Maybe 2008 weren't so great for NBA
5:13 PM Wed, Jun 18, 2008 | Permalink
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June 2008
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Boo hoo, NBA prospects have to go to school for a year Maybe 2008 weren't so great for NBA Seriously, will this ever stop? ESPN never fails to make up a good headline Horse racing doesn't need a Saturday tragedy Looking at the preseason predictions Categories
DentonRC.com blogs
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Many count the 2008 NBA regular season among the best in the league's history. The balance of the West, the tight races in the East ... It was suppose to be setting up for a memorable post-season for the NBA. That didn't exactly happen. Aside from the marquee Finals matchup, the playoffs went without too many big surprises and the quality of play was average at best. You don't have to be an NBA scout to tell that the Finals weren't a thing of beauty. So I ask ya: was this really a year where the NBA was so loaded that even quality teams like the Mavericks and Suns couldn't compete? Maybe it's just that the usual powers-that-be were sucky, leaving the door open for average teams like the Lakers and the Hornets to rise to the top. Ignoring the East because it might as well be the NBA's developmental league, take a look at the final Western Conference Standings: 1. Lakers Before the playoffs, the Lakers and Hornets were the young teams growing into their own. The Spurs were a step below their usual selves. The Jazz were continuing their progression upward. But look at the bottom half. All those teams had very poor playoff showings. The Mavs and Suns flamed out and their windows may have slamed shut. The Rockets came back to earth with out Yao Ming. I still don't know how the Nuggets got in the playoffs. My theory: none of these Western Conference teams were great. The Hornets got hot with a great young point guard in Chris Paul, and the Lakers road the brilliance of Kobe Bryant, the 2008 MVP. I think 2008-09 is pretty wide open in the West. The Lakers will still be strong, especially if Andrew Bynum comes back strong. If the Mavericks respond to the coaching change, I think they could be competitive in the conference. |
