The NBA is all West

By Tony George www.sportsaudioshows.com  

As I observe the goings on in the NBA as close as anyone for my profession, it has become very apparent that the Western Conference of the NBA in general is heads and shoulders above the Eastern Conference again this year. Of course that was the case last year, and low and behold the Miami Heat walk off with the title. Ain't gonna happen this year folks!

Taking a hard look at the first half of the season as we wind down to the All Star break, I cannot name 1 team who even has an outside chance from the east to scare anyone from the West in the Finals. The NBA Finals will be in the Western Conference Finals this season, and the consolation blowout games will actually be in the NBA Finals when the winner from the West gets a sacrificial lamb from the East! Trust me when I tell you, the spreads the teams from the West will lay will be large. Lets break down the Top 3 and the field of 8 for the playoffs as of today from each side of the boundary line here as the end of the first half winds down.

THE EAST

The standings as of the weekend of Feb. 4th have the best team in the East being the Detroit Pistons at 28-18, and although the Washington Wizards are 1 game better in the win column, it is the overall picture I am looking at, and Detroit has a road record of 13-8 versus the Wizards 8-13 road record. When looking at NBA teams, it is crucial to look at how they perform on the road, and Detroit is the better team in that category. Also looking at Detroit, they are a TEAM and play the best defense in the East allowing just 93 ppg, and not a 1 or 2 man show like the Wizards, who rely on Gilbert Arenas to have 30+ points a night in order to squeak out wins and allow 106 ppg. In the Atlantic conference the leader is the Toronto Raptors at 25-23 overall, and with the Nets in second place, but with Richard Jefferson out for the near future, and the Nets 7-13 road record, the Vince Carter show is far from enough for the Nets to contend past the first round, assuming they make it. Toronto is very tough at home and cover numerous spreads there, so keep that in your little black book somewhere.

Looking at some dark horses, I do like the Bulls and their team chemistry with Ben Gordon stepping up big time this year, and right now the Bulls have the 2nd best home court record in the NBA, which counts for something. The Bulls however are a weak road team, that has to be fixed. The returning Champs this year, the Miami Heat have a losing record and lost Shaq for 35 games, and although through some miracle he made the All Star game as a starter, he is a shell of himself as compared to the glory days of the Lakers, and Duane Wade is clearly the star of the team. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team in the East to have a winning record against Western opponents, and trail the Pistons by 2 games overall. To me it looks like the Top 8 are in this order, Detroit, Washington, Cleveland, Chicago,Toronto, New Jersey, Orlando and Miami with a late season surge to get into the playoffs, but keep an eye on Indiana, provided they can establish any consistency on defense. Does it really matter past the top 2 teams at seasons end in the East? I do not think so at the end of the day.

THE WEST

Of course Dallas is on a mission to avenge last years debacle in the Finals and so far after starting out 0-4 for the season, they have amassed a 39-9 record, 17-6 on the road and play the 3rd best defense in West at 92 ppg allowed. There is no doubt about the depth, coaching and determination of this team, and they play with great resolve and I honestly think they are the best team in the NBA overall. That being said, who can ignore the Phoenix Suns, who are 37-10 and have had 2 winning streaks of better than 15 games, the best in NBA history. Steve Nash is simply a 1 man wrecking crew, scoring, dishing out assists, rebounding and being the floor general and leader, a shoe-in for the MVP this season. The Suns depth almost matches the Mavs, but the defense once again is a problem, as out scoring people does not get it done late in the playoffs as they found out last year. The Mavs are 12-3 against the East, and the Suns are an impressive 19-1, but that does little good unless you win the Championship in the West, which I do not think Phoenix will. Clearly the 2 best teams in the NBA, everybody else in the East and West is an "also ran".

Looking at third place, the Spurs once again can contend with anyone, and have the best defense in all of the NBA at 90 ppg allowed. The team chemistry is there, but not being as explosive on offense as they need to be will be their downfall. Playing 5 or 6 games up-tempo is not their thing, and either Dallas or the Suns will run them off the court at seasons end in the playoffs. The Lakers are playing better ball this year and we all know Kobe has plenty of experience, but his leadership this year is commendable. With a healthy Lamar Odem, the Lakers will be a force. The Nuggets now have Allen Iverson and Carmelo back off suspension after the sissy fight, and they are a team to be fearful of, especially in Denver. You can never count out Houston with Ming and T-Mac, and they have played well this season on the road, which had been their downfall in previous years, and have the 5th best home record in the West as well. Utah has also shown some signs of life, and lead Denver by 5 games, but that is skewed in my mind due to Anthony being out for so many games for Denver. The Jazz are 17-6 at home and rarely lose there, so a team to take at home during the season for sure are the Jazz, but no one expects them to do much in the playoffs past the second round, if they make it through the first round.

Taking at look at the top 8 is immaterial since Dallas and Phoenix will no doubt be the final 2, looking at things right now, but in this order I rank the Western conference teams. Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston, Denver, Utah, LA Lakers and the LA Clippers. Once again does it matter? The Western Conference Champion will walk away with the title this year, so the main reason I watch the NBA is for pointspread covers, because it is pre-determined which conference will win it all, the question is will it be Dallas or Phoenix?