Squeaky Bum Time

The top two teams in their respective conferences: Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls

It’s been little over four months since the NBA lockout ended, and it’s almost that time when we get a rough idea who’s making the playoffs and who isn’t going to. The league has entered into its fourth quarter and it’s time for the final push that could make or break a season.

One team that has already made the playoffs is the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have been on fire this season and have crept up to favourites in my book. The Bulls’ key man and reigning MVP Derrick Rose has missed a few games recently due to injury. Having watched the Bulls play Denver, one couldn’t help but notice that Rose was being missed. It seems strange, but it’s true; the Bulls look like they need Rose back as soon as possible. While the playoff spot is secured, the top seed in the East is still a position up for grabs.

The New York Knicks, on the other hand, are still fighting, and with the rise of their go-to man, Jeremy Lin, all eyes are on the Knicks. Milwaukee looks to have pulled a smart trade: Monta Ellis is ensuring that the Knicks have all the pressure on them as the Bucks are closing in on eighth place in the East. New York will have to go without Amar’e Stoudemire, who suffered a back injury that could keep him out of the playoffs, should New York make it. Carmelo Anthony has been awful this season, to put it nicely. I was surprised when he made the All- Star team. It’s clearly his poorest season as a professional.

In my last article, I mentioned that Derek Fisher was traded to Houston, which was true at the time. Since then, he has moved on to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who claimed him off waivers. This is a move that could help the Thunder, as Fisher has a lot of playoff experience. In my reckoning, Fisher would play as the backup point guard, considering that Russell Westbrook is on the roster for OKC. They currently occupy top spot in the West and should clinch their own playoff berth soon.

Let’s be real here, the Toronto Raptors are going nowhere. Canada’s only team lacked the finesse needed to challenge for a playoff spot, constantly relying on Andrea Bargnani to deliver the goods. The Raptors are currently sitting 12th in the East with just 16 wins. They have, however, ‘stunned’ fans by dishing out the odd victory, most notably their win against New York: a 96-79 win that snapped New York’s fivegame winning streak. They also almost upset the Bulls, only to be undone by a somewhat lucky basket for Luol Deng in the dying seconds of overtime. A couple of good performances could maybe see the Raptors sneak into a playoff spot but I wouldn’t count on that happening. In the Raptors’ 117-101 defeat to the Orlando Magic, a loud cheer erupted when Toronto scored 100, not because they were leading with seconds to play, but because free pizza is offered to fans every time the team scores 100.

On a side note, the game that featured Atlanta and Utah was the first game to go to quadruple overtime since 1997 when Phoenix beat Portland. Atlanta beat Utah 139-133 in this game.

With most teams having fewer than 20 games left in the regular season, it’s crunch time. There are still playoff spots, particularly in the West, which could be claimed by a number of teams. If I were to make a prediction, I’d say that Chicago and Oklahoma will top both their conferences while the much-talked-about New York Knicks will only barely scrape into the playoffs this time around.

Originally Written for the Interrobang:http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8381&sectionID=4&issueID=202
Image Credit:
Video Credit:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxHy-tkwVEg

NBA Watch: Short Season, Big Men

He's the Dark Horse and you know it.

Last week I looked into the teams that are favourites to run away with the NBA title. This week I thought it best to look at the individual players who are tipped to shine during the current NBA season:

LeBron James: Miami's James is always a favourite to shine year after year. This year he's showing how he plays without Dwyane Wade, who many predict will also have a big year. James is averaging almost 30 points a game this season and with his presence on the court, more and more people are taking notice each day.

Kevin Durant: Let's be honest here, I don't know what to write about Durant. The 23 year old is in his fifth season and he's only getting better each day. Durant played a lot of basketball during the recent NBA lockout and it shows. He looks a lot tougher than ever before and has added a lot of moves to his arsenal. Durant has started every game of his NBA career and he's averaging 26.3 points this year; he's the best all-round player in the league after James.

Derrick Rose: The Chicago Bulls finally have a good team; their last championship winning side featured Michael Jordan. Rose looks to be the focal point of the Bulls' side and on his day, the reigning league MVP can destroy any defence in the league. Chicago will be looking to continue last year's exquisite run and I will not be surprised if Rose is battling it out for another MVP trophy.

Dwyane Wade: It's often been taken for granted that a great NBA team has three big-name players as their focal point. In Miami's case, part two of their 'big three' features Dwyane Wade. James and Wade can put on a show that you won't get to see elsewhere. Wade is averaging 20 points this season and Miami fans will be hoping he keeps this form.

Russell Westbrook: The Oklahoma City point guard is a player you'd love to hate. Westbrook is lighting up the league. He's averaging more points per game than Wade, and along with Durant, these two young athletes are the reason why Oklahoma City could be the team that challenges Miami right to the very end. His teammate Kendrick Perkins sees Westbrook as a scoring point guard and he's not selfish, though many fans deem him to be so.

LaMarcus Aldridge: Brandon Roy has retired. Greg Oden is out injured. It seemed to be a lot of gloom for the Portland Trailblazers. Aldridge was the only one standing from Portland's 'big three,' and he has stepped up to the plate. Aldridge is averaging 22.6 points per game, which is the highest he's managed in his career so far. Portland could be on its way to another playoff campaign, and Aldridge will have a huge part to play.

Kobe Bryant: The Los Angeles Lakers guard is another perennial favourite to have a big season. The one thing I have noticed is that he always seems to have an injured hand and yet he has 40 point nights. Bryant is averaging 30.2 points a night yet the Lakers sit eighth in their conference (at the time of writing). I had this huge discussion with a friend of mine who's a self proclaimed "NBA Guru" and he cites Bryant as "a very lucky player," because of the fact that many of Bryant's bad shots are still converted. Whatever happens, Bryant and his Lakers will be challenging once again.

Blake Griffin: Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers is my dark horse for this NBA season. He's got this mean swagger when he plays and his dunk on Kendrick Perkins, which went viral on YouTube, is an example that proves this statement. Griffin has the promise to be the next big star in the league. The Clippers have added Chris Paul to the roster and the man from Oklahoma is on his way to becoming a top NBA player.

It is hard to compile a definitive list of players to watch out for in the NBA every season. There are top players that I've left out that will have good seasons but personally I feel not as good as the players I've listed above.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8040&sectionID=4&issueID=195
Image Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqByFK-wdOBAbW2jUeGtyRJqEcAlax75YrH5yBD4ExFykGdLz5GDyowuRsBg6P2utZ2C6N7r2WyIDjimTmSssGgbLVW9pIZxBGCOuXebSaUQO-zoXWnu7DCrbTYrZdbScju4GPvco9WZd/s1600/blake+griffin+car+dunk3.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l10Bo-X0WNM

NBA Watch: Gunning for Glory

Basketball's Biggest Prize?

The NBA season is just over a month old, and I feel it's about time we take a good look at the teams that are favourites to win the title at the end of the season.

Miami Heat: LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade – it doesn't get any bigger than this. The Heat came within inches of winning the title last season but came undone against a resurgent Dallas Mavericks team. James is showing how effective he can be without Wade. The Heat are favourites for another long playoff run and with Mario Chalmers, rookie Norris Cole and Udonis Haslem, chances are high that the Heat will storm their way to an NBA title this time around.

Los Angeles Lakers: Off the court, the Lakers' long-time Head Coach Phil Jackson retired following the end of the last season and he was replaced by former Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown. The Lakers boast two of the biggest men in the league, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, on their roster and they show that they can punish teams inside the paint. Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes have proved that they can shut down any five-star offences. Oh, and a certain Kobe Bryant averaged 43 points per game when the Lakers were up against worthy playoff opposition. After being blanked 4- 0 by Dallas last time around in the conference semi finals, this proud franchise will be out for revenge (and a title) this time around.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Two words: Kevin Durant. Durant had been playing an enormous amount of basketball during the NBA lockout, and it shows. He looks a lot tougher than ever before and has added a lot of moves to his arsenal. In my opinion, he's the best allaround player in the league after James. Also look out for Russell Westbrook, he's lighting up the league and he's a player you'd love to hate.

Chicago Bulls: The Chicago Bulls haven't won an NBA championship since 1998. It seems like a long time ago that Michael Jordan was on the roster of that championship winning team. Fourteen seasons later, the Bulls finally look like they have a title contender. With Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Derrick Rose, the Bulls are tough to beat at home; Rose can destroy any defence in the league, and Deng can shut down anyone from James to Bryant on a given night.

Portland Trailblazers: LaMarcus Aldridge is on quite the run. It's hard to catch him, and he makes scoring look easy. Given the fact that the Blazers lost key man Brandon Roy to premature retirement, this team looked beaten before the start of the season. Gerald Wallace will run, jump, punch and claw his way to productive nights and usually does so every time the Blazers play. Nicolas Batum and Raymond Felton are big-name spare parts, but in all, despite the loss of Brandon Roy, the Blazers look built for a long playoff run.

Outside chances: The Dallas Mavericks, defending champions of the NBA, the Boston Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies will all make the playoffs comfortably, but I don't see them going on a very long run. The Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs too should make the playoffs. The Spurs lost key man Manu Ginobili to injury and his return is still not finalized.

The games are coming in thick and fast, and I, for one, know it's going to get exciting as the season goes on.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7997&sectionID=4&issueID=194
Image Credit:http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID24107/images/Laker-Parade-2010-Celebration-Kobe-82.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UekSQkajhsU