2014 NBA Preview

This piece is written by Taylor Nigrelli and not Mike Drebot, but because of technical difficulties it had to be published by me
So, it’s NBA season, huh? It feels like only a few weeks ago that I watched LeBron James and the Miami Heat wrap-up their second NBA title as blog co-founder and longtime Spurs fan lay catatonically on his couch.

I understand that feeling, of course. Not just as Buffalo/St. Bonaventure sports fan, but as a Chicago Bulls fan. Eighteen months ago I sat and watched my favorite player and reason I’m a basketball junkie, Derrick Rose, fall and tear his ACL in game one of the playoffs. That playoff run was immediately destroyed as was the next season and ensuing playoff run (destroyed is a strong word for last year’s run – it was fun, they just never had a chance).

Luckily, Rose is back to wreak havoc and make everyone who made terrible, lazy memes and jokes about him look stupid. I can’t wait.

I’m not going to do a full preview for the NBA or anything but I do have a few predictions.

LeBron James will deserve MVP…but he might not win it: LeBron James is the best player in the World. You know this. I didn’t need to say that; sorry for the waste of words. He’s going into his 11^th season, though. He’s only 28 but he has plenty of mileage. Players don’t usually get better in their 11^th season. But I think he will. He probably won’t lose too much athleticism if any at all. Plus, he’s getting wiser and learning moves to keep him around for longer. His three-point shooting has improved drastically and he’s become a better low-post player. I’m thinking he’s capable of having a 30-10-8 line while shooting 50/40/90. If he does that, he’ll win MVP easily. But if he doesn’t, if he remains the same as last year or slightly declines, he’s in danger of falling victim to voter fatigue. Kevin Durant isn’t a bad bet to win his first. And, no, I didn’t copy and paste this from last year’s predictions column.

The Spurs are not done: Because why the hell would they be? They have nearly everyone back from last year’s team and they added Marco Belinelli for perimeter depth. Duncan is an all-NBA center, Parker’s one of the league’s five best point guards and Popavich is still the best coach around. They’re Finals contenders. You’d be crazy (and wrong) to think differently.

The Miami Heat will not repeat: In the past 44 years, the 1984-87 Celtics are the only team to appear in four consecutive finals.  It just doesn’t happen. It’s too hard. As you probably know, the Heat have played in three straight finals. They’ve played in tough, seven-game series against the Celtics, Pacers and Spurs in addition to two physical five-gamers against the Bulls and another six-gamer against Indiana. It’s not easy to play all those extra minutes. And they’re not young. Wade has been banged up for two years, Battier is old, Allen is ancient, Bosh is Bosh, Oden is Oden, Beasley is probably high. Plus, the slate has gotten much more difficult. Unless LeBron has some gear we’ve never seen before, they won’t make it past the second round.

The Chicago Bulls will win sixty games: They win in the regular season. It’s what they do. Thibodeau will run Deng, Noah and Rose into the ground; he’s never been about resting players. The starting five is excellent and the bench is underrated. And there’s the matter of Mr. Rose. He’s undoubtedly play pissed off. He already played with an edge; now he’s coming off 18-months of hearing about his (falsely) perceived lack of toughness. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.

The Indiana Pacers will defeat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals: Paul George is the third-best forward in the NBA and he’s only getting better. He can score, distribute, shoot, rebound and keep LeBron in check. He’s already good enough to be “the guy” on a championship team. Roy Hibbert is the game’s best defensive player and a terrifying rim protector. They have plenty of toughness (West), athleticism (Stephenson) and a solid bench (Scola, Watson, Granger). They’re ready. They proved they can hang with the Heat and the Bulls are very beatable if George can keep Rose somewhat in check offensively.

Other things to look for: Madison Square Garden devolving into a literal tire fire, Atlanta continuing to be Atlanta, Brooklyn losing in the first round, Oklahoma City fans randomly bursting into tears in public and at family gatherings, James Harden and Dwight Howard becoming awesome best friends and the Pelicans having the best and worst nickname ever.

Enjoy the season, peeps. Stay hungry, my friends.