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the new NBA season It kicks off with the Lakers facing the Clippers Oct 27, 2009
Which three teams look strongest in the Eastern Conference this year and why? It’s the usual suspects: Orlando, Boston and Cleveland are clearly the favorites. They’ve all improved in some areas during the offseason, not only to win the East but the whole thing. So they’ll be going after it in that conference for sure. Which three teams look strongest in the Western Conference this year and why? San Antonio and the Lakers are clear-cut favorites, with the Lakers being so difficult--they have so many positives. If the only thing that’s going to keep you from winning a championship is a guy running into the stands (a la Ron Artest a few seasons back), you’re going to be pretty good. There are younger teams like Portland, Utah and Dallas that have gotten better; it will really depend on injuries and what have you. New Orleans is in that same pot of gumbo. The determining factors with those teams will really be injuries and who gets that fourth playoff seed [meaning home-court advantage in rounds one and two]. Everyone knows about LeBron and Kobe and how important they are to their teams, but who are some of the players who are just as important but tend to get overlooked? I think guys that are the best players on teams don’t get overlooked. Let's go with the Lakers--they’re the only team in the NBA that, if their best player gets injured for 82 games, they still make the playoffs. Because of the way the world is now, it’s difficult to get overlooked. The one thing you do get is there is some under-appreciation for what guys do other than scoring. There’s a few ways of being a superstar in the league--scoring, rebounding and assists. But there’s also changing the tempo of the game, and I think that gets overlooked on a guy like Steve Nash. Everyone knows he’s great, he’s been MVP and all of that. But when you think about the Suns, what are they going to do against you? They’re going to run, and everyone knows that. Yet they still do it, and that’s the mark of great players. Which five players would make your NBA all-defensive team? Tim Duncan has always been a great defender, and Kobe’s actually good as well. Ron Artest is a great defender, and the Lakers are great as a team. Dwight Howard, obviously, if you’re a driving and penetrating team normally, you’re not when you play against him. That’s when you know you change the tempo of the game. And Kevin Garnett is a great competitor as well. What are the biggest changes you've seen in the NBA over the past five years, both on and off the court? Well, I think the teams have gotten better over the past five years, and I think people have gotten more interested in basketball because of it. Players are more individually better now, but it’s like, “let’s market teams.” I’d rather root for my team than my guy, and we’re rooting for the cities again. You know, “I’m proud of Cleveland” or “I’m an L.A. guy”—before it was “I’m a Kobe guy, a Shaq guy.” Also, the great young players are now great veterans—there aren’t many great young players any more, which also helps the league. Kevin Garnett, Kobe, those guys aren’t young anymore, they’re the vets. Maybe with the exception of LeBron, everyone else has been in for five or six years or better. Whereas before it wasn’t like that, and I think that hurt the league lot. It's early, but we have to ask: Who do you have in the finals? The Lakers are going to be too tough to beat. And then that three-team race in the East (Cleveland, Orlando and Boston) comes down to injuries. But if they’re all good with no injuries, then something is leading me to saying Cleveland. I don't think they’re necessarily the best of those three, but something tells me LeBron will get them there.
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