Feb
24, 2001
NBA
BASKETBALLReview - - - - -
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A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Finals: The Midwest Division By
HOWIE
(Editor's
Note: This is being posted slightly late, but read and enjoy it anyway.)
At
the start of the NBA season, this writer decided it would be a great idea
to go through the league team-by-team and make predictions as to where
they would finish. As far as great ideas go, this was right up there
with the boomerang hand grenade and the cell phone that doubles as a steam
iron.
However,
predictions have been made and, with around half of the scheduled 82 games
already in the books, it seems an opportune time to check them for any
traces of accuracy. So without further ado, here is the NBA mid-season
report:
Midwest
Division
Dallas
Mavericks Projected
finish: Fourth in the Mid-West Current
position: Fourth (31-19) Prediction:
Big D will be exciting once more and Michael Finley will cement his place
as an All-Star, but no Playoffs for Nellie.
Given
the hype around Dallas this season and the performances of Dirk Nowitzki
and Steve Nash, it would be easy to assume that the Mavs are home and hosed
for a Playoff spot. Certainly they have turned some heads and are
currently holding down
the
seventh seeding in the rough and tumble West. However, Dallas are
just 4 games ahead of ninth seeded Seattle and 4.5 games ahead of tenth
seeded Denver and will need to hold themselves together in the second half
to stay in the hunt for a post-season berth. This can be a tough
thing to do for a team based around young stars. A nagging hamstring
injury that has hampered Nash prior to All-Star also looms as a potential
problem for Don Nelson's team. Expect Dallas to be in the thick of
the Playoff hunt as the season winds down but don't go booking your Playoff
tickets just yet Mavs fans.
Denver
Nuggets Projected
finish: Sixth in the Mid-West Current
position: Fifth (27-24) Prediction:
Dan Issell needs to find gold on the Nuggets' bench or he will be elsewhere
by season's end.
The
Nuggets are knocking on the verge of a playoff berth but are still struggling
to record wins on the road. Denver are just 7-18 away from the Pepsi
Center, which bodes ill for them even if they do make the playoffs.
Coach Dan Issell's position now appears to be safe, at leas for the rest
of the season, now that management have publicly come out in his support.
This followed a near player revolt early in the season which saw the entire
team boycott a scheduled practice. Issell appears to have re-established
his lines of communication with the players since then and Denver have
proven to be legitimate playoff contenders. Antonio McDyess is having
an All-NBA season and Nick Van Exel has once again shown why he is one
of the best clutch-players in the league. Issel has received some
welcome bench production from veteran George McCloud and the acquisition
of Kevin Willis in a trade with Toronto could give some welcome short-term
relief in the middle. Expect Denver to battle for a spot in the post-season
but to fall just short.
Houston
Rockets Projected
finish: Fifth in the Mid-West Current
position: Sixth (25-25) Prediction:
Houston can now legitimately contend for a Playoff berth out West, but
until Steve Francis overcomes his tendency to make costly errors, Houston
will be on the outside looking in.
The
Rockets are indeed in the hunt for the Playoffs but are currently in the
tenth position in the West. Francis continues to turn the ball over too
much (3.1 per game) despite his excellent play in other areas. He
has teamed with Cuttino Mobley to provide a powerful one-two punch on offense.
Both are near impossible to guard one-on-one and Houston runs numerous
isolation plays for them as they used to do for Hakeem Olajuwon. "The Dream"
has enjoyed some flashes of his All-Star form since returning from injury
but Houston remains too inconsistent to really push for the final two playoff
spots. Expect them to be collecting lucky talismans for the Draft lottery
at season's end.
Minnesota
Timberwolves Projected
finish: Third in the Mid-West Current
position: Third (32-18) Prediction:
The 'Wolves will howl if the NBA void Joe Smith's deal, but KG will power
Minnesota back to the Playoffs.
The
league did indeed void the Timberwolves contract with Smith but it hasn't
stopped Minnesota becoming one of the Western powers. Currently on
an 11-game win streak, the 'Wolves have jumped on Garnett's back but he
has also had some welcome help from role players Terrell Brandon and Wally
Szczerbiak. Brandon has played inspired ball during February and
"Wally World" has established himself as one of the NBA's better marksmen
in his second year. Coach Flip Saunders has done a masterful job
of getting production out of his bench but it is really Garnett who has
driven the T-wolves to success. Averaging 22.8 points, 10.8 rebounds
and 4.8 assists, Garnett is one of the dominant players in the league and
must certainly be considered an MVP candidate. He should power the
'Wolves back to Playoff glory and will make Minnesota tough to beat in
the post-season.
San
Antonio Spurs Projected
finish: First in the Mid-West Current
position: Second (31-16) Prediction:
Look for the Spurs to take either the Blazers or the Lakers to the limit
in the Western Conference semifinals and don't be surprised if T-Dunc and
co make a return to the Finals.
After
suffering their worst losing streak in the Tim Duncan era (four games in
January - if only the Bulls could be that lucky!) the Spurs are back on
track. Duncan suffered a slow start to the season as his mental recovery
from knee surgery tried to catch-up to the physical recovery but he is
now back at the top of his game. There are few things sweeter than
Duncan's low-post game and his use of the glass from seemingly everywhere
on the court. He has been unstoppable once again and the Spurs are
threatening to take over the lead in the Mid-West. The "Twin Towers"
of Duncan and David Robinson gives San Antonio one of the few teams with
the capability of matching up against the size of the Lakers and 'Blazers
teams. They have already split their two games with the Lakers this
season so don't be surprised if the Spurs step out of the shadows come
Playoff time and knock one or both of these two big names out of the hunt.
Utah
Jazz Projected
finish: Second in the Mid-West Current
position: First (32-15) Prediction:
Stockton and Malone suit up for one more shot at the title but will come
up short...again.
Whilst
a mid-season surge has seen the Jazz move to the top of the Mid-West Division,
the Jazz are actually looking more vulnerable than in recent years.
Critics raved about the new slimmed-down Malone who came into training
camp, yet the Mail Man has found it difficult to hold his own against the
bigger power forwards this season without the extra bulk. His production
in points and rebounds is down notably although he remains one of the best
power forwards in the league. His partner John Stockton continues
to be one of the premier set-up men in the league but there is no hiding
the fact that the Jazz are missing the scoring of the retired Jeff Hornacek.
Donyell Marshall has been a nice pick-up for Utah, but it still appears
that the Jazz simply don't have quite enough firepower to match the best
in the league.
Vancouver
Grizzlies Projected
finish: Last in the Mid-West Current
position: Last (13-36) Prediction:
The Grizzlies will improve, but there's nowhere left to go but up anyhow.
The
Grizzlies will indeed end up as the cellar-dwellers of the Mid-West. Already
11.5 games behind their nearest opponents, the Griz have stumbled out of
the gate yet again. Falling crowds have forced the Grizzlies to look
at re-locating but the real problem remains - the team is not winning.
Vancouver can still improve on last year's win total (22-60) if they can
turn things around in the second half. In Shareef Abdur-Rahim and
Mike Bibby, they have two talented young players who are a good basis on
which to build, but they are kind of like a nudist standing at center court
- they're bare in the middle. Until they can add an experienced hard-hat
big man or two, they will continue to struggle. Expect them to have
some upset wins down the stretch and to win around 24 games.
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