NBA: A long way to go in the West

[LakeShow]

Mark Heisler:
NBA
NBA: A long way to go in the West
Will Lakers' rise mean the Suns set? Check back in May or June.
January 17 2008

IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S HAPPENING!

If you didn't think you'd live to see the Lakers and Boston Celtics on course to meet in another Finals, it's official -- today, anyway -- with both teams No. 1 in their conferences.

Of course, the Lakers have already been bumped off course by Andrew Bynum's injury with a line of big teams waiting to play them, starting tonight with the Phoenix Suns.

You may want to clip and save today's standings, as we used to say, or save the file to your desktop, because these days things change fast.

Ask the Suns, once the game's most feared offensive team, now supposedly fallen on hard times -- at 26-12, one of the four teams with the Lakers, Dallas and San Antonio within half a game of each other atop the West.

This is really exciting -- for the Lakers. For the old big three in the West, it's just the regular season, which precedes the real season.

"The only thing that's missing is that kind of euphoric feeling that you have when it's new and fun and beautiful," says the Suns' Steve Nash.

"Like you see the Celtics and the Lakers to an extent, with their additions and their success, New Orleans. Some of these teams, it's a lot of fun for them to turn that corner and be successful.

"We, in some ways, have been there, done that, and it's not as easy to get up and do the little things every day.

"And to me, that's what we're fighting every day."

Here's what winning 60 games gets you in this conference if you're not San Antonio, the only West team to win a le in the five seasons since the Lakers won their third consecutive championship.

Heartbreak. Expectations. Jaded fans. Restless owners. Managerial moves.

The Suns have had the full ride from their loss to the Spurs in the 2005 West finals -- with Joe Johnson out -- to their loss to the Spurs in last spring's second round -- after tying the series in Game 4 in San Antonio and seeing Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw suspended for the pivotal Game 5 in Phoenix.

The Suns' rise was the more remarkable, proceeding as the franchise made a bumpy transition from Old School paterfamilias Jerry Colangelo to new owner Robert Sarver.

In an awkward moment that looked as if it could split the organization, Sarver refused to extend GM Bryan Colangelo, Jerry's son, in effect, showing him the door.

Instead, they skimmed past it, rallying around personable Coach Mike D'Antoni, who took over the basketball operation and became the bridge from the old organization to the new one.

Last summer Sarver gave the GM job to Steve Kerr, his partner when he began looking for an NBA team, who accepted his long-standing offer to run the organization.

As Arizona as the Wildcats for whom he played, Kerr's personable too, but his background with the defense-oriented Spurs makes him D'Antoni's philosophical an hesis.

Inevitably, when Kerr made suggestions about playing better defense and taking fewer three-pointers, they reverberated like falling manhole covers.

Kerr and D'Antoni deny any disagreements, but it's clear that D'Antoni, so recently the organization's golden boy, doesn't have forever to win a le his way.

Aside from that, if the Suns have issues, they're just their old ones: defense, Stoudemire's shot attempts, Shawn Marion's level of respect.

It's not San Antonio's never-a-nose-out-of-joint groove and, under enough pressure, it could be a problem.

On the other hand, if Stoudemire is higher maintenance than Tim Duncan, at this point in their careers Amare jumps higher too.

As good as the Suns' widely copied style has been for the NBA, people have insisted they can't win a le this way since they started doing it this way.

Of course, with the injured Johnson in the 2005 West Finals or Stoudemire and Diaw in Game 5 last spring, who knows what might have happened?

This is what big teams go through in the West, where there are so many. Last season two teams won 60 games, three were in the 50s and four of the five went home with nothing.

Not coincidentally, this season's West race is tactical, with no team on a 60-win pace but six on a 50-win pace.

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich says he's letting his veterans ease into this, although he has probably already written the speech he'll make when he blows up and scorches them for not defending, coasting on their reputations, etc.

Dallas Coach Avery Johnson is taking chill pills with his Mavericks well off last season's 67-win pace. Of course, if they don't turn it up when they're supposed to, three Mavericks could wake up in New Jersey for Jason Kidd.

West contenders who have been there and done that realize nothing means anything in January, February, March or the first two weeks of April.

"It's kind of a silliness of our business," Nash says. "We play 82 games and no one gets a trophy for that, but you get a trophy for two months' work.

"So I think there's some wisdom in not killing yourselves over whether you get 65 wins or not."

Spring is coming but only one day at a time.

[SpursDynasty]

There seems to be a big deal being made of the fact that seeds #1-6 (excluding Portland) are all within a half-game of each other.

Well, the other teams may be that close to each other, but in reality the Spurs are further ahead of the West than we give them credit for. We've had only five (yep, five) games back with our Big Three at full strength, so we are still recovering from the 6-6 stretch we had in which one of more of our Big Three was out...so us being so close to the rest of the West in the standings is kind of a fluke.

Yet through all that, we're still tied with the #1 seed in the loss column. That alone shows how much further ahead of the West we are.

We are 19-5 with Manu, TD, and TP all in the lineup..That equates to a 65-win season... We'll take a 56-win season, which is what we're on pace for, and win the championship though.

[Findog]

There seems to be a big deal being made of the fact that seeds #1-6 (excluding Portland) are all within a half-game of each other.

Well, the other teams may be that close to each other, but in reality the Spurs are further ahead of the West than we give them credit for. We've had only five (yep, five) games back with our Big Three at full strength, so we are still recovering from the 6-6 stretch we had in which one of more of our Big Three was out...so us being so close to the rest of the West in the standings is kind of a fluke.

Yet through all that, we're still tied with the #1 seed in the loss column. That alone shows how much further ahead of the West we are.

We are 19-5 with Manu, TD, and TP all in the lineup..That equates to a 65-win season... We'll take a 56-win season, which is what we're on pace for, and win the championship though.

Yes, the Spurs are the only team that has had to deal with injuries. Let's go ahead and mail them the LOB Trophy and cancel the rest of the season.

[SpursDynasty]

Yes, the Spurs are the only team that has had to deal with injuries. Let's go ahead and mail them the LOB Trophy and cancel the rest of the season.

None of the West teams have dealt with injuries of the magnitude of the Spurs' injuries.

[sribb43]

The Clippers say hi.

I believe he was referring to contenders, not lottery teams

[Findog]

None of the West teams have dealt with injuries of the magnitude of the Spurs' injuries.

All the more reason to cancel the season and award the Spurs the le. Poow wittle Spuwhs have been beat up and banged up.

On a side note, the Mavs started 12-8 without Eddie Jones. Realistically, we would've won all of those games if Eddie had played, so really, we should be 34-4. No surprises there.

[Findog]

The Blazers are 23-15 without Oden, so you have to put an asterisk next to those 15 losses. Honestly, shouldn't the Blazers really be 38-0 if they had Oden?

[Findog]

Minnesota is 5-32 without Randy Foye. Surely they'd be in contention for the top seed in the West if they had him available. All of their losses are a fluke without Foye.

[Findog]

Sacramento is 15-22 and they haven't had Kevin Martin, Ron Artest and Mike Bibby available much. Surely they'd be 37-0 if they hadn't been hit by the injury bug. The Kings should pe ion Stern to have their record adjusted to 37-0 since it's not their fault they've been hit hard by injuries.

[sribb43]

Who says the Clippers couldn't be contenders with Elton Brand? Did you ever think the Blazers would be contenders?

....Blazers are having a nice run right now but this season they arent contenders...as far as the clippers go i know what they are with brand. every season except 05-06 they have been a lottery team with him. even in 05-06 they werent contenders for the le, a nice team but not contenders

[sribb43]

they're almost as good as your Mavericks, and as I recall they pretty much kicked their ass once already this year. So the Mavs aren't contenders either, right?

so all 12 teams that beat the mavs and all 11 teams that beat the spurs are contenders and the t-wolves are contenders for beating the suns, the raptors are for beating the spurs, etc. come on now....your statements have no validaty. i dont care what happened back on nov. 10...so you really believe the blazers are contenders for the le this season

[sribb43]

their record indicates that they're on pace to be a playoff team. and that's a contender.

just bc a team gets in the playoffs makes them a contender? if thats how you see it in your mind then yes they are contenders but anyone who knows anything about bball wouldnt make such a claim

[sribb43]

so last year the Mavs were contenders and the Warriors weren't?

thats the first logical you have said in this thread...i should have known when i looked at you screen name, that explains it all

[Findog]

How does SpursDynasty explain the Wiz doing even better without Arenas than with him? Are those fluke wins?

[LEONARD]

None of the West teams have dealt with injuries of the magnitude of the Spurs' injuries.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Biggest excuse making pussy on ST...

[Skip Bayless]

i think Dallas is tanking it WAY too early and i think they will crumble and miss the playoffs entirely. they will get rid of Dirk, trade Howard and be a lottery team for the next ten years

[703 Spurz]

The Clippers say hi.

Since the ing Clippers were 10 time champs right?

[703 Spurz]

right so the Mavs were contenders, Warriors were not, and yet the Warriors beat the Mavericks. Kicked their ass, to put it nicely.

So what's your criteria for being a contender then, ya in genius?

What's the difference dingle ? Clippers weren't gunna do regardless of Brand being there

[703 Spurz]

Mark Heisler:
NBA
NBA: A long way to go in the West
Will Lakers' rise mean the Suns set? Check back in May or June.
January 17 2008

IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S HAPPENING!

If you didn't think you'd live to see the Lakers and Boston Celtics on course to meet in another Finals, it's official -- today, anyway -- with both teams No. 1 in their conferences.

#1 in the conference is an automatic bid to the Finals eh?

Jackass