Favorites for the title

Posted by Dan Dragicevich.

The new shortened season in the NBA has made the playoff picture a bit more interesting with unlikely teams having a greater shot of getting into the postseason.

With the struggles that the NBA had to overcome this past offseason with the potential lockout, the NBA is hoping that some good can come out of it. Since the league had to suspend the first month of games, the new revised season was only 66 games. This causes concern with the owners and players because the owners are losing money due to the decrease in attendance while the players are losing money because they aren’t being paid for the games they missed. The one positive outcome that can be taken from this is the hope for a more diverse group in the playoffs.

Every year we see teams who are projected to be at the bottom of the league come out hot and have a fast start. They might come out firing with a 10-3 record but then for whatever reason we see them fizzle out by season’s end, it happens every year. This year is much like the same with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers starting out hot. Yes you could make the argument that these teams have the talent to be playing well but the fact is that they weren’t projected to be up there. The 76ers are the 3rd best team in the East with a record of 19-9 and the Pacers are in second place with a record of 17-10. In past years we may have said, 'ok these teams started off well but they will not keep it up', that was with the understanding of an original 82 game season. With the shortened season of 66 games, these teams suddenly look like they could be contenders if they create enough room for themselves. Eventhough these teams could be postseason contenders, that doesn’t make them favorites for the title.

The teams that look like they could be playing for a title in June are; the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat in the East, and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. I only have one favorite in the West because after the Thunder there are 3-4 teams that could potentially find their groove late in the season.

The Bulls are obviously one of the top teams in the league with the help of the reigning MVP, Derrick Rose. Rose has been phenomenal so far averaging 22 points a game along with 7.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds a game. The offense runs straight through him and with the recent back problems he has been having, the Bulls may need to rely on the likes of Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng to get them through the time Rose may miss. The other favorite in the East is none other than the hated trio of the Miami Heat. This one is pretty self-explanatory because when you have the superstars of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh you will be in the title race every year. As long as the three of them can stay healthy, (which may be a tall order because Wade seems like he is on and off the IR every week) I see no reason why Chicago and Miami won’t be battling it out for the right to represent the East in the finals.

As for the West, it gets a bit trickier trying to decide who will wind up in the finals. As I said earlier, the Thunder look like they are the favorites with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the way. Durant is playing at all-star level once again and after the slow start of Westbrook he seems like he is making up for the lost time. The only problem I see with the Thunder is what has plagued them in the past with their inexperience to play in the big game and their lack of consistent big men.

Then there is the cluster bomb of the 3-4 teams in the West who could make a run at the finals. We have the new and improved Los Angeles Clippers (17-8) who have been playing very well with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, we also have their in-town rival of the Lakers (16-12) who as long as they have Kobe Bryant you can never count them out. We also have the aging San Antonio Spurs team (19-9) where whenever we say they are too old to compete anymore they always prove us wrong, and we also have the reigning champs the Dallas Mavericks (17-11) who have the talent to repeat.

With all these teams in the mix one thing is for sure, you never know who may end up taking home the trophy in June. Last year the Mavericks didn’t seem to have what it takes but they sparked themselves at the right time and it worked. It should be an interesting road to the finals and make sure you have the sleepers in your rearview because you never know who might sneak up on you.