court depth to compete at a high level with the elite teams, even though they spanked the Heat in Miami a week or so ago. Still, they are much better than they've been in years past. I have them in the playoffs.
9-15: The Cavs are playing extremely hard for Byron Scott, and I sincerely hope they beat the tar out of the Heat this Thursday in LeBron's return to Cleveland. They just don't have the talent to keep up with the top teams in the conference, and that will show up in the near future. The rest of the teams are kind of pathetic actually. The Nets are playing better basketball, and are competing with good team, but can't find a way to win games. The Wizards are not good at all, and John Wall clearly isn't the rookie of the year, although he has shown flashes of being a great player at times (Blake Griffin has already won the rookie of the year award in my opinion. That dude is a monster.). The Pistons, Raptors, Bobcats and 76ers are all mediocre teams that shouldn't contend this season.
By my predictions, the first round of the playoffs would be:
Boston vs. Indiana
Orlando vs. Milwaukee
Chicago vs. New York
Miami vs. Atlanta
Well, there are my revamped predictions. Obviously I have changed a few things. It's still early in the season yet, so anything can still happen. I am just happy that the Heat won't be breaking the Bulls' record of 72 wins this season. They won't even come close. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the predictions, and as always, leave a comment if you'd like to. Thanks for reading.
1. Boston Celtics (12-4)
2. Orlando Magic (12-4)
3. Atlanta Hawks (11-7)
4. Chicago Bulls (9-6)
5. Miami Heat (9-8)
6. New York Knicks (9-9)
7. Indiana Pacers (7-7)
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-9)
9. Milwaukee Bucks (6-10)
10. Detroit Pistons (6-11)
11. Charlotte Bobcats (6-11)
12. Toronto Raptors (6-11)
13. Washington Wizards (5-10)
14. New Jersey Nets (5-11)
15. Philadelphia 76ers (4-13)
There are a few surpises in the early going this season, and the biggest one is definitely the Miami Heat. Many basketball analysts in the media had them winning 70 plus games. I will admit, I had them approaching 70 wins as well (my preseason prediction was that they'd win 68 games, and cruise to the number 1 seed in the East). However, after watching them play almost a quarter of the season, it is apparent that they are all perimeter. They are dead last in the league in points in the paint, and have been getting outrebounded on a nightly basis. Chris Bosh is a perimeter big man, not a post up, work for offensive rebounds and score in the paint big man. LeBron James has played very well, but Dwyane Wade has been flat out awful. Not only have the so called "Big Three" for Miami been outplayed by a majority of their opponents, their bench is the oldest bench in the league. They are blowing leads against teams they should beat, losing at home against teams they should beat, and getting blown out by the elite teams. People have been saying it'll take time for the Heat to figure it out. They've already played 17 games together. They should at least have a few things figured out by now. They clearly don't, but because of their perimeter talent they have managed to win 9 games.
Another big disappointment through November has been the Milwaukee Bucks. I picked them to go 46-36, and place second in the Central Division. Currently, they sit at 6-11, and in fourth place in the Central. Jennings hasn't played as well as he did last year, and the additions they made in the offseason are not working out as they planned either. However, I do think they will pick it up. Scott Skiles coached teams have typically gotten off to slow starts, and recovered in a big way. The 2005 Bulls were 0-9 before finishing 49-33, and gaining home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Skiles was the coach of that team. He has more talent now, and I think the Bucks will rebound from a tough start.
The Knicks and Pacers have played alot better than I thought they would. The Pacers have already beaten the Heat in Miami, and the Knicks have won 6 of their last 8. Both of those teams play hard, and will probably make the playoffs this year if they stay healthy.
There have been some surprises, both disappointing and exciting, in the first month of the NBA season for the Eastern Conference. Here are my revised predictions after one month:
1. Boston Celtics (60-22): Boston is clearly the best team in the East when they are healthy. They have the best front court depth in the entire league (better than the Lakers' depth by far). Add to that the "Big Four" (Pierce, Allen, Garnett, and Rondo), plus two of the better bench players in the Eastern Conference in Big Baby Davis and Nate Robinson, and the Celtics are a deadly team. They do have a couple of head scratching losses (the Durant-less Thunder at home, the Raptors, and the Cavaliers have all beaten the Celtics this season). However, all 4 losses have come on the second night of a back-to-back, which are tough situations for any team, much less an older team. The Celts have several big wins, including two against the Miami Heat, who are clearly the inferior team when playing against Boston. One more thing about Boston before I move on: they have the best pure, all around point guard in the East. Rondo is the best passer, and one of the top defenders in the league, and is the force that drives the Celtics offensively, even if he doesn't score all that well. I like the Celtics to win the East.
2. Orlando Magic (58-24): Orlando keeps plugging along. They are 1-1 against the Heat, but are clearly better than them. Dwight Howard has an improved post game, and the work he did with Hakeem Olajuwon in the off-season has helped. They still hit a ton of three pointers, and run the floor extremely well in the fast break. While he isn't my favorite person, Stan Van Gundy is doing a great job coaching this team to play an up-tempo style, while also playing much better defensively. I will stick with Orlando to finish second in the East.
3. Chicago Bulls (52-30): My preseason prediction for the Bulls was that they would win 54, and I think they still could. I didn't know they'd be without Boozer for the first 15-20 games when I made that initial prediction, and I think alot of Bulls fans feared that they'd get off to a slow start without him. However, the Bulls sit at 9-6, and first place in the division without Boozer, who should be a huge factor offensively when he comes back. Joakim Noah has played inspired basketball to this point in the season (15.6 pts, 13.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game so far). Derrick Rose has emerged as the best offensive point guard in the league. He is averaging 26.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. His assist totals should be higher too, if the Bulls had more players who could hit wide open mid-range jumpers. Nobody gets to the basket quicker and with more ease than Rose, and he is one of the best players in the leage at finishing at the rim. He has been unbelievable. I think the Bulls will only get better when they get Boozer back, and in the near future this team should put up alot of wins. They have a very favorable schedule in December and January.
4. Miami Heat (55-27): I think the Miami Heat will still be a good team eventually. They need a big man to step up and play good post basketball, but right now they don't have it. James has been great in his first season in Miami, but Bosh has been quiet, and Wade has been bad so far. They need those two to play well all the time, and I just don't see that happening for them. They will probably win a few more games than Chicago, but because they won't win their division, they get the fourth seed, and home-court advantage in round one.
5. Atlanta Hawks (49-33): Atlanta got off to a 6-0 start, and since have come back to the pack. They stand at 11-7. They are a decent team right now, but there is no way they can stay with the top teams in the conference as they have unpredictable play at the guard positions outside of Joe Johnson. I'll give them the fifth seed in the East.
6. New York Knicks (45-37): I predicted the Knicks would win 41 games at the beginning of the season. I like what I have seen from them so far as a team, even though I hate their freakin' guts. Raymond Felton was a great pick up for them at point guard, Toney Douglas has played well off the bench, Amar'e has done what they signed him to do, and they are scoring points in bunches, as a Mike D'Antoni team should do. They will get beat against good defensive teams, but they are better at this point than I thought they'd be.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (43-39): Milwaukee has gotten off to a poor start, but I think they'll rebound. They have too much talent not too with Bogut, Jennings, Maggette, etc. Skiles is a very good defensive coach, and they will right the ship on offense.
8. Indiana Pacers (41-41): I picked the Pacers to make the playoffs as the eighth seed, and I am stick with them. I liked their backcourt coming into the season (Collison, Rush, and Granger). Roy Hibbert has played much better that I thought he would. I still think the Pacers lack the front court depth to compete at a high level with the elite teams, even though they spanked the Heat in Miami a week or so ago. Still, they are much better than they've been in years past. I have them in the playoffs.
9-15: The Cavs are playing extremely hard for Byron Scott, and I sincerely hope they beat the tar out of the Heat this Thursday in LeBron's return to Cleveland. They just don't have the talent to keep up with the top teams in the conference, and that will show up in the near future. The rest of the teams are kind of pathetic actually. The Nets are playing better basketball, and are competing with good team, but can't find a way to win games. The Wizards are not good at all, and John Wall clearly isn't the rookie of the year, although he has shown flashes of being a great player at times (Blake Griffin has already won the rookie of the year award in my opinion. That dude is a monster.). The Pistons, Raptors, Bobcats and 76ers are all mediocre teams that shouldn't contend this season.
By my predictions, the first round of the playoffs would be:
Boston vs. Indiana
Orlando vs. Milwaukee
Chicago vs. New York
Miami vs. Atlanta
Well, there are my revamped predictions. Obviously I have changed a few things. It's still early in the season yet, so anything can still happen. I am just happy that the Heat won't be breaking the Bulls' record of 72 wins this season. They won't even come close. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the predictions, and as always, leave a comment if you'd like to. Thanks for reading.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Are the Bears a Playoff Team?
Well, the Bears proved alot of people wrong this week. Leading into this game just about all of the "experts" were predicting that the Vikings would come into Chicago and roll over the Bears on the heels of their come from behind victory against the Arizona Cardinals last week. Then the two teams played, and the Bears absolutely dominated the game, especially in the second half. Jay Cutler had his best performance of the season since week 2 at Dallas, the offensive line did a nice job of giving Cutler time and space to move when the pocket did collapse, the receivers played an excellent game, and the running game worked very well. When you combine the improved (and very well balanced) offensive attack with an aggressive Bears' defense and a mediocre Vikings' offense, the Bears probably should have won this game with ease.
With the win, the Bears improved to 6-3, and moved into a first place tie with the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. The Vikings are all but dead, not only in the division, but also for the wildcard. I would expect the Vikings to lose this week against Green Bay, and that should eliminate them from all the talk completely. However, I am not sure many people believe the Bears have what it takes to make the playoffs. Even after a big win, in which they dominated a team that is supposed to be competing for a championship this year, people are still doubting our Chicago Bears.
Granted, the Bears' schedule down the stretch is brutal. The last seven games of the season are at the Dolphins, home against the Eagles, at Detroit, home against the Patriots, at the Vikings, home against the Jets, and finally, at the Packers. Those are six teams that have played some pretty good football at times this season (the Lions included). None of those games are going to be guaranteed wins for the Bears. They have to play with the effort and intensity they played with in yesterday's ball game to give themselves a shot at winning the division. I think the playoffs are well within reach though.
All of the games remaining on the schedule are winnable for the Bears. They play against all three division opponents one more time, and they have already beaten those teams. Again, that isn't a guarantee that they will beat those teams on the road, but they can win those games. The Eagles and Dolphins are also winnable games. I will be very interested to see the Bears play against the Patriots and the Jets, who are two of the elite teams in the league. Those will be huge tests for the Bears as they near the end of the season. However, when you look at the schedule, at least five of the remaining seven games are winnable. If they can win at least 4 games down the stretch, you'd have to like their chances of getting into the playoffs as a wildcard.
The teams still in the hunt for the playoffs include: The Atlanta Falcons (7-2), The New York Giants (6-3), the Green Bay Packers (6-3), The Chicago Bears (6-3), The New Orleans Saints (6-3), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3), the Philadelphia Eagles (5-3), and whichever pathetic team in the NFC West wins that division (right now it looks like the Seattle Seahawks, who actually beat the Bears earlier this season). To me, none of those teams are really that much better than the Bears. All of the teams are very close, and it should be an interesting finish to the season. At the beginning of the season I said that I wouldn't be shocked to see the Bears win 10-11 games. They might not be that far away from that total after all. Go Bears!
With the win, the Bears improved to 6-3, and moved into a first place tie with the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. The Vikings are all but dead, not only in the division, but also for the wildcard. I would expect the Vikings to lose this week against Green Bay, and that should eliminate them from all the talk completely. However, I am not sure many people believe the Bears have what it takes to make the playoffs. Even after a big win, in which they dominated a team that is supposed to be competing for a championship this year, people are still doubting our Chicago Bears.
Granted, the Bears' schedule down the stretch is brutal. The last seven games of the season are at the Dolphins, home against the Eagles, at Detroit, home against the Patriots, at the Vikings, home against the Jets, and finally, at the Packers. Those are six teams that have played some pretty good football at times this season (the Lions included). None of those games are going to be guaranteed wins for the Bears. They have to play with the effort and intensity they played with in yesterday's ball game to give themselves a shot at winning the division. I think the playoffs are well within reach though.
All of the games remaining on the schedule are winnable for the Bears. They play against all three division opponents one more time, and they have already beaten those teams. Again, that isn't a guarantee that they will beat those teams on the road, but they can win those games. The Eagles and Dolphins are also winnable games. I will be very interested to see the Bears play against the Patriots and the Jets, who are two of the elite teams in the league. Those will be huge tests for the Bears as they near the end of the season. However, when you look at the schedule, at least five of the remaining seven games are winnable. If they can win at least 4 games down the stretch, you'd have to like their chances of getting into the playoffs as a wildcard.
The teams still in the hunt for the playoffs include: The Atlanta Falcons (7-2), The New York Giants (6-3), the Green Bay Packers (6-3), The Chicago Bears (6-3), The New Orleans Saints (6-3), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3), the Philadelphia Eagles (5-3), and whichever pathetic team in the NFC West wins that division (right now it looks like the Seattle Seahawks, who actually beat the Bears earlier this season). To me, none of those teams are really that much better than the Bears. All of the teams are very close, and it should be an interesting finish to the season. At the beginning of the season I said that I wouldn't be shocked to see the Bears win 10-11 games. They might not be that far away from that total after all. Go Bears!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Bulls win, Deng scores 40!
The Bulls played by far their best, most complete game of the early season tonight, defeating the Portland Trailblazers at home by a final score of 110-98. I was a little worried about this game coming in, mostly due to Portland's frontcourt, which is very good. However, the Bulls got a career performance out of Luol Deng, and strong performances from Rose and Noah as well.
Luol Deng finished with a career high 40 points. He was aggressive offensively from the get go, and Derrick Rose did an outstanding job of getting him the ball in rhythm with wide open looks. Deng looked sluggish on the offensive end the first two games of the season, so it was good to see him bust out in a big way. Now he needs to be more consistent. The Bulls don't need him to average 30 points a night or anything, but they do need him to score the ball consistently, especially while Carlos Boozer is out of the lineup.
Derrick Rose had a more typical point guard line in this game. He finished with 16 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds. Alot of people have been saying that they don't think Rose is one of the top point guards in the game right now because his assist numbers aren't very high. That isn't all his fault though. Many times he gets the ball to open shooters who just miss the shots. Well, they hit those shots tonight, and Rose's assist numbers were terrific. The thing that impressed me about Rose in the game tonight was the fact that he didn't press when Portland decided to roll an extra defender his way. It would have been easy for him to do that coming off of a game in which he scored 39 points, and single handedly willed the Bulls to a comeback win. Instead, Rose did alot of pick and roll, and drive and kick offense, drawing defenders and hitting the open man for plenty of wide open looks. He only took 11 shots tonight, but made 6 of them, which is a very efficient offensive game. When you factor in the 13 assists, that is alot of offensive production from a point guard who is one of the best in the league.
Noah had a decent night, although he was plagued by foul trouble. He finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. He had a couple of blocks thrown in, and a couple of steals as well on the defensive side of things. Joakim had a tough night guarding LaMarcus Aldridge, who posted 35 points for the Blazers. Without Aldridge's scoring tonight this game is an absolute route. I think Noah needs to get more touches offensively. The only thing truly missing from his game is the threat of consistent offense. He doesn't need to have 20 shots per game or anything like that, but give him 5-7 post opportunities each game to let him develop in that area as well. If he could score in the post a few times per game, that would open things up alot more for the Bulls. Imagine the possibilities when Boozer is healthy as well. Rose, Deng (if he shoots consistently), Noah and Boozer all on the floor at the same time will pose many problems for good defensive teams.
Overall this was an important win for the Bulls. They beat an up and coming team and gave them their first loss of the season. It is vital for the Bulls to get off to a great start at home. They play 4 of their next 5 at home before going on that ridiculous 7 game Western Conference road trip, which they never do well on. Up next for the Bulls are the New York Knicks on Thursday night at the United Center, then a big test on the road in Boston on Friday night. Good start for the Bulls, who are now 2-1. Go Bulls!
Luol Deng finished with a career high 40 points. He was aggressive offensively from the get go, and Derrick Rose did an outstanding job of getting him the ball in rhythm with wide open looks. Deng looked sluggish on the offensive end the first two games of the season, so it was good to see him bust out in a big way. Now he needs to be more consistent. The Bulls don't need him to average 30 points a night or anything, but they do need him to score the ball consistently, especially while Carlos Boozer is out of the lineup.
Derrick Rose had a more typical point guard line in this game. He finished with 16 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds. Alot of people have been saying that they don't think Rose is one of the top point guards in the game right now because his assist numbers aren't very high. That isn't all his fault though. Many times he gets the ball to open shooters who just miss the shots. Well, they hit those shots tonight, and Rose's assist numbers were terrific. The thing that impressed me about Rose in the game tonight was the fact that he didn't press when Portland decided to roll an extra defender his way. It would have been easy for him to do that coming off of a game in which he scored 39 points, and single handedly willed the Bulls to a comeback win. Instead, Rose did alot of pick and roll, and drive and kick offense, drawing defenders and hitting the open man for plenty of wide open looks. He only took 11 shots tonight, but made 6 of them, which is a very efficient offensive game. When you factor in the 13 assists, that is alot of offensive production from a point guard who is one of the best in the league.
Noah had a decent night, although he was plagued by foul trouble. He finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. He had a couple of blocks thrown in, and a couple of steals as well on the defensive side of things. Joakim had a tough night guarding LaMarcus Aldridge, who posted 35 points for the Blazers. Without Aldridge's scoring tonight this game is an absolute route. I think Noah needs to get more touches offensively. The only thing truly missing from his game is the threat of consistent offense. He doesn't need to have 20 shots per game or anything like that, but give him 5-7 post opportunities each game to let him develop in that area as well. If he could score in the post a few times per game, that would open things up alot more for the Bulls. Imagine the possibilities when Boozer is healthy as well. Rose, Deng (if he shoots consistently), Noah and Boozer all on the floor at the same time will pose many problems for good defensive teams.
Overall this was an important win for the Bulls. They beat an up and coming team and gave them their first loss of the season. It is vital for the Bulls to get off to a great start at home. They play 4 of their next 5 at home before going on that ridiculous 7 game Western Conference road trip, which they never do well on. Up next for the Bulls are the New York Knicks on Thursday night at the United Center, then a big test on the road in Boston on Friday night. Good start for the Bulls, who are now 2-1. Go Bulls!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Derrick Rose!
I was really looking forward to the Bulls' home opener last night against the Detroit Pistons. I thought the team played pretty well for the most part in their season opener against a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team, who by the way has everybody's pre-season pick for MVP in Kevin Durant. I figured the Bulls would play much better against a piss-poor Detroit team. Unfortunately for me, the game was blacked out in my area (thank you very much Consolidated Communications). However, I did find a website that allowed me to watch the game with a live streaming feed. So instead of watching the game in HD on my 37 inch screen, I watched in a very low resolution on a laptop.
I actually had to turn the game off on my laptop, not because the Bulls were sucking (they were), but because the feed to the game kept going in and out, so at the end of the first half, when the Bulls were trailing 63-44, I turned the game off, and followed the game with the "In Game Tracker" on the Chicago Bulls website.
I wish I could have seen that fourth quarter. Derrick Rose absolutely took that game over. He finished the game with 39 points (tied a career high), 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. After two games, Rose is leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game. With Boozer out for the next month or so, the Bulls need Rose to score at this elite level in order to win games. Through two games, they have gotten virtually nothing from Luol Deng, and only a decent contribution from Taj Gibson (13.5 points per game from Taj is pretty good). Joakim Noah is averaging 16.5 points per game, but his value is in his rebounding and defense. If he can find a way to average 15 points per game for the whole season, that would be amazing.
Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, CJ Watson and Keith Bogans need to pick it up. I would expect Korver to be out on the floor alot more in the next few games. They need his shooting out there to spread the floor, especially without Boozer in the lineup. Rose is the best drive and kick guy in the league, but he has nobody to kick to. Korver needs to be that guy, and so does Deng. Deng looked so good in that role in the preseason. He was even nailing wide open three pointers in the half-court offense. So far this season he has looked rusty. The Bulls need him to score efficiently if they are going to be as successful as they can be.
The story here though is Derrick Rose. Bulls fans haven't really had anybody to be this excited about since Michael and Scottie left. Sure we had a couple of good years from Ben Gordon, but he isn't a superstar. Derrick Rose is a superstar right now, and he is only going to get better. Watching him play the first two games of the season makes me happy that LeBron chose Miami. The Bulls don't need anybody taking the ball away from Rose. If he keeps playing like this, and all signs are pointing to the fact that Rose can, he will be in the MVP conversation, provided the Bulls are winning games.
Joakim Noah seems to have picked up where he left off as well. Averaging a monster double-double through two games is impressive, and he will most likely continue to average these types of numbers the remainder of the season. The Bulls will be a very good team when Boozer comes back. A low-post scorer who can hit the 16 footer with consistency and averages 18-20 points per game would look so good alongside Rose and Noah right now. Oh, and Boozer averages double digit rebounds for his career as well, which will be a tremendous boost, seeing as how Taj Gibson didn't grab a single rebound last night against Detroit.
The Bulls have an important stretch of games coming up. Portland tomorrow night will be an extremely tough game, and the Knicks are an improved team as well (Bulls/Knicks on Thursday night). Then the Bulls play in Boston on Friday night in the second game of a back-to-back. The Celtics always play the Bulls tough, and with their unbelievable front court depth, I'd have to give them a big edge in that game. Anyways, the Bulls need to pile up some wins at home. They go on the seven game "Circus" trip midway through November, and they haven't done well on that trip since the Jordan/Pippen days. If they can stay around .500 until Boozer gets back, they would be in good position to take the division this year. Go Bulls!
I actually had to turn the game off on my laptop, not because the Bulls were sucking (they were), but because the feed to the game kept going in and out, so at the end of the first half, when the Bulls were trailing 63-44, I turned the game off, and followed the game with the "In Game Tracker" on the Chicago Bulls website.
I wish I could have seen that fourth quarter. Derrick Rose absolutely took that game over. He finished the game with 39 points (tied a career high), 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. After two games, Rose is leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game. With Boozer out for the next month or so, the Bulls need Rose to score at this elite level in order to win games. Through two games, they have gotten virtually nothing from Luol Deng, and only a decent contribution from Taj Gibson (13.5 points per game from Taj is pretty good). Joakim Noah is averaging 16.5 points per game, but his value is in his rebounding and defense. If he can find a way to average 15 points per game for the whole season, that would be amazing.
Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, CJ Watson and Keith Bogans need to pick it up. I would expect Korver to be out on the floor alot more in the next few games. They need his shooting out there to spread the floor, especially without Boozer in the lineup. Rose is the best drive and kick guy in the league, but he has nobody to kick to. Korver needs to be that guy, and so does Deng. Deng looked so good in that role in the preseason. He was even nailing wide open three pointers in the half-court offense. So far this season he has looked rusty. The Bulls need him to score efficiently if they are going to be as successful as they can be.
The story here though is Derrick Rose. Bulls fans haven't really had anybody to be this excited about since Michael and Scottie left. Sure we had a couple of good years from Ben Gordon, but he isn't a superstar. Derrick Rose is a superstar right now, and he is only going to get better. Watching him play the first two games of the season makes me happy that LeBron chose Miami. The Bulls don't need anybody taking the ball away from Rose. If he keeps playing like this, and all signs are pointing to the fact that Rose can, he will be in the MVP conversation, provided the Bulls are winning games.
Joakim Noah seems to have picked up where he left off as well. Averaging a monster double-double through two games is impressive, and he will most likely continue to average these types of numbers the remainder of the season. The Bulls will be a very good team when Boozer comes back. A low-post scorer who can hit the 16 footer with consistency and averages 18-20 points per game would look so good alongside Rose and Noah right now. Oh, and Boozer averages double digit rebounds for his career as well, which will be a tremendous boost, seeing as how Taj Gibson didn't grab a single rebound last night against Detroit.
The Bulls have an important stretch of games coming up. Portland tomorrow night will be an extremely tough game, and the Knicks are an improved team as well (Bulls/Knicks on Thursday night). Then the Bulls play in Boston on Friday night in the second game of a back-to-back. The Celtics always play the Bulls tough, and with their unbelievable front court depth, I'd have to give them a big edge in that game. Anyways, the Bulls need to pile up some wins at home. They go on the seven game "Circus" trip midway through November, and they haven't done well on that trip since the Jordan/Pippen days. If they can stay around .500 until Boozer gets back, they would be in good position to take the division this year. Go Bulls!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Opening week NBA reactions
I don't know about anybody else, but I've learned quite a bit about a few teams in watching the first 3 nights of the NBA regular season.
The Miami Heat are not as great as everybody thinks, and I don't think they'll be as great as most think they have the potential to be. LeBron James is a fantastic player, but the Heat are asking him to do some things that he has never been accustomed to doing. He is not a point guard, and he is also not a post player. He is a slashing player, he is fantastic in transition, perhaps the best in the league at half-court isolation plays, but he isn't a point guard. That is evidenced in his 17 turnovers in the first two games of the season. Chris Bosh looks lost on this team as well. He is at his best when he plays as a big man on the perimeter. The problem is that all of the other players on the floor with him are also going to be on the perimeter, so they need him to play inside, something he isn't comfortable doing. Don't get me wrong, the Heat will win alot of games this season, and they'll figure out their chemistry issues. They aren't getting anywhere near 72 wins though. Of course, after writing this post, the Miami Heat destroyed the Orlando Magic in their home opener, 96-70.
As for our Chicago Bulls, I thought they did some good things in their opening night loss on the road against Oklahoma City. Derrick Rose is a beast, plain and simple. He absolutely dominated the first half of the ball game (20 pts and 5 assists). He gets to the basket so easily, it's unreal. One part of his game I didn't like was his willingness to shoot quick perimeter jumpers. That isn't his game. I know he's been saying his outside shot has improved, but he needs to show us that in the natural flow of the game. The only player I have ever seen that could do something on the court just to prove his point was Michael Jordan. Rose isn't Michael Jordan.
Joakim Noah was a beast in the second half. He finished the game with 18 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 or 6 assists. I don't know that he'll score 18 points night in and night out, but if he plays with that high level of energy, he will be in the running for the all-star team. I also thought that CJ Watson played a strong game off the bench. Rose got in early foul trouble, and Watson gave the Bulls some needed minutes, scoring a few baskets when the team was struggling on offense.
The Bulls need to work on their team defense. The Thunder did anything they wanted, especially in the fourth quarter, with very little resistance. The Bulls aren't going to outscore many teams in run and gun type of games. They need to keep teams under 100 points. Hopefully that will improve as the season goes along. The Bulls also need to get more production from their bench. Korver was kind of quiet, and Ronnie Brewer was flat out awful on the offensive end. I was surpised not to see Omer Asik in the game. I thought he looked good in the preseason, and deserved some minutes in the opener.
Another area the Bulls need to work on is running their half court offense when Rose is not on the floor. They looked lost at times when Rose was on the bench, and that has to improve. Hopefully all goes well in tonight's home opener against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are 0-2 coming into the game this evening, and the Bulls should look to take advantage of a bad team on their home floor. I would look for a huge game from Rose, and more contributions from Luol Deng as well.
It has been fun watching the games on TNT and ESPN at the start of the season. Blake Griffin looks like he's going to be a superstar very quickly, while John Wall looked like a deer in headlights most of his NBA debut. The Portland Trailblazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be fun teams to watch. Both are improved from a year ago, and they both have dynamic shooting guards/small forwards in Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant. It's great for the NBA to have so many superstars going right now. It should be fun to see how the season plays out.
The Miami Heat are not as great as everybody thinks, and I don't think they'll be as great as most think they have the potential to be. LeBron James is a fantastic player, but the Heat are asking him to do some things that he has never been accustomed to doing. He is not a point guard, and he is also not a post player. He is a slashing player, he is fantastic in transition, perhaps the best in the league at half-court isolation plays, but he isn't a point guard. That is evidenced in his 17 turnovers in the first two games of the season. Chris Bosh looks lost on this team as well. He is at his best when he plays as a big man on the perimeter. The problem is that all of the other players on the floor with him are also going to be on the perimeter, so they need him to play inside, something he isn't comfortable doing. Don't get me wrong, the Heat will win alot of games this season, and they'll figure out their chemistry issues. They aren't getting anywhere near 72 wins though. Of course, after writing this post, the Miami Heat destroyed the Orlando Magic in their home opener, 96-70.
As for our Chicago Bulls, I thought they did some good things in their opening night loss on the road against Oklahoma City. Derrick Rose is a beast, plain and simple. He absolutely dominated the first half of the ball game (20 pts and 5 assists). He gets to the basket so easily, it's unreal. One part of his game I didn't like was his willingness to shoot quick perimeter jumpers. That isn't his game. I know he's been saying his outside shot has improved, but he needs to show us that in the natural flow of the game. The only player I have ever seen that could do something on the court just to prove his point was Michael Jordan. Rose isn't Michael Jordan.
Joakim Noah was a beast in the second half. He finished the game with 18 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 or 6 assists. I don't know that he'll score 18 points night in and night out, but if he plays with that high level of energy, he will be in the running for the all-star team. I also thought that CJ Watson played a strong game off the bench. Rose got in early foul trouble, and Watson gave the Bulls some needed minutes, scoring a few baskets when the team was struggling on offense.
The Bulls need to work on their team defense. The Thunder did anything they wanted, especially in the fourth quarter, with very little resistance. The Bulls aren't going to outscore many teams in run and gun type of games. They need to keep teams under 100 points. Hopefully that will improve as the season goes along. The Bulls also need to get more production from their bench. Korver was kind of quiet, and Ronnie Brewer was flat out awful on the offensive end. I was surpised not to see Omer Asik in the game. I thought he looked good in the preseason, and deserved some minutes in the opener.
Another area the Bulls need to work on is running their half court offense when Rose is not on the floor. They looked lost at times when Rose was on the bench, and that has to improve. Hopefully all goes well in tonight's home opener against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are 0-2 coming into the game this evening, and the Bulls should look to take advantage of a bad team on their home floor. I would look for a huge game from Rose, and more contributions from Luol Deng as well.
It has been fun watching the games on TNT and ESPN at the start of the season. Blake Griffin looks like he's going to be a superstar very quickly, while John Wall looked like a deer in headlights most of his NBA debut. The Portland Trailblazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be fun teams to watch. Both are improved from a year ago, and they both have dynamic shooting guards/small forwards in Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant. It's great for the NBA to have so many superstars going right now. It should be fun to see how the season plays out.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Basketball Season Predictions
The NBA season has just tipped off, and alot of people (myself included) are pretty excited about seeing what happens in the Eastern Conference this season. Here are my predictions, and keep in mind, that I wrote this a while back (before the injury to Carlos Boozer). The win totals for the Bulls are probably not likely to be as high as I have predicted based on that injury. Enjoy!
2010-2011 NBA Eastern Conference Regular Season and Playoff Predictions
Atlantic Division
Team | Wins | Losses |
Boston Celtics | 52 | 30 |
New York Knicks | 41 | 41 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 38 | 44 |
Toronto Raptors | 32 | 50 |
New Jersey Nets | 30 | 52 |
Central Division
Team | Wins | Losses |
Chicago Bulls | 54 | 28 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 46 | 36 |
Indiana Pacers | 39 | 43 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 36 | 46 |
Detroit Pistons | 31 | 51 |
Southeast Division
Team | Wins | Losses |
Miami Heat | 68 | 14 |
Orlando Magic | 58 | 24 |
Atlanta Hawks | 47 | 35 |
Charlotte Bobcats | 36 | 46 |
Washington Wizards | 34 | 48 |
Playoff Seeding
1. Miami Heat (68-14)
2. Orlando Magic (58-24)
3. Chicago Bulls (54-28)
4. Boston Celtics (52-30)
5. Atlanta Hawks (47-35)
6. Milwaukee Bucks (46-36)
7. New York Knicks (41-41)
8. Indiana Pacers (39-43)
Analysis of Regular Season and Playoff Seeding Predictions
The whole balance of power in the NBA has shifted from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference with the events of the “Summer of 2010 Free Agency”. I decided to take a shot at predicting how I think the Eastern Conference will play out this season. Once the NBA regular season starts, I will re-vamp my picks at the end of each month, and see exactly how close my original predictions were.
1. The Miami Heat (68-14). They are easily the best team (on paper) with the signing of LeBron, Wade and Bosh. They have a shot at the all-time record for wins in a season (72), as long as the team develops good chemistry, and each player has a clearly defined role. I don’t think they get to 70 wins this year. The Celtics will beat them once (maybe twice), the Lakers will win both games, the Magic will beat them twice, the Bulls will beat them once, the Thunder will beat them once. That’s seven losses right there. There will also be a smattering of defeats by teams they should beat, such as the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Portland Trail Blazers. I could see each of those teams winning a game against Miami. Still, 68-14 is a damn good record, and easily gives the Heat the top overall seed in the NBA.
2. The Orlando Magic (58-24): The Magic are still a very talented team, and their size up front with Dwight Howard will give Miami a tough time when they play. Their backcourt is a strength, as they are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league. They aren’t as athletic as Miami, and won’t be able to keep up with their pace all season, even though I see Orlando beating Miami twice in head-to-head matchups this season. The Magic cruise into the playoffs with the second seed in the East, and possibly the second best overall record in the NBA.
3. Chicago Bulls (54-28): The Bulls will make the jump to the top half of the Eastern Conference this season. Derrick Rose will elevate his game to among the elite, Noah is poised for an even better season than the great one he had last year, and the addition of Carlos Boozer gives the Bulls two 20 point per game scorers in their starting lineup. They should be very balanced, and play great team defense. They will have trouble with Miami, although they will beat them once in Chicago in a close game. The Lakers, Thunder, Magic, and Celtics will all be good tests for this Bulls team, and other teams will challenge them as well at times (Bucks, Knicks, Pacers). Still, the Bulls will finish with the third seed in the East, and home court advantage in round one.
4. Boston Celtics (52-30): The Celtics added to their frontcourt depth this offseason by signing the two O’Neals (Jermaine and Shaq). Rondo is rapidly becoming one of the best pure point guards in the game (reminds me a lot of John Stockton in the sense that he is a passer first, shooter second.). Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are all getting older, Shaq will probably be a role player, similar to last year in Cleveland. I still think they will be tough to beat. Their bench depth is fantastic with Nate Robinson, Glen Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaq, Avery Bradley, and Luke Harangody. I think they fall in behind the Bulls because of their age. Once they clinch their division and seal up home court in the first round, I could see Doc sitting his starters to keep them fresh for the playoff run.
5. Atlanta Hawks (47-35): The Hawks re-signed Joe Johnson to a stupid contract. They return the same team that got them the third seed in the playoffs last year, but with the top four teams in the East (Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Boston) all making improvements to their playoff rosters from last season, the Hawks drop to fifth in the East.
6. Milwaukee Bucks (46-36): The Bucks made some significant pick ups this off season as well. Re-signing John Salmons was a nice move, but he will have to continue playing like he did with the Bucks last year to prove his worth. Drew Gooden provides some size and valuable contributions in the front court, and a healthy Andrew Bogut should make this team tough to play against. Miami, Orlando, Chicago, and Boston should beat them consistently in the East, and teams out west like the Lakers, Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Rockets and Mavericks should beat them twice as well. The Bucks finish the season as the sixth seed in the East.
7. New York Knicks (41-41): I can’t believe I am actually predicting this. In spite of the fact that I hate the Knicks, they are an improved team (at least on paper). Stoudemire doesn’t play defense even a little bit, but he does rebound and score at will when he wants to. Gallinari is a great outside shooting threat, and I really like the signing of Raymond Felton from Charlotte. He will be a solid starting point guard for the Knicks this season. They will not compete with the top teams in the East or West this season, but there are enough bottom-feeders in the league that the Knicks should see enough victories to get them into the playoffs this season. That would go a long way toward wooing Carmello Anthony and Chris Paul over the next two years.
8. Indiana Pacers (39-43): This is my stretch pick. I thought about this seeding the most of any of the top eight in the East. The reason I went with the Pacers is because I really like the trade for Darren Collison. Collison will be a great scoring and passing point guard in this league, and he should be glad he doesn’t have to sit behind Chris Paul anymore. Collison/Granger/Rush is a great combination of perimeter players who can shoot, slash, drive the lane, kick out, and score in a variety of ways. They will miss Troy Murphy, and probably have huge problems in the front court with Hibbert and Hansbrough having to play big minutes. I still like that trio in the backcourt to score in bunches, and get the Pacers into the playoffs as the eight seed in the East.
9-15: A lot of these teams have improved, but not enough to challenge in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers have a new coach (Doug Collins), a high draft pick (Evan Turner), and Elton Brand coming back from injury. They still will have problems defensively, and won’t be able to score enough to offset those problems. The Raptors won’t be a threat with Chris Bosh out of the picture. They weren’t even a playoff team with him, and he was their best player. I wouldn’t count on them being much of a factor. The Nets will improve dramatically, and probably compete with teams a lot better than last season. They still have a lot of work to do as they didn’t attract very many free agents during the off season. The Cavaliers will struggle to find an identity with LeBron gone, although they will play hard and compete for new coach Byron Scott. Detroit might be the worst team in the East, although I gave them 2 more wins than New Jersey. They have ball-hogging shooters in their backcourt, and adding Tracy McGrady will only hurt in that respect. Their core players are getting older, and the Pistons will be on the outside looking in for the second straight season. Charlotte should regress this season with Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler gone. They’ll have to depend on more production from Tyrus Thomas, which is a dangerous proposition. I like the moves the Wizards made. John Wall is a superstar in the making, and they have all kinds of talent waiting in the wings. The Hinrich trade was a good one. I think it will take them a year to gel before they make the playoffs, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up making a run at the eighth seed.
Well, there are my picks. The Bulls probably won't win 54 (somewhere between 50-52 is likely still). I will go back at the end of each month (starting in November) and see how I am doing on my predictions. Let me know what you think, and feel free to jump in with your own predictions.
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