Slam Dunk Central

I was discussing the West Coast of NBA basketball with a colleague today. It sparked this debate- Which teams on the West are worthy of the playoffs? If the season ended two weeks from today, 30 games into the season, who would and should be in the playoffs? Six teams immediately jump to the forefront: Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, Warriors, and the Jazz. I know, I know, many of you are reading this article saying “the Lakers are you crazy?!?!?”. Trust me, I am not. I thought for sure the Lakers would be barely .500 this year but I am pleasantly surprised. The young cast of talent around Kobe is playing incredibly well. That along with Andrew Bynum’s surprising play has cast them into playoff worthiness. Bynum committed himself in the off season and bulked up to handle the rigors of day to day basketball in the NBA. Don’t forget the secret weapon, Phil Jackson, it is amazing how well you coach when you have to keep the boss’s daughter happy! This may be one of his best coaching jobs to date. Enough about the Lakers I could write an entire article about them.

Let’s discuss the teams on the bubble. This is where the true joy of NBA basketball comes into play. The teams that aren’t good enough to win it all but somehow someway will scrap their way into the playoffs and possibly knock off a one seed (aka last year’s Warriors). Five teams will be fighting for the last two playoff spots. They are the Rockets, Kings, Hornets, Nuggets, and yes I said it the Trailblazers. Of those five teams I am going to tailor this article down to two, the Nuggets and the Trailblazers. In reality the truth is it will most likely be the Nuggets and Rockets at the end of the season sneaking into those last two spots. But, with the injury prone Tracy McGrady and the change of coaching philosophy in Houston, nothing is a lock. Houston, a team that was known for great defense, has suddenly lost their identity. Over the next 2 weeks the Rockets are going to lose more than they win. They cannot afford to be without McGrady for an extended period of time. His scoring ability makes up for their lost defensive intensity. But do not forget the premise of this article! If the playoffs started two weeks from today, who would make it?

I will discuss the Trailblazers first, I feel this is fitting since Brandon Roy received the NBA West Player of the Week honors. I realize that the Blazers are waiting for Greg Odom to transform them into an elite NBA team, but they do have just enough spunk to sneak into the playoffs. Their record is 8-12. They have won 3 straight games against sub par teams (Heat, Bucks, and Grizzlies). In today’s NBA that may be enough to get into the playoffs. The true identity of the Blazers will be unveiled over the next two weeks. They have 7 games facing opponents over .500. They face off against the Jazz and Nuggets twice and play the Warriors, Hornets, and the Raptors. This is for all the marbles. If the Blazers find a way to win 5 of the next 7, they will be 13-15. Still under .500 but on the right track. One may ask how is that going to occur? Mainly by riding the backs of Roy and Aldridge. The Blazers vs Bucks game showed me that the Blazers have determination. Roy found a way to win, hitting the go ahead bucket. The quote of the game was from Steve Blake, “As a team, we stayed patient, stayed calm and believed in ourselves”. Steve Blake stepped up that game scoring 19 points, a season high. If Blake’s play continues to improve and Aldridge and Roy continue to score with great success the Blazers have a chance to be in Greg’s mythical playoff race Stay tuned to see how it turns out 2 weeks from now.

Now onto the Nuggets. I love watching this team, their offensive talent is amazing. As I write this article they are 3rd in the NBA in scoring. With the ability of Iverson and Anthony to score at will they are scary to defend. Don’t forget the decrepit Martin, who is able to catch Iverson’s up in the air “I’m not thinking” passes and eke in a score by leaping 2 inches. Now, though I may jest with regards to the skeleton that once was Kenyon Martin, he is still producing enough at the power forward position to make the Nuggets effective (10points/6 boards). There is also my favorite scrappy player of all time (no, not Scottie Brooks! - if someone actually knows who that is, drop me a line!) in the NBA, Eduardo Najera! Wherever the ball is Najera finds a way to get there. He brings such energy to the floor and noses his way to 6 ppg and 5 boards. That along with the improved play of Kleiza and the taming of JR Smith seems to bring consistent backup play to the Nuggets. Something they desperately needed last year! One year too late, but at least it is something. The beauty of JR Smith is that his ups balance out Martin’s concrete legs! Sorry, I couldn’t resist the knock on Martin. Promise that was the last one. Smith, Najera, and Kleiza are the making of a solid bench. This is part of what has helped the Nuggets have a legit shot at the playoffs. The only drawback to the Nuggets I can see is their defense. Though, it is by far not the worst in the league, it is a bit suspect. For as much as I love AI (I’m a Philly native) his defense is far from the best. About all he can do consistently is steal the ball. And for the amount of steals he has he is burned twice a much. Camby is a stone cold stud when it comes to defense. He alone is the one bright spot in that defensive setup. He is averaging 15 boards a game and an astounding 3.24 blocks a game. His presence alone is enough to alter shots. I am just not convinced that he can continue at this clip the entire year. His injury history and age make it extremely unlikely his amazing efforts will continue. That being said the Nuggets have improved over last year on defense. AI is now producing at a clip that we are more used to seeing from a bonafide all star. This takes some of the pressure off Anthony and enables him to do what he does best, put the ball on the floor and score. AI draws the double team away from Anthony. This gives Anthony more one on one situations, where he is deadly with the ball. I know I focused more on individual players in this piece, but do not forget the beauty of their schedule over the next two weeks. In their next 9 games, 4 opponents are under .500 (Blazers x2, Kings, Bucks, Houston is .500 but they won’t be for long).

So in two weeks we will see if my picks make my mythical playoffs. Until then enjoy the offensive juggernaut of the Nuggets and the can do attitude of the Blazers.

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