CMan's Sunday NBA Top Ten - Feb. 9

TOP TEN



#1. OKC Thunder: 41-12

A 10 game win streak that included wins on the road and home over the top contenders in bot conferences, and an awesome month for Kevin Durant have propelled the Thunder to the top of the rankings leading up to the all star break. Two games remain before the break, both on the road, against Portland and the Lakers. After the break, the anticipated return of Russell Westbrook.


#2. Indiana Pacers: 39-10
The Pacers played an average January but remain on top of the Eastern Conference playoff race by 4 games over the Heat. Indiana and OKC are in the top 5 in most of the NBA's team performance categories. Indiana is on "Pace" to finish the regular season with home court throughout and should end up playing for an NBA championship this season.

#3. Portland Trailblazers: 36-15
Portland started strong and most thought they would falter mid season. They didn't. Needless to say the Blazers continued to play well. They remain a serious contender for a Western conference run this season with the Thunder the only team standing in their way. If they stay healthy, the 2qnd half of the season should be interesting.

#4. Miami Heat: 35-14
Its difficult to say whether the Heat are bored or losing some of their power. They have played well at times and yet, lost some games where they really seemed to be outplayed. It would be difficult to not let complacency set in after three trips to the finals and 2 consecutive championships. There is a lot of season left and they will be in the playoffs. Time will tell if they are still Champs.

#5. San Antonio Spurs: 37-14
The Spurs come in at #5 despite a better record than Miami or Portland. However, the Spurs are 1-11 against the NBA's top teams. San Antonio may be finally running out of steam. Their record will get them in  the playoffs but they won't be playing the bottom feeders once they get in. Look for the Spurs to be one and done in the playoffs. Time to restock in San Antonio, put the old fellas to bed, Pop.


#6: L.A. Clippers: 35-18
The Clippers, like the Thunder, have played very well without their All Star point guard. Chris Paul is due back this week and that makes the #6 Clippers a lot better. The Clippers are on the verge of becoming a legit elite team. A deep run in the playoffs is almost certain. The Clippers aren't afraid of any team and no team wants to draw them as a playoff series opponent.

#7: Houston Rockets: 34-17
Houston is a weird team. Some nights they look unbeatable, other they look like a 17-34 team. I think that the addition of so many components over the last two seasons has hampered their ability to gel. Dwight Howard has adapted to the team well enough but they still do not play as consistently as they will need to in order to advance past the second round of the playoffs.

#8: Phoenix Suns: 30-20
Phoenix has come on strong in 2014 currently occupying the 6th playoff spot in the West and only 6 wins off the top 4. The Suns are playing over preseason expectations and have only lost 3 games since mid January. The playoffs are a real possibility with the Warriors and Nuggets slipping. However, this is not a battle tested team and will be hard pressed to get out of the first round.

#9. Dallas Mavericks: 31-21
Dallas gets back in the top ten after a good start to the new year. The Mavericks have quietly played consistent basketball with Dirk Nowitski and a cast of no name role players. Dallas looks to make a return to the playoffs but won't likely make a run past the first round. Dirk isn't getting any younger and the rest of the team, combined,  can't match his experience.

#10. Toronto Raptors: 26-24
There are several more West teams with better records but Toronto is the only other East team that is more than 2 wins over .500. The Raptors will make the playoffs because the East will need 8 teams to round out the field, however they will only provide extra practice for the Pacers and Heat as they prepare to face each other in the conference finals.


Waiting on the Bench: Golden State Warriors (30-21), Memphis Grizzlies (27-22), Atlanta Hawks (25-24), Chicago Bulls (25-25)

CMan's Sunday NBA Top Ten - Jan. 27th

THE TOP TEN

#1. Indiana Pacers: 34-9
The Pacers continue their pace atop the East standings and one game in the win column behind the Thunder. They continue to lead the league in fewest losses. Indiana is impressive and should stay on top of a weak Eastern conference through the end of the season. Look for an Indiana - Miami conference final and, barring injuries, an Indiana crowned as conference champions.

#2. OKC Thunder: 35-10
The Thunder move from 4th to 2nd this week based on victories over 3 of 4 other top West foes last week. OKC is riding a 7 game win streak going in to Mondays game at home vs Atlanta. The streak includes a road victory at Boston with out Westbrook and Durant, a first for the franchise. The stout play of the Thunder, without Russ, should send a strong message to the rest of the NBA.


#3. Portland Trailblazers: 33-11
Despite back to back losses to Houston and OKC, Portland continues it's high level of league play. The Trailblazers are not going away and should contend for the Western conference crown. Portland was 2-0 vs OKC until last week and always play the Thunder tough. Is OKC's division crown in jeopardy? Stay tuned.

#4. Miami Heat: 32-12
Miami is playing uninspired basketball. They beat good teams and lose to bad ones. Perhaps playing in the East has that effect on a good team. They are in no danger of losing home court either. The Heat will make the playoffs and everyone knows that the Heat play well when the games mean more. The hot Thunder visit Wednesday, perhaps they can wake the sleepwalking Heat.

#5. LA Clippers: 31-15
The Clippers, like the Thunder,  have adjusted well to life without their All Star point guard. Chris Paul makes them better but they aren't bad without him. They should fare well for the second half of the season and having Doc Rivers roaming the sidelines will make them better come playoff time. The Clippers are Kings of Los Angeles for once, can the Lakers regain their crown? Doubtful.

#6. San Antonio Spurs: 33-11
Despite better record than LA, the Spurs sit at #6 in light of their 1-9 record against the top teams in the West. The Spurs are injury prone yes, but they are aging as well. Pop is magical and most believe the best coach in the NBA, but he's running out of juice with his big three. Too many starting lineups lead to inconsistent play. Injuries and sitting tired, old  players will lead to that.

#7. Houston Rockets: 29-17
Houston continues to play better except against the elite teams. The jury is still out on the addition of center Dwight Howard. The Rockets will be a 1st round irritation for someone in the playoffs but without home court, I don't see them advancing. They must get a lot better on the defensive end to join the top tier. You won't advance trying to outscore your opponent.

#8. Golden State Warriors: 26-18
The Warriors have slowed a bit in mid-season. However, they are still a high powered offensive team. They, like the Rockets, must learn to defend better. Currently 6 in the West standings, the Warriors should still make the playoffs. They will also be a probable first round exit unless they aren't taken seriously by their first round opponent.

#9. Atlanta Hawks: 23-20
The Hawks are finally 3 games above .500, pretty good for an East team not in Indiana or Miami. Although, .500 should get a few teams in the playoffs this season in the East. Atlanta plays well against the East (but, who doesn't) but they struggle against the West including a 105-79 loss to the Spurs on Friday. The Hawks visit OKC Monday with KD in search of 11 straight over 30.

#10. Phoenix Suns: 24-18
New to the rankings this week are the Suns. Head Coach Jeff Hornacek was a great player in his time and he has the Suns on track. The Suns finished December with a 10-3 record and started the new year with the same attitude. Phoenix is currently 7th in the West and looks to make a playoff bid this season.




Waiting in the wings: Dallas Mavericks:25-20, Memphis Grizzlies:22-20, Toronto Raptors: 22-21, Chicago Bulls:22-21, Denver Nuggets: 21-21

 

 

CMan's Sunday NBA Top Ten - Jan. 19th

THE TOP TEN

                          
#1. Indiana Pacers: 32-7
Someone in the East finally decided it was time to build a team to compete with Miami. Unfortunately, none of the other East teams had the same idea. This team was built by hall of fame legend Larry Bird, and they play like him. They are the real deal and should keep the Heat in the stands for the finals this year.



#2. San Antonio Spurs: 32-9          I don't know how Pop continues to do it but he does. The Spurs continue to be the cream of the West despite half the roster being senior citizens. The Spurs have been a great regular season team for a long time but they have faltered lately in the playoffs. Will 2014 be different? Probably not, age eventually catches up.

#3. Portland Trailblazers: 31-9
Portland came out of nowhere in the West. After finishing the last few seasons in the tank and still reeling from the decision to draft Greg Oden and not Kevin Durant, little was expected. The experts still believe they will collapse before the end of the season. I'm not so sure.


#4. OKC Thunder: 31-10
The loss of Westbrook for the second time this season took a little getting used to. The Thunder were second to the Pacers prior to the second injury. Despite this, the Thunder are learning to play with out their All Star and they're getting better. Watch out West, when Russ returns the Thunder will roll.

#5. L.A. Clippers: 29-14
Like the Thunder, the Clippers are playing without All Star Chris Paul. And, like OKC, are starting to play well without him. The Clippers have been in the hunt all season and are starting to look like the other LA team used to. Adding Doc Rivers didn't hurt.


 #6. Miami Heat: 29-12
Miami may have fewer losses than the Clippers but they are starting to look bored. The Clippers are hungry. Miami is sleepwalking through what could be their fourth consecutive finals appearance. They may not be hungry but they are still good. Watch out for them come playoff team. Don't count them out just yet.


#7. Houston Rockets: 27-15
Houston seems to play well with everyone except the Thunder. Could be the curse of the Beard. Despite adding the best center in the NBA, the Rockets can't seem to get to the next level. They are in a good position for a playoff run, but I'm not convinced that they believe they can win it all. They have the talent to go deep but the mentality for a first round exit.

#8. Golden State: 26-16
This team scares me. I'll openly admit that I never thought Steph Curry would do in the NBA what he did in college. I was wrong. This is a good basketball team that is only going to get better. Barring an injury they should see second round action in the playoffs again and, with the right match up, could contend for the West crown.

#9. Dallas Mavericks: 25-18
That's right, Dallas. I can't tell you the starting 5 without looking it up but here they are, sneaking up the rankings. Probably the way Mark Cuban likes it. The Mavs are three years removed from their Championship and are not likely to return this season but Rick Carlisle has got them poised for a playoff run again.

#10: Atlanta Hawks: 21-19
I could have gone with the upstart Phoenix Suns at #10 but I feel kinda bad for the East. The Hawks will probably not go anywhere this season but they are the third, and last, East team with a winning record. They will probably make the playoffs because the East needs 8 teams in. However, I doubt they make it to the second round and if they do, they won't go any further.


Waiting in the wings: Phoenix Suns: 23-17, Toronto Raptors: 20-20, Memphis Grizzlies: 20-20, Denver Nuggets: 20-20, Washington Wizards: 20-20

NBA Standings: 1/17/14

Eastern Conference: (GB)= Games Back
*Weekly Notable: Indiana has the best record in the NBA, despite playing in perhaps the weakest Eastern Conference of all time.

Atlantic:
Toronto:20-18(0GB)
Brooklyn:16-22(4GB)
New York:15-25(6GB)
Boston:14-27(8GB)
Philadelphia:13-26(8GB)

Central:
Indiana:31-7(0GB)
Chicago:18-20(13GB)
Detroit:16-23(16GB)
Cleveland:15-25(17GB)
Milwaukee:7-31(24GB)

Southeast:
Miami:28-11(0GB)
Atlanta:20-19(8GB)
Washington:19-19(9GB)
Charlotte:17-24(12GB)
Orlando:10-30(19GB)

Western Conference:(GB)= Games Back
*Weekly Notable: After the Thunder lose two games in one week, Portland and San Antonio are tied for the best record in the West.

Northwest:
Portland:30-9(0GB)
Oklahoma City:30-10(1GB)
Denver:20-19(10GB)
Minnesota:18-21(12GB)
Utah:14-27(17GB)

Pacific:
LA Clippers:28-13(0GB)
Golden State:25-16(3GB)
Phoenix:22-17(5GB)
LA Lakers:15-25(13GB)
Sacramento:14-24(13GB)

Southwest:
San Antonio:31-9(OGB)
Houston:26-15(6GB)
Dallas:24-17(8GB)
Memphis:20-19(11GB)
New Orleans:15-23(15GB)

The End - CMan's recap of the Finals.

     The 2013 NBA season has come to a close. The reigning champion Miami Heat have successfully retained their title as NBA Champions. Three straight trips to the finals and 2 straight finals victories. Are we witnessing the development of a dynasty? Time will tell but I, for one, don't think we are.

 

     The NBA finals were a lot harder for the Heat than most thought. Most believed that the Heat would win 4-1 or even sweep. They had the King, Bosh, Birdman and 2-time NBA Champ D. Wade. They even had Pat Riley calling the shots from the front office. They had home court advantage.

 

     The Spurs looked old and tired on paper and despite dispatching the tough Grizzlies in a conference finals sweep, the same Spurs team was pushed by an upstart Golden State squad in the conference semi-finals. They had to win it in Miami. They looked poised for defeat.

 

     For five games it looked like San Antonio had figured out a way to win. They got scoring from unlikely places. They shot an NBA record percentage from the 3 point line. They played sweeping defense. They seemed to always be playing from a deficit, yet they always fought back. Bosh and Wade could not seem to play well in the same game and with out support, King James could shoot or score to save the teams life.

 

     I stated in my pre-series prediction that the Spurs had to win one of the first two in Miami. They did. They had the team and momentum to close it in San Antonio but couldn't. That left the final two games in Miami. (By the way, does anyone else hate the format change in the finals?) The Spurs went in to game 6 with a 3-2 series lead. Win one of the last two and they were NBA Champions. It seemed a lock since neither team had managed to win 2 in a row in the series. I stated in my prediction that the Spurs had to win the series in 6. If they let Miami take it to a game 7, in Miami, the Heat would win. And they did. Miami won despite the fact that Chris Bosh did not score. D Wade found his stroke and so did the King. They key, however, was Shane Battier. Battier could not miss from 3 and at one point hit 6 straight. James added 5 treys himself.

 

     There were a lot of good things that came out of this series. Tim Duncan played like a seasoned veteran playing perhaps the best series of his storied career. A lot of role players for both teams contributed in a big way. Green, Neal and Diaw for the Spurs. Battier, Birdman and Chalmers for the Heat. Bad coaching moves were made by Pop and smart moves were made by Spoelstra. By the way, I was wrong in my series prediction, Eric Spoelstra can coach. It takes a smart and creative person to control a squad like the Heat and they obviously like playing for him.

 

     In the final analysis, the Heat won the series and deserved to. San Antonio played tough but could not get over the top. Miami, in the end, had to much power and home court advantage. It's tough to win a game 7 on the road.

 

     Having said all that, are the Heat on the verge of a dynasty? I think the answer is no. I believe the Heat will be challenged to get back to the Finals in 2014. Wade and Bosh are getting old. Wade is breaking down physically and Bosh can't hit a jumper anymore. LeBron is great but he can't do it on his own. Look at the 7 years he played in Cleveland. The Spurs exposed that weakness in the Heat's game. It takes a team, which explains why San Antonio almost pulled it off. No squad plays better as a team than the Spurs. Time will tell, but I see a different team form the East in the finals in 2014.

 

     It was a good season and no one could have asked for a better finals series. My hat is off to the Spurs and NBA Champion Miami Heat!

 

    

 

CMan's 2013 NBA Finals Predictions!

The NBA Finals are upon us and the two teams, Miami and San Antonio, are no stranger to the leagues marquee event. Between the two teams they have 9 finals appearances and 6 NBA Championships. The Spurs have the more impressive pedigree with 4 NBA titles but the Heat are making their third straight appearance in the finals. There is one stat worth pointing out, the Spurs are 4-0 (16-6 games played) in the Finals, Miami is 2-1 (10-7).

 

This is a tough series to call. To date I have picked 11 of the 14 series correctly. It should be 12 but my heart wouldn't let me pick against the Thunder, despite the loss of Westbrook. Conventional wisdom and most of the talking heads will pick the Heat, pointing to home court advantage and the fact that LeBron James is playing. If Miami loses the finals they will quickly begin to look like the Atlanta Braves baseball team. The Braves had the talent to win multiple championships From 1991  to 2005. During that span the team won 14 division titles including 11 straight and five NL championships but could only manage 1 world series ring. Granted, the Heat have already won 2 titles but they were 6 years apart and only Dwayne Wade and a few bench players were around for both. The current roster is 1-1. the Heat were up and down during the playoffs. The only team that I thought posed a real threat was Indiana, and threat they did. The Heat are 12-4 in this seasons playoffs, including one sweep against the Bucks and a tough 7 game series with the Pacers. Miami simply doesn't look as dominant and unbeatable as they did during their 27 game win streak this season.

 

 

 

 

The Spurs come to Miami fresh off a 4-0 sweep of the intimidating Memphis Grizzlies and well rested, having not played since May 27th. San Antonio comes in as the elder statesmen of the NBA. The Spurs have a perfect record in the Finals and won the last in a sweep of Cleveland in the 06-07 NBA season. The star player on that Cleveland team was none other than LeBron James. A win and the Spurs will go down as a dynasty having won 5 championships in 13 years. Greg Popovich will tie Pat Riley at #4 on the list of NBA coaches with the most NBA titles at 5 each. San Antonio is a well coached team that is all business on the court. They play a very consistent 48 minutes of basketball game in and game out. The Spurs are 12-2 this playoff season with sweeps against the Lakers and Memphis. They are not easy to beat and play as well on the road as they do at home, especially in the playoffs.

 

 So how do the teams match up? Miami has James, Bosh and Wade. The Spurs counter with Duncan, Ginobli and Parker. Duncan will control the paint and will keep the Heat big men at bay. Parker and Ginobli will give fits to the Heat guards and forwards with their ball movement, shooting ability and defense. The bench match up heavily favors the Spurs with the key sub being Tiago Splitter. The Coaching match up is a no brainer. I am not convinced that Eric Spoelstra does much in game coaching. "Pop", on the other hand, is a field general with a proven track record. Now, does this mean a Spurs Championship? Not at all. the Heat still have LeBron James and he has a much better supporting cast than the Cleveland team that lost to the Spurs in 2007. However, Miami will have to play near perfect, team basketball to pull this series out. Bosh and Wade will have to show up each game. James is good but he can't beat the Spurs alone.

 

I think that San Antonio will steal one of the first two in Miami and regain home court. I also believe that if they do that, they can win the series. They will have to win it in 6 though, because if the Heat can get it to a game 7, they will win it. If Miami wins the first 2 games, you can call the series in favor of the Heat.

 

Having said all that, my money is on San Antonio. I say the Spurs win the title in 6 games 4-2.

 

Now, Let's play some ball!

CMan's Conference Finals Recaps

Eastern Conference:

 

 

 

The conference finals have ended and while I correctly picked the ultimate winners, I wasn't so good at forecasting one of the two series.

#1 Miami vs #3 Indiana (Heat 4-3)

This series played out like I thought it would, plus 1 game. I knew the Pacers would give the Heat a strong series and they did. In fact, they outplayed Miami in all but two games. They just happened to be games that the Heat looked at as must wins. Despite the obvious strengths that Indiana brought to the series I still believed that Miami would eventually return to the finals for a third straight season.

The Pacers did expose two serious weaknesses of the Heat that, if not corrected, could come back to haunt them in the finals. Miami has gone through the regular season and the playoffs with a sense of arrogance. They seem to be of the mindset that they can win if they want to...if they have to. I think Indiana rattled them a little. The competition got progressively better against the Heat in the playoffs and they could have easily lost this series. LeBron James won it for them. That brings me to the second weakness, Bosh and Wade. For the heat to win the finals they must have game in and game out production from at least two of the big three if not all three. They did not get that kind of support from Wade and Bosh throughout the Pacers series. They're going to need it to beat the Spurs.

 

Western Conference:

 

 

 

#2 San Antonio vs #5 Memphis (Spurs 4-0)

I picked the Spurs to win this series...in seven games. A San Antonio sweep never occurred to me. Especially after the way Golden State pushed the Spurs. Memphis looked unfazed after the Thunder series and while I thought the Spurs would win the series, I thought the Grizzlies would make them work for it. Conventional wisdom says that Memphis used it's entire tank to get out of a tough series with OKC. However, I believe that they just ran in to a superior Spurs team that was irritated by the Warriors and is now focused on one thing. Winning one more NBA title.

Memphis is a tough team with an even tougher coach. San Antonio is a well coached, robotic team that plays as well together as any team, even Miami. The Spurs played 4 systematic, 48 minute games. It didn't matter what city they were playing in or in front of what crowd. In fact, I had to look at center court during a couple of the games just to see where they were playing. As for the outcome of the games, they might as well all been in Texas. Memphis wasn't even in the games. They seemed to be 15 - 20 points down at the beginning of each game, fighting from behind the entire series. By game 4 the Grizzlies were demoralized and resigned to losing the series. The Spurs were business like the entire series and hardly celebrated the fact that they were Western Conference Champions. The job is not finished and they know it.

As for Memphis, we discover after the series that there is turmoil within the organization. The new ownership group, responsible for the Rudy Gay trade, has more mischief up their collective sleeves. This week they granted head coach Lionel Hollins permission to entertain other coaching positions. Hollins is having a difficult time adapting to the micro-management style of the new owners. If they let Hollins leave, Memphis will return to it's previous status as a non factor in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are who they are because of Lionel Hollins. Without him, they are just another NBA team.

On to the NBA Finals!

Buster's Conference Finals Matchups and Predictions

The second round is over in a very disappointing matter for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City was out maned in the series against Memphis. Now Memphis looks to take it a step farther and advance to the Finals. Miami didn't surprise anyone with their 4-1 victory over the Bulls, and the Pacers upset the Knicks in six games. Now that the Conference Finals have officially ended, lets take a look at the matchups.

Eastern Conference:

 

#1 Miami vs #3 Indiana

 

After a dominating performance from both of these teams in the second round, this is bound to be an outstanding series. These two teams met up in the semifinals last season. It was a series that Indiana very well could have won, but they did not have the experience. LeBron was on a search for his first title and was more focused than ever. Indiana has acquired the two keys that they were lacking last season. They did not have a dominating big man and they did not have experience. The Pacers now have both of these things and are ready to take on the Heat.

It is always scary to pick against LeBron and the Heat, but I have to go with Indiana in this series. I think the Heat will come out too relaxed and unfocused. The Pacers will take a quick jump on this and the series will be too far gone by the time Miami wakes up. I think the Pacers win the battle on the inside with Roy Hibbert. This is honestly a series that could go either way. With Paul George and David West I think the Pacers will win the back court as well. If the Pacers are going to win this series it has to be in six, if it goes to game seven Miami will take advantage. Pacers win in a close series 4-2.

 

Western Conference:

 

 

#2 San Antonio vs #5 Memphis

 

This is going to be a series of some great old school basketball. Both teams are going to play excellent defense and play with fundamentals on offense. Both teams will try to take advantage of the size and experience of their big men. There is no doubt that Memphis has the best front court in the NBA. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph not only play outstanding offense, but they work their butt off on the defensive side of the ball. It will be interesting to see how Tim Duncan responds to the defense of these big guys.

The Spurs are a fantastic team, but I do not think they have the size or energy to play with Memphis. I think the Grizzlies will wear them down in the first two games and then make their move. It will be important for the Spurs to perform well enough to give Duncan and Parker a rest. However, I think Memphis will take advantage of the time that Duncan and Parker spend on the bench and make it almost impossible to give them a breather. Zbo and Gasol are just too physical on the inside for any team to keep up, Memphis wins 4-2.

These series have the potential to make this one of the most entertaining Conference Finals in a long time! I am picking two underdogs, and I am feeling fully confident. Make sure you stay tuned in to see how our picks come out. Maybe I will finally beat CMan!