THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
|
Saturday TIME: US | UK WEATHER: US | UK THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE ONLINE Back Issues WHAT'S ON Diary Dates SPORTS Features & Blogs FEATURES Politics blog THE NEIGHBORHOOD "Life in the UK" American Groups Essential Contacts Money Education Driving Property |
SPORTS 
2012-13 NBA Preview After the drama of the 2011-2012 season, from the lockout to LeBron James being finally crowned as the king, it’s time again to get ready for NBA basketball. A number of huge deals were completed in the lead up to pre-season. Former all-stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis make an already-stacked Miami team even more impressive. The new additions of 2-time MVP Steve Nash and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard have pushed the Lakers to new heights and the Brooklyn Nets arguably have the best backcourt in the league in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Atlantic Division Boston: The Celtics should start exactly where they left off. Rondo runs the offense, a healthy Garnett anchors the defense and new acquisition Jason Terry is a solid, if not better replacement for the all-time 3-point scorer, Ray Allen. Do the Celtics have one last push for a ring since the original “Big 3” came together? The answer is no. Why? One word. OLD. Philadelphia: The 76ers are the antithesis of old – young, quick and very athletic. Newly acquired 7'2" giant, Andrew Bynum, should dominate the paint. He is aided by young guns that can shoot and drive the lane. Bynum will consistently require a second defender to help protect him in the post, which will allow the entourage of Holiday, T. Young, N. Young, Turner and Richardson to do their damage. Brooklyn: This squad is different to last year: they’ll win games. With one of the best back courts in the league, if they can find balance and chemistry this team has serious potential to make a run in the play-offs. New York: The Knicks are looking to improve on a disappointing post-season. After the rise of ‘Linsanity’, they failed to bring back the rising star. Yet newly signed free agents Felton and Kidd will take on the task of giving offensive structure to this team. Melo and Amare will still score and Chandler will block shots, but will that be enough to win games? Toronto: They failed to attract Canadian-born Nash. Who they got? Your guess is as good as mine. Toronto can run, jump and dunk. But in this league, pure athleticism won’t win games. This division is just too strong. Central Division Chicago: The past two years, the Bulls have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA in terms of wins, but with Rose out for at least the start (ACL tear) and surrounding teams continuing to improve, this team will be challenged to maintain their winning ways. Indiana: They made no major moves this off-season, have no stand-out superstars and lost their President of Basketball Operations, the legend, Larry Bird. But what the Pacers do have is what a lot of NBA teams don’t: solid teamwork and experience playing together. This team will be right there in the hunt for a top 4 play-off seed, a position incredibly hard to achieve in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee/Detroit/Cleveland: These teams need to do one thing: improve. All three teams are led by quality, above average point guards in Jennings (Milwaukee), Stuckey (Detroit) and Irving (Cleveland) and all three have proven that they can score in this league. But that’s it. None of these players averaged over 5 assists per game last season. Southeast Division Miami: New signings Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen will improve an already formidable 3-point shooting team. This team is just too good. The only thing they lack is size/toughness in the paint, but does that matter when you have LeBron, Wade, Bosh? The only pending question is whether they can stay healthy enough for the play-offs and win it all again. Atlanta: One team likely to endure a dramatic fall in the win column are the Hawks. With the departure of Joe Johnson, they no longer have that go-to guy to score their much needed points and they have not yet been able to replace Johnson in that vital category. Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague have not shown the ability to regularly post 20+ points. Orlando: The Magic had the worst off-season possible. They unload Howard for whom? Don’t worry, I’ll wait... No Dwight Howard means no play-off appearance. Charlotte/Washington: As well as housing the NBA’s best team, the Southeast hosts the two worst. After missing out on Anthony Davis in the Draft, the Bobcats took versatile Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. And John Wall is not ready to take the Wizards to the next level alone. Northwest Division Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka all achieved medals in London and all looked in prime condition. OKC is a team to be straight up feared! The Thunder will make the Western Conference Finals again but a certain team in L.A. may stop them from going further. (Harden has since been traded to Houston - Ed.) Denver: The Nuggets acquired Andre Iguodala and made an already scary team even more athletic and up-tempo. Iggy brings leadership, play-making and scoring, something Denver had last season but in the form of 3 different guards. Oh, and don’t even dare forget about those two athletic giants JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried. This team will definitely be in the play-off race. Utah: Barely making the post-season last year was a luxury for the Jazz, but their big dynamic duo of Millsap and Jefferson will continue to lead this team in the right direction. With their overhaul of youngsters and former all-star Mo Williams this team is looking up. Minnesota: The T-wolves have quality pieces to surround 2011-2 MVP candidate Kevin Love. If Ricky Rubio can pick up where he left off before injury, and Brandon Roy can be even half the player he was in Portland, then we have a potential dark horse. Portland: The Blazers are the only team in this division that may fall off the radar. Pacific Div ision L.A. Lakers: L.A. had the best off-season in recent memory. Their starting five is downright illegal, consisting of former all-stars Nash, Bryant, World Peace, Gasol and Howard. L.A.Clippers: ‘Lob City’ will still be throwing down rim-rocking alley-oops. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin utilize the pick-and-roll to perfection, and the defensive attention they demand provides open shots for the perimeter shooters. They will be aiming for a top 4 finish. Phoenix: The Suns’ one true hope, Steve Nash, is gone. The Suns’ organization is probably counting down the days until the 2013 Draft Lottery. They are in dire need of a quality scorer. Goran Dragic is a good addition after the irreplaceable Nash, but they still need a prolific scorer if they want to go anywhere. Golden State/Sacramento: Last season, these teams practically had the same winning percentage, 0.348 and 0.333 respectively. They aren’t terrible but they most certainly aren’t play-off material. Not yet, anyway. Look for these two teams to just play hard every night and let the outcomes speak for themselves. Southwest Division San Antonio: We keep repeating the same things: “The Spurs are too old”, “This is a young man’s game.” Yet this successful franchise continues to prove us wrong. Last year they tied for the most wins and Tony Parker was a legitimate MVP candidate. If they can survive the regular season without major injuries, they will win this division. Dallas: After a poor 2011 off-season and a beating by Miami in the season opener, we all knew this team was done. This off-season has been no better. Losing starters Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are huge setbacks, even though they signed O.J. Mayo and Elton Brand to take the load off the 2011 NBA Finals MVP, Dirk Nowitzki. Houston: The Rockets rocked the off-season with the signing of Jeremy Lin, but this alone will not take the team to new heights (...and indeed, since this article was written, they have acquired James Harden - Ed.) Memphis: The Grizzlies have a great team, but can’t seem to get over that first round play-off hump. They have Zach Randolph, Mark Gasol and Rudy Gay, and now the team has gelled and gained play-off experience we may see better this time. New Orleans: The Hornets had two top 10 draft picks this year in Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, two explosive players that will bring much needed swagger and hustle to the Big Easy. With Eric Gordon back, this could be one seriously exciting squad with scoring power and shot blocking prowess. However, even the 8th seed may be a tough task. |
