2008-09 NBA Season Preview

This will be a season to remember. One week from today, the 2008-2009 NBA season tips off with rematch of one of last year's most exciting playoff series. The defending World Champion Boston Celtics will play host to LeBron James and the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, James and eventual NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce put on a one-on-one show that rivaled the famed Bird/Wilkins shootout of the mid-80s.

Eastern Conference Analysis
It's hard not to pick the Celtics to at least reach the NBA Finals again. So, I will. (I'm a bigger homer than Tommy Heinsohn, I know. Bear with me.) The Celtics are destined -- barring a major injury -- to return to the Finals to defend their title. Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have had an entire season to play together and should be more fluid than ever before. The subtraction of James Posey will hurt come playoff time, but the regular season will provide youngsters like Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Gabe Pruitt, Leon Powe and Patrick O'Bryant time to mature.

Homerism aside, I ask you, dear readers, to tell me who would feasibly challenge the Celtics for the Eastern crown. The popular choice would be the Detroit Pistons, whom the Celtics knocked off in the Conference Finals last year. The problem is, Detroit no longer has the depth that they have become known for. Their main stars are falling faster than Matt Cassel. The Pistons will live and die by the play of Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton. Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace have both lost a step from their glory days, and god help them if Rodney Stuckey becomes their first man off the bench.

Other clubs like the Raptors, Bulls, Sixers, Wizards and Hawks will pop up, but there's only one team out there -- besides Detroit -- that can feasibly challenge the Celtics this year, and it's the Orlando Magic. Alright, alright. I know what you're saying. Why the hell would Dan pick the Magic to challenge the almighty Green? Dwight Howard. I hate to say this, considering my aforementioned blatant homerism, but Howard can overpower Kevin Garnett. He doesn't have the shooting range KG shows off, but in the paint, there's no one better. Not only can he out-strength Garnett, but throw in Tim Duncan, Emeka Okafor, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudamire and Al Jefferson for good measure. Platoon Howard with Rashard Lewis, who has the best three-point range of any big-man in the game, and you've got a deadly combination. Jameer Nelson, Hedu Turkoglu and J.J. Redick round out a dangerously offensive-minded club. (Whether they can defend is another story. That might be their Achilles' Heel.)

Teams Contending for the Conference Crown: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers.

Team that Might Surprise You: Ready for this one? The New York Knicks. God knows they've got the talent, they just can't seem to figure out what to do with it. Under the supervision of Mike D'Antoni, they might be ready to put it together for a nice little run. But hell, as long as Isiah Thomas is away from the bench, they've got to improve a little bit, right? Look for Jamal Crawford to emerge as a marginal superstar (or at least someone Stu Scott can yell "BOOYAH!" at), and Eddy Curry to finally become a serviceable presence in the paint. This team might just grab a playoff spot.


Western Conference Analysis
It's not going to be the Lakers again, so get that out of your head. I still can't figure out how they reached the Finals last year. Yeah, their offense is impressive, but man...they're soft. If you want to succeed in this league, you need to have physical and mental toughness, and Kobe's boys possess neither. I can still see Sasha Vujacic throwing a punch at a water boy during last year's Finals.



Classy guy, that one. Anyway, yes they're getting Andrew Bynum back, but this kid is still a long way away from being a dominant inside presence. Look for the Lakers to make the playoffs, maybe advance one round, and have Kobe make another trade demand in the offseason. (It feels weird that he didn't this summer. Maybe he forgot.)

With the Lake Show out of the title picture, we turn our attention to Old Faithful: the San Antonio Spurs, who have the worst P.A. announcer in all of sports. Look, if I called the Pistons 'old,' I can't call the Spurs anything less. However! The Spurs didn't seem to miss a step last year, and have proven that they can reach the top on multiple occasions. (Tim Duncan has four freaking championship rings. Seriously. FOUR. Kevin Garnett looked like he was going to wet himself when he won his first ring last year. He'll start taking people out with a blowtorch if he ever wins three more.) Back on topic... Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have been the NBA's REAL "Big Three" over the past half-decade. They've been stable, impressively coherent, and mentally concrete. Yes, they will lead a very veteran San Antonio team into battle this year, but a veteran team that has enough youthful reserve to be effective.

Last season was a breakout performance for the New Orleans Hornets. Led by perennial MVP candidate Chris Paul, they drove themselves all the way to the Conference's #1 seed before being ousted by San Antonio. This year, their team is still intact along with the huge addition of 2008 Celtics hero James Posey. If New Orleans can reach the postseason, which they almost certainly will, look for Paul, Posey and David West to open some eyes.

Teams Contending for the Conference Crown: San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks (Though they might be gettin too Mavericky to win. It's impossible to ever watch them again without thinking of Tina Fey-lin. It's a good thing they have Mark Cuban to take care of the cronies and corruption on Wall Street while Dirk Nowitzki is dangling from a helicopter trying to gun down a moose.)

Team that Might Surprise You: It wouldn't be a huge surprise, but the Portland Trailblazers are locked and ready to wage war on the Western Conference. With a healthy Greg Oden, who does the best ESPN ads I've ever seen:



...the Blazers should be ready to compete with a surge of youth behind them. It's G.O. Time.


Full Standings Predictions
(#) - Denotes Playoff Seed

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1. Boston Celtics (1)
2. Toronto Raptors (5)
3. New York Knicks (8)
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. New Jersey Nets

Central Division
1. Detroit Pistons (3)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (4)
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Indiana Pacers

Southeast Division
1. Orlando Magic (2)
2. Washington Wizards (6)
3. Atlanta Hawks (7)
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Miami Heat

Quarter-Final Round
(1) Boston def. (8) New York
(2) Orlando def. (7) Atlanta
(3) Detroit def. (6) Washington
(4) Cleveland def. (5) Toronto

Semi-Final Round
(1) Boston def. (4) Cleveland
(2) Orlando def. (3) Detroit

Final Round
(1) Boston def. (2) Orlando


Western Conference
Northwest Division
1. Portland Trailblazers (4)
2. Denver Nuggets (7)
3. Utah Jazz (8)
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Oklahoma City Thunder

Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Lakers (2)
2. Phoenix Suns (6)
3. Golden State Warriors
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Sacramento Kings

Southwest Division
1. San Antonio Spurs (1)
2. New Orleans Hornets (3)
3. Dallas Mavericks (5)
4. Houston Rockets
5. Memphis Grizzlies

Quarter-Final Round
(1) San Antonio def. (8) Utah
(2) Los Angeles def. (7) Denver
(3) New Orleans def. (6) Phoenix
(5) Dallas def. (4) Portland

Semi-Final Round
(1) San Antonio def. (5) Dallas
(3) New Orleans def. (2) Los Angeles

Final Round
(3) New Orleans def. (1) San Antonio


NBA FINALS
Boston Celtics def. New Orleans Hornets
NBA Finals MVP: Kevin Garnett (BOS)

So there you have it, the Celtics will repeat, and all will remain right in the basketball world. Now if you'll excuse me, after two hours of writing, I need to empty my bladder. Which way to Madison Square Garden?

Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.