TMTTRIO
12-12-2007, 01:03 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/sn/20071212/sp_sn/nbapredictionsafterthefirstquarter
NBA predictions after the first quarter 43 minutes ago
By Stan McNeal -
I'm always looking for an excuse to do predictions because I enjoy how they give you a chance to agree with me and tell me how brilliant I am. So without wasting any more words, here are my NBA quarter-way-through-the-season predictions. Agree all you want and in the slim chance you might disagree with one or two, feel free to let me know that, too.
The Spurs will win the Finals, beating the Pistons in six games (You might disagree with that, but you won't disagree that our preseason pick -- Suns over Bulls -- is not looking good).
The West playoff field (in order): Spurs, Suns, Jazz, Warriors, Mavericks, Nuggets, Hornets and Lakers. The Rockets will finish as the league's most disappointing team.
The East: Celtics, Pistons, Magic, Cavaliers, Raptors, Bulls, Wizards and Heat. The Hawks will lose out in the final week of the season. The Nets and Pacers won't come that close.
When the Celtics meet the Spurs for the first time (Feb. 10), the Celtics still will be in single digits in the loss column.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy will finish his season with a better winning percentage than Billy Donovan will at Florida.
The Warriors will surpass the Suns as the league's most fun team to watch. Actually, they already may have. They're more athletic as a team and are playing with more enthusiasm these days -- especially in Oakland.
Some very deserving guards will be left off the Western Conference All-Star team. Let's say they take five: Kobe, Nash, Tony Parker and Chris Paul (the game's in New Orleans) are in. That leaves Deron Williams, Manu Ginobili, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Baron Davis and Brandon Roy for one spot. I'll take Williams, but it's not an easy call.
Fifteen teams will average 100 points a game, the most in 13 seasons. Thirteen already are in triple digits, and the Kings and Raptors both are within 2 points.
The Blazers will emerge as a team to watch next season by finishing ahead of the Timberwolves, Sonics, Clippers, Grizzlies and Kings.
Larry Hughes will be injured again. So will Lamar Odom, Tracy McGrady and Corey Maggette. Bruce Bowen, the league's reigning iron man at 456 games, won't.
Dirk Nowitzki will lead the Mavericks in scoring. Josh Howard is getting -- and making -- more shots because Nowitzki is attracting more double teams this season. But by the end of the season, opponents will adjust to Howard and Nowitzki will raise his 3-point percentage closer to the 41.6 percent of last season than its current 31.0 percent.
That said, Nowitzki will not finish in the top five MVP voting this season. These guys will: LeBron, Dwight Howard, KG, Nash and Kobe.
Manu Ginobili will win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Unanimously.
Jerry Sloan won't win Coach of the Year. Again.
A taped audio clip of a coach's diatribe during a timeout won't pass TV standards but will get loose on the Internet and then coaches really will have something to complain about.
The Mavericks will not shoot 83.8 percent from the free-throw line for the entire season. But it's pretty impressive they've shot that well for this long.
Shaq will complain again about not getting the ball enough. He will be right.
Jason Kidd won't be traded. Neither will Kobe Bryant. Jermaine O'Neal will. So will Jamaal Tinsley.
Isiah Thomas will be fired. Finally.
NBA predictions after the first quarter 43 minutes ago
By Stan McNeal -
I'm always looking for an excuse to do predictions because I enjoy how they give you a chance to agree with me and tell me how brilliant I am. So without wasting any more words, here are my NBA quarter-way-through-the-season predictions. Agree all you want and in the slim chance you might disagree with one or two, feel free to let me know that, too.
The Spurs will win the Finals, beating the Pistons in six games (You might disagree with that, but you won't disagree that our preseason pick -- Suns over Bulls -- is not looking good).
The West playoff field (in order): Spurs, Suns, Jazz, Warriors, Mavericks, Nuggets, Hornets and Lakers. The Rockets will finish as the league's most disappointing team.
The East: Celtics, Pistons, Magic, Cavaliers, Raptors, Bulls, Wizards and Heat. The Hawks will lose out in the final week of the season. The Nets and Pacers won't come that close.
When the Celtics meet the Spurs for the first time (Feb. 10), the Celtics still will be in single digits in the loss column.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy will finish his season with a better winning percentage than Billy Donovan will at Florida.
The Warriors will surpass the Suns as the league's most fun team to watch. Actually, they already may have. They're more athletic as a team and are playing with more enthusiasm these days -- especially in Oakland.
Some very deserving guards will be left off the Western Conference All-Star team. Let's say they take five: Kobe, Nash, Tony Parker and Chris Paul (the game's in New Orleans) are in. That leaves Deron Williams, Manu Ginobili, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Baron Davis and Brandon Roy for one spot. I'll take Williams, but it's not an easy call.
Fifteen teams will average 100 points a game, the most in 13 seasons. Thirteen already are in triple digits, and the Kings and Raptors both are within 2 points.
The Blazers will emerge as a team to watch next season by finishing ahead of the Timberwolves, Sonics, Clippers, Grizzlies and Kings.
Larry Hughes will be injured again. So will Lamar Odom, Tracy McGrady and Corey Maggette. Bruce Bowen, the league's reigning iron man at 456 games, won't.
Dirk Nowitzki will lead the Mavericks in scoring. Josh Howard is getting -- and making -- more shots because Nowitzki is attracting more double teams this season. But by the end of the season, opponents will adjust to Howard and Nowitzki will raise his 3-point percentage closer to the 41.6 percent of last season than its current 31.0 percent.
That said, Nowitzki will not finish in the top five MVP voting this season. These guys will: LeBron, Dwight Howard, KG, Nash and Kobe.
Manu Ginobili will win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Unanimously.
Jerry Sloan won't win Coach of the Year. Again.
A taped audio clip of a coach's diatribe during a timeout won't pass TV standards but will get loose on the Internet and then coaches really will have something to complain about.
The Mavericks will not shoot 83.8 percent from the free-throw line for the entire season. But it's pretty impressive they've shot that well for this long.
Shaq will complain again about not getting the ball enough. He will be right.
Jason Kidd won't be traded. Neither will Kobe Bryant. Jermaine O'Neal will. So will Jamaal Tinsley.
Isiah Thomas will be fired. Finally.