Eastern Conference
Atlantic
1. New Jersey Nets
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New York Knicks
4. Boston Celtics
5. Toronto Raptors
The Nets have a terrific three-man team in Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter. The Sixers could have a great two-man team if Chris Webber and Allen Iverson can co-exist. The Knicks will be improved with Larry Brown and his fleet of point guards. Boston is very young and looking to trade Paul Pierce. Toronto is just plain terrible, even if Charlie Villueneva is better than expected.
Central
1. Indiana Pacers
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Milwaukee Bucks
Ron Artest leads a loaded Pacer team, even without Reggie Miller. The Pistons will be fine without Larry; Flip Saunders is an excellent replacement. In Larry Hughes, the Cavs have a fine wingman for LaBron James. He’ll lead them to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Chicago will slip a bit after surprising in 2004. The Bucks will be improved, but not show much for it.
Southeast
1. Miami Heat
2. Washington Wizards
3. Orlando Magic
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Atlanta Hawks
The Heat overloaded with talent, but still need to concentrate on the Big Aristotle and Dwayne Wade. There are some serious chemistry issues on the horizons, and poor Stan Van Gundy better go 80-2 to keep Pat Riley off his job. Oh, I can’t wait until Shaq watches Walker go 4-23 without even coming near the paint. The rest of this division won’t be nearly as entertaining. The Wiz and Magic are getting better slowly. The Bobcats and Hawks just suck.
Eastern Conference Champion: Indiana Pacers
Western Conference
Southwest
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Houston Rockets
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
The Spurs are the class of this division, conference and the NBA until proven otherwise. The Rockets are getting better, and the addition of Stromile Swift could be huge. The Mavericks aren’t collapsing, but the idea their window is closing is gaining steam. Memphis is running in place, and the Hornets were awful before their travels began.
Northwest
1. Denver Nuggets
2. Seattle SuperSonics
3. Utah Jazz
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Portland TrailBlazers
Can George Karl do it for a full season? Can nice-guy Bob Weiss be as successful as hard-ass Nate McMillan? Can Jerry Sloan win (or even survive) with a rookie point guard? Will KG ever be happy again in Minnesota? Will Nate go the season without killing any of his young knuckleheads?
Yes. No. No. Yes, but no this season. Probably not. Should be an entertaining division.
Pacific
1. Phoenix Suns
2. Sacramento Kings
3. Golden State Warriors
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Los Angeles Clippers
A lot of the Suns’ fortunes rest on the return of Amare Stoudamire. If he misses ¾ of the regular season, Phoenix won’t win the division. The Kings have an excellent starting five, but not much depth. The Warriors could surprise, though with all the talk of a “surprise team” it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them fall on their face. The Kobe and Phil show will miss the Big Fella. The Clips are running in place.
Again.
Western Division Champion: San Antonio Spurs
NBA Champion: San Antonio Spurs
Posted by Frinklin at November 1, 2005 06:44 PM | TrackBack