Somebody else can post the EC.

Whoever does it, make the poll "public"

You forgot Portland Glenn...

Sergio Rodriguez is going to be very pissed off about this thread.

You forgot Portland Glenn...


Intentionally.

They're not going to make the playoffs, hard to win the West that way.

If they're your pick, let me know and I'll add them for you.

Don't sleep on Utah (unless they have to go on the road to open up a series).

I'm picking LA by the way. :p

na, I like the Spurs...

most experienced, best coaching, best defense = West Champs

I'm going to sleep on this one tonight.

I'm not sure who just yet, I only know who I DON'T think it will be.

Let's talk about the equally exciting East!!

I only know who I DON'T think it will be.


:cogent: Seattle does suck Glenn.

O_@

If Gasol hadn't been injured and Bynum got back soon, they'd be right in there as a top candidate. It all depends on how they come back though.

dbtm...Golden State?

New Orleans has the best team in the west, provided they're healthy.

I'm glad nobody voted for Phoenix. There are bright people on this board. Unlike other boards (RealCavsFans, ESPN).

There is no way in hell Phoenix wins it. They had a better chance pre-Shaq.

New Orleans is an amazing team, but I think the Lakers would take them if both teams were 100% healthy. Paul would dominate, but who on the Hornets is stopping Kobe? And Chandler can't guard Gasol AND Bynum.

I'm torn between New Orleans, Dallas and Utah.

I'm torn between New Orleans, Dallas and Utah.

All have flaws, of course.

Dallas is soft and lost some depth to acquire Kidd.

Utah can't seem to win on the road.

Picking New Orleans would mean that I would agree with Kstat.

Well, like I said, don't sleep on the Jazz, unless they have to open up a series on the road (they haven't lost a home game since Game 6 of the 98 Finals I believe).

Dallas is terrible Glenn. Seriously, they won't make it out of the 1st round.

I voted the Spurs just to pick on Glenn. But I like LA and Utah in the WCF. How absurd is it that 1.5 games separate the #2 seed and the #7 seed?

I WANT people to pick the Spurs, lol.

As far as Dallas goes, like I said, they are flawed like everyone else, but something tells me that it's possible that they could catch lightning in a bottle. Only Utah is better at home (by only one win).

I'm leaning towards New Orleans the more I look at it.

I don't see Dallas, sorry. They are too soft inside IMO. I see Utah, LA and the Suns destroying them with two viable big men. Dirk can't be hidden on the defensive end againts those teams.

LA, Utah, or the Spurs. That's it. I really can't see anyone else running the West.

I don't like New Orleans, nobody gets to the Finals THAT fast, their key players have no playoff experience whatsoever (except for really Peja)...

I'd like them to win in the 1st round, but thats about it...

I think Utah, LA, and San Antonio are the only 3 I could see coming out...and I have some doubts on Utah

I don't like New Orleans, nobody gets to the Finals THAT fast

Yet everyone seems to be thinking Boston is a lock for the finals....

I don't think NO will make the finals either, but what was the Pistons playoff experience prior to winning it all? Corliss and Ben had lost two years prior in the EC semis. Then most of the team lost in the ECF the next year. Then we traded away a bunch of them for Sheed (who had some playoff experience, but not really success). Portland lost in the first round 9 of 11 years prior to Sheed leaving.

Peja has about as much playoff experience as Sheed did. Rasul Butler won a ring with Miami. Mike James won it with us. Bobby Jackson was on the same teams as Peja (he's gone now, but I'm sure he tought them a few things). Mo Pete was on 3 playoff runs with Toronto. Bonzi has been on playoff teams in Portland, Houston and Sactown. Chandler lost twice in the first round with Chicago.

I think you'd be surprised at how their experience stacks up with what the Pistons had. Remember that was a bunch of castoffs that had no chance to win it all.

Pistons Playoff Experience

02- lost in 2nd round
03- lost in ECF
04- won Finals


^^^thats climbing up the ladder....

New Orleans isn't going to automatically find themselves in the Finals...this isn't baseball

Pistons Playoff Experience

02- lost in 2nd round
03- lost in ECF
04- won Finals


^^^thats climbing up the ladder....

New Orleans isn't going to automatically find themselves in the Finals...this isn't baseball
02 - Stack, Cliffy, Atikins and Ben were the main guys. We totally retooled our team in 03 so they really only had one year of playoff experience (besides Sheed).

How much playoff exprience did Lebron, big Z, Boobie and Gooden have prior to last year?

Rasual Butler wasn't on that Miami team. Was he??

'06 Heat

Shaq, Antoine, Wade, Haslem, Williams
Payton, DOoling, Wright, Zo, Shandon Anderson
Doleac, Posey, Barron,

i can't think of the other 2 off the top of my head, but i don't think Rasual was on that squad

Damon Jones?

02 - Stack, Cliffy, Atikins and Ben were the main guys. We totally retooled our team in 03 so they really only had one year of playoff experience (besides Sheed).

How much playoff exprience did Lebron, big Z, Boobie and Gooden have prior to last year?


and Stack wasn't on the '03 team, Rip and Chauncey both lost in the ECF that year...

you'd have a point, if the Hornets played in the East...

name one team to get to the finals despite not making the playoffs the previous year...?? I cant even think of one...

it's impossible...especially this year

name one team to get to the finals despite not making the playoffs the previous year...?? I cant even think of one...


NJ Nets. Went 26-56 in 00-01, went to the Finals in 01-02 (swept by LA).

NJ Nets. Went 26-56 in 00-01, went to the Finals in 01-02 (swept by LA).


who did they add during that offseason?

and once again, it was in the East...

They traded Marbury for Kidd, then drafted Kenyon Martin. Got Richard Jefferson too (who was drafted by Houston).

They traded Marbury for Kidd, then drafted Kenyon Martin. Got Richard Jefferson too (who was drafted by Houston).


well those are pretty substantial upgrades, so I can see how they made the finals, not to mention the East was worse then than it is now...

NO has the exact same core they had last year (except Peja was injured last year), but for the most part, I can't see them making a deep run...experience is vital in the West, IMO.

I don't think the East was as bad as it is now. I really don't.

The East this year is an absolute joke.

I don't think the East was as bad as it is now. I really don't.

The East this year is an absolute joke.


Who did the East have then???

Detroit was coming up
Boston had Antoine & Pierce
Bucks had just traded Ray Allen for Gary Payton that year...

I think it was that bad...Hornets had Mash & Baron...

was MJ on the Wiz?

http://www.nba.com/history/standings/20012002.html

Not even close. The East was better that season.

The Bucks still had Ray Allen that season.

The Bucks still had Ray Allen that season.

What year did they do that stupid trade with Seattle

I think it was like Seattle got Ray Allen, and Milwaukee got Gary Payton, Desmond Mason

02 offseason I believe.

02 offseason.

03 trading deadline actually.

k

k


k is a stat wizard

We all know where Gary was playing the year after that!

Speaking of the Jazz, here's a stupid article I read on AOL Sports:


What's the significance of Deron Williams trying to break down Chauncey Billups off the dribble? Or Rasheed Wallace putting up a 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Mehmet Okur?

Oh, not too much. It's just that since the Pistons and the Jazz appear to be on a collision course for the 2008 NBA Finals, these matchups could go a long way in determining who's going to win this year's NBA title, that's all.

OK, so after reading that last paragraph, I know what you're thinking ... Utah and Detroit in the finals?!? What about the Celtics, Lakers, Rockets and Spurs?!? Where does this kind of stupid prediction come from?!?

Well, before you throw your favorite Steve Nash (or Dirk Nowitzki ... or Tim Duncan ... or Tracy McGrady ... or Kobe Bryant) bobblehead through your computer screen in anger, please allow me to explain how a Salt Lake-Motown showdown was reached.

Here's how it goes. At this point, there are just 31 days left in the regular season. And with just a month left, it says here that out of the 30 teams in the league, there are just 13 squads who have at least an outside shot of winning the title.

As expected, most of these 13 teams (or nine, to be more precise) are in the West. Working from the bottom up in the Western standings, the Nuggets, Warriors, Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Jazz, Hornets, Lakers and Rockets are on the short list of teams that could win it all. And in the East, realistically speaking, only four teams should even dare to dream about hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in June: the Cavs, Magic <---Douche: lawl, Pistons and Celtics.

(I mean, honestly, is there any way you can make an objective case for teams like the Wizards, Raptors or Blazers winning it all this season? I really don't think so.)

So, using this pool of 13 "legitimate" title contenders, how have they fared against each other this season? Or, in other words, what would the 2007-08 standings look like if the only games that counted were the games that these 13 teams played against each other?

Going from worst to first, here's how the NBA's "Lucky 13" have fared against one another (with each team's record against the other 12 opponents in parentheses):

13. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-15)
The Cavs have gone 6-11 against the West's top teams, and they're just 3-4 against the Magic, Pistons and Celtics.

12. Orlando Magic (10-15)
Orlando is a respectable 5-4 against Boston, Cleveland, and Detroit, but the Magic is a woeful 5-11 against the nine top teams in the West, which is the worst mark out of the East's top four teams.

11. Denver Nuggets (12-17)
Denver has a winning record against the East's best (4-3), but they're just 8-14 when it comes to playing the best teams in the West.

10. San Antonio Spurs (13-17)
The defending champs can take a little solace in the fact that their record against the West's elite (11-13) is better than how they've done against the East's top four squads (2-4).

9. Golden State Warriors (12-15)
So far this season, the Warriors are 0-2 against the Mavericks, and are 9-10 overall against the West's top nine teams.

8. Phoenix Suns (13-16)
The Suns are 5-1 against the East's top teams, meaning they're just 8-15 against the West's top nine teams, which is the worst intra-conference mark of any of the Western squads on this list.

7. Los Angeles Lakers (15-16)
The opposite of the Suns, in that the Lakers are 13-10 against the West's top teams, but just 2-4 against the East's best.

6. Houston Rockets (16-14)
The Rockets are a solid 12-11 against the West's best teams, but they probably don't want to face the Mavs, as they're just 1-3 against Dallas this season.

5. Dallas Mavericks (15-13)
Dallas has winning records against both the best of the East (4-3) and the best of the West (11-10).

4. New Orleans Hornets (16-13)
New Orleans has swept its four games against Phoenix this season, en route to an impressive 15-10 record against the West's nine top teams.

3. Boston Celtics (13-9)
The C's are 5-5 against the East's top teams, but are an even better 8-4 against the West's nine elite teams. The next seven games will be very telling, however, as Boston faces the Spurs, Rockets, Mavs, Hornets, 76ers, Suns and Hornets next.

2. Detroit Pistons (15-9)
Like Boston, Detroit is just 4-4 against the best teams in the East, but the Pistons are an astounding 11-5 against the top nine squads from the West.

1. Utah Jazz (20-10)
While the Jazz don't always instill fear in the opposition, they fear absolutely no one, as Utah is 6-2 against the East's top four teams and 14-8 against the West's best nine teams.

Now, in closing, this analysis is admittedly a bit rudimentary. Beating a team in November isn't exactly the same thing as beating a team in May, after all.

But if last year's Warriors-Mavericks series taught us nothing else, it's that the regular season certainly can carry over to the playoffs and have a huge influence on the way a seven-game series plays out.

So Spurs fans, you might want to be a little bit nervous about your squad's struggles against the league's best. And Suns fans, you'd better pray that you don't run into the Hornets in the playoffs.

And maybe now it's a little bit clearer as to why Detroit and Utah have as good of a shot as anyone else at winning it all this season.

Dallas is probably done now (officially).

They may not even get in.

I would be so happy if they didn't get in at all.

I like Dallas, mostly because they have the owner I wish we had, and a big German dude and I'm half German, but I would be so happy to see them not even make the playoffs after making that stupid trade for Kidd.

I'd also be happy to see the Suns drop out of the playoffs after that Shaq trade, and I've liked the Suns for as long as I can remember (had family in Phoenix). Swing for the fences with Shaq and not even make it, hilarious.

I'd love to see Kidd tear it up in the playoffs without Dirk, just to keep the West beating each other up.

I like Dallas, mostly because they have the owner I wish we had, and a big German dude and I'm half German, but I would be so happy to see them not even make the playoffs after making that stupid trade for Kidd.

I'd also be happy to see the Suns drop out of the playoffs after that Shaq trade, and I've liked the Suns for as long as I can remember (had family in Phoenix). Swing for the fences with Shaq and not even make it, hilarious.
You'd be happy to see the suns get yet another lotto pick? Not me.

I guess it doesn't matter since they botched the last two gifts (drafting Zarko and trading Deng for a future first). They drafted Nate Robinson with that first and traded him and Richardson to NY for KT and some scrub 54th pick). Then they also traded Rondo to Boston (eventually getting Rudy Fernadez). While they may not need Rondo, they could have easily moved him or Barbosa for something now.

So they turned two lotto picks and Quinten Richardson into a non NBA player and Kurt Thomas. They also got basically nothing out of their late firsts as well. Even NY outsmarted their GM.

LOL @ PhoeKnicks!

Don't feel too bad for them, they still get Atlanta's first (probably from JJ I would guess).

Didn't they give someone a first to take Kurt Thomas as well.

Don't feel too bad for them, they still get Atlanta's first (probably from JJ I would guess).

It would be hilarious to see that pick turn out to be worse than their own.

Didn't they give someone a first to take Kurt Thomas as well.


Seattle. They have 6 1st round picks in the next 3 years...

take those picks, compound them with Jeff Green, Saer Sene, Kevin Durant, and Johan Petro...

perhaps Seattle, or Oklahoma City or whatever, will become the Atlanta Hawks of the West...

Really nice win for MY HORNETS over the Cavs last night.

Chris Paul with 20 assists and 1 TO?

I like that team a lot.

Big loss for Dallas last night.

It looks like the team that finishes 9th in the West would have #4 and home court advantage in round 1 if they were in the East.

Shit's fucked up.

Fuck the East.

They should create the Antarctican Conference and move all the shitty teams there.