Over halfway through the 2013-14 NBA season and just under
two weeks away from All Star Weekend, here’s what we’ve learned:
The East is a joke.
There is no doubt the Eastern Conference Finals will come
down to the Pacers (38-10) and the Heat (34-13). Between Derrick Rose’s second knee injury and the Luol Deng trade for the Bulls (24-24), the lack of chemistry and the surplus of
injuries plaguing the Knicks
(19-29), and the fact that the Raptors (26-22), Hawks (25-22), Wizards (24-23)
and Bobcats (22-28) hold spots in the division’s top eight, the Pacers or Heat
are the only probable teams that will make it to the finals. I never thought I
would say this, but I will be rooting for Indiana when it comes down to the two
teams I loathe—the lesser of two evils—now that the Pacers have lost 10 games and
will lose one more to trail the
1995-96 Bulls 72-10 record.
Bulls win the Eastern
Conference Finals and the NBA Finals!
(I know, keep dreaming.) Ok for real
now:
1. Pacers
win Eastern Conference Finals and lose in NBA Finals--YES please! West
is the best!
2. Heat win Eastern
Conference Finals and lose in NBA Finals--As much as I don’t want the Heat
to advance in anything they do because my blood pressure will skyrocket, it would
be more satisfying for them to make it to the end to lose everything. So EEK
but OK. Heating losing all equals me winning.
3. Pacers
win Eastern Conference Finals and win the championship--I don’t want Indiana
winning a ring, but them over Miami any day so FINE, I guess.
4. Heat win
Eastern Conference Finals and win another championship--I CANNOT WITNESS
A HEAT THREE-PEAT.
Clearly, I don't want the East to win and fear the last situation the most. There are many
great teams in the West, but I’m a little weary if any of those teams can
actually beat the Heat in a seven-game series. The Spurs, though extremely
talented and coached by the best in the business, are too old—Tony Parker, Tim
Duncan and Manu Ginobili are all over 30. And it’s too soon to forget the results
of last year’s finals.
The Clippers (Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan),
Rockets (Jeremy Lin, James Harden and Dwight Howard) and Warriors (Steph Curry,
Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala) all have the talent and numbers to make a seven-game
series with the Heat exciting, but the young teams simply aren’t as experienced
as Miami.
Other solid teams in the West that have made it in the top eight
include the highly-defensive Trail Blazers and surprising Suns, but they too are inexperienced when it comes to playing Monstars. The
Mavericks are well on their way to the playoffs, but I doubt they’ll have a repeat of
2011 since Dirk Nowitzki’s overall energy and game is declining after a decade
and a half in the league.
So my hope lies in one of two situations. Preferably, option
one or three from above. But if that doesn’t happen and Miami makes it
to the finals, I’m depending on OKC to bring home the ring. OKC has everything to win—the coaching, the talent, Kevin Durant, the fans, the
energy, Kevin Durant… It’s all there. I’m just uncertain if OKC can beat the
Heat in a seven-game series. It’s draining to play the Monstars twice in the
regular season; it’s downright exhausting to play them four (to potentially
seven) times in a row in the playoffs.
So when I say my hope lies in two situations,
I actually mean one and it’s the Pacers. It’s a realistic possibility since
Indiana has something to prove after
their surprising-but-sad-end to the seven-game series against Miami last year. It
looks like Paul George & Co. will not only come out of the regular season
with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they will force another game
seven if need be… hopefully with a different outcome this time.
Current standings for the East:
W
|
L
|
PCT
|
CONF
|
DIV
|
|
38
|
10
|
0.792
|
25-5
|
6-2
|
|
34
|
13
|
0.723
|
22-10
|
9-2
|
|
26
|
22
|
0.542
|
17-12
|
8-2
|
|
25
|
22
|
0.532
|
17-12
|
6-5
|
|
24
|
23
|
0.511
|
17-12
|
4-2
|
|
24
|
24
|
0.500
|
18-12
|
7-4
|
|
21
|
25
|
0.457
|
14-16
|
6-4
|
|
22
|
28
|
0.440
|
15-16
|
1-7
|
|
19
|
28
|
0.404
|
17-13
|
5-3
|
|
19
|
29
|
0.396
|
15-18
|
3-6
|
|
16
|
32
|
0.333
|
10-20
|
3-8
|
|
16
|
33
|
0.327
|
13-17
|
3-5
|
|
15
|
34
|
0.306
|
10-21
|
3-6
|
|
13
|
37
|
0.260
|
10-21
|
3-7
|
|
9
|
39
|
0.188
|
8-23
|
3-7
|
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