Preseason 2013-2014 NBA Predictions (main)

Pre Season Picks

EAST                                 WEST
1. Miami Heat                   1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Indiana Pacers              2. LA Clippers
3. Chicago Bulls               3. San Antonio Spurs
4. New York Knicks         4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Brooklyn Nets              5. Houston Rockets
6. Cleveland Cavaliers     6. Golden State Warriors
7. Detroit Pistons             7. Denver Nuggets
8. Washington Wizards    8. Portland Trail Blazers
9. Milwaukee Bucks        9. New Orleans Pelicans
10.Toronto Raptors        10.Dallas Mavericks
11.Orlando Magic          11.Minnesota Timberwolves
12.Atlanta Hawks          12.LA Lakers
13.Boston Celtics          13.Sacramento Kings
14.Philadelphia 76ers    14.Utah Jazz
15.Charlotte Bobcats     15.Phoenix Suns

Eastern Conference Finals                         Western Conference Finals
Miami Heat def. Indiana Pacers     Oklahoma City Thunder def. LA Clippers
               
                                          NBA Finals
                     Miami Heat def. Oklahoma City Thunder   
           
                           2014 NBA CHAMPIONS
                                    MIAMI HEAT   

Injuries can obviously impact these standings. In my current picks, I considered the injuries
we already know about i.e. Rondo, Kobe, etc. The West was especially hard to figure out. I had
a really hard time deciding between Golden State and Memphis at 4 & 6. Denver was also really
difficult to place. Normally, I could see them in the 5-8 range, but this conference is just so
deep at this early stage. I wanted New Orleans in around 7, but it became impossible to ignore
Denver and Portland. I feel like 7-12 or 13 could easily be bunched up if health isnt a factor,
and these teams can end up in any order. Obviously, in season moves will effect the outcomes. In
the West, I have 1-3, 4-6, 7-12 or 13 bunched up in their respective groups, as long as injury and
tanking dont become factors, which we all know always do. This is the NBA. Just as they did last
year, injuries will effect the outcome of the season. Also, we have to understand that these are based on the understanding that guys are going to make their open shots. We saw from the Heat in the Eastern Finals last year that missing shots can really have a big effect. Once you get into the playoffs, really anything can happen. I would think that this is an instance where we can say that making predictions on paper doesnt mean anything. The games still have to be played. There are at least 6 teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the NBA championship this year. For now though, I'm sticking with the back to back champions b/c they have the best player on the planet and I'm not counting them out until someone beats them.

The East was harder to figure out once I got to 6. 1-3 will be bunched up, with 4-5 likely right behind them. I think Cleveland has a chance to be a pretty good team, but their upside is going to be based on Andruw Bynum, and Kyrie Irving's health. I think any one of 6-8 could easily be in any of those spots in the East. For Washington, I'm looking at improvement in John Wall's jumpshot, and if he can remain healthy. I think Orlando can easily surprise some teams this season. They have some really nice young pieces in place. Atlanta could probably be anywhere from 9-13. They dont have much depth, but have a couple of good experienced core pieces. In the end, Orlando, Boston, and Atlanta are probably interchangeale. I think Boston is better than what some others may think, but we dont know when Rajon Rondo will be coming back, nor do we know how Avery Bradley has improved offensively. I think Philly has some interesting pieces as well, with Carter-Williams joining Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes, Jason Richardson (coming off ACL injury), James Anderson, Lavoy Allen, Arnett Moultrie, Daniel Orton, and Nerlens Noel. Noel is, of course, also  coming off an ACL injury, but it remains to be seen when he will return. If Evan Turner can show the talent that got him drafted #2 overall, this team is obviously better than people expect. I think that a lot of people are expecting the 76ers to start trading off pieces like Young, Turner, and Hawes. If they do in fact tank like that, they'll obviously end up at the bottom, but it will be self induced, not based on the talent level of their roster at the beginning of the season. Charlotte also has a much better looking roster than they did 2 years ago, with Al Jefferson and the young pieces they have, but they will likely be fighting it out with the 76ers for last place. The same can be said for the East as I said for the West. Injuries and tanking will likely play a factor in the outcome.

Regardless of what happens, it should be a really fun NBA season, with a deep talent pool and a lot of fun stories to follow, whether it be returning stars, players on new teams, or player development. I think the MVP race should be fun, though in reality, someone other than Lebron James or Kevin Durant winning it is kind of counter productive. Its likely going to be the media clamoring for someone else who lead their team to a high playoff seed like Derrick Rose (who I think is going to be a lot better player than his previous MVP season all around), Chris Paul, Paul George, etc. In the end, I expect a 2-3 player race between Lebron, Durant, and Rose

Preseason 2013-2014 NBA Predictions

Pre Season Picks

EAST                                  WEST
1. Miami Heat                   1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Indiana Pacers              2. LA Clippers
3. Chicago Bulls               3. San Antonio Spurs
4. New York Knicks         4. Golden State Warriors
5. Brooklyn Nets              5. Houston Rockets
6. Cleveland Cavaliers     6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Detroit Pistons             7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Washington Wizards    8. Denver Nuggets
9. Milwaukee Bucks        9. Portland Trail Blazers
10.Toronto Raptors        10.Dallas Mavericks
11.Atlanta Hawks          11.Minnesota Timberwolves
12.Boston Celtics          12.LA Lakers
13.Orlando Magic         13.Sacramento Kings
14.Charlotte Bobcats    14.Utah Jazz
15.Philadelphia 76ers    15.Phoenix Suns

Eastern Conference Finals              Western Conference Finals
Miami Heat def. Indiana Pacers     Oklahoma City Thunder def. LA Clippers
               
                                          NBA Finals
                      Miami Heat def. Oklahoma City Thunder   
           
                                2014 NBA CHAMPIONS
                                         MIAMI HEAT   


Injuries can obviously impact these standings. In my current picks, I considered the injuries
we already know about i.e. Rondo, Kobe, etc. The West was especially hard to figure out. I had
a really hard time deciding between Golden State and Memphis at 4 & 6. Denver was also really
difficult to place. Normally, I could see them in the 5-8 range, but this conference is just so
deep at this early stage. I wanted New Orleans in around 7, but it became impossible to ignore
Denver and Portland. I feel like 7-12 or 13 could easily be bunched up if health isnt a factor,
and these teams can end up in any order. Obviously, in season moves will effect the outcomes. In
the West, I have 1-3, 4-6, 7-12 or 13 bunched up in their respective groups, as long as injury and
tanking dont become factors, which we all know always do. This is the NBA. Just as they did last
year, injuries will effect the outcome of the season.

The East was harder to figure out once I got to 6. 1-3 will be bunched up, with 4-5 likely right
behind them. I think Cleveland has a chance to be a pretty good team, but their upside is going
to be based on Andruw Bynum, and Kyrie Irving's health. I think any one of 6-8 could easily be in
any of those spots in the East. For Washington, I'm looking at improvement in John Wall's jumpshot, and if he can remain healthy. I think Orlando can easily surprise some teams this season. They have some really nice young pieces in place. Atlanta could probably be anywhere from 9-13. They dont have much depth, but have a couple of good experienced core pieces. In the end, Orlando, Boston, and Atlanta are probably interchangeale. I think Boston is better than what some others may think, but we dont know when Rajon Rondo will be coming back, nor do we know how Avery Bradley has improved offensively. I think Philly has some interesting pieces as well, with Carter-Williams joining Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes, Jason Richardson (coming off ACL injury), James Anderson, Lavoy Allen, Arnett Moultrie, Daniel Orton, and Nerlens Noel. Noel is, of course, also coming off an ACL injury, but it remains to be seen when he will return. If Evan Turner can show the talent that got him drafted #2 overall, this team is obviously better than people expect. Charlotte also has a much better looking roster than they did 2 years ago, with Al Jefferson and the young pieces they have, but they will likely be fighting it out with the 76ers for last place. The same can be said for the East as I said for the West. Injuries and tanking will likely play a factor in the outcome.

Regardless of what happens, it should be a really fun NBA season, with a deep talent pool and a lot of fun stories to follow, whether it be returning stars, players on new teams, or player development. I think the MVP race should be fun, though in reality, someone other than Lebron James or Kevin Durant winning it is kind of counter productive. Its likely going to be the media clamoring for someone else who lead their team to a high playoff seed like Derrick Rose (who I think is going to be a lot better player than his previous MVP season all around), Chris Paul, Paul George, etc. In the end, I expect a 2-3 player race between Lebron, Durant, and Rose

Preliminary note on Preseason 2013-2014 NBA predictions

I'm going to do something different here and post 2 slightly different copies of my preseason NBA predictions for this upcoming season that starts tomorrow night. You will notice that they are essentially the same except for a couple of small differences and most everything is explained in the paragraphs below the predicted standings. I would generally refer to the 2nd one that is uploaded as the main one

On Season's Final Day, Henderson Alvarez Steals the Show from Justin Verlander

What a game! What a pitchers' duel! Verlander was dominant, and it seemed early on very similar to that playoff game from last year against the A's. It felt like nobody had a chance off Verlander. He was using all 5 of his pitches and was just plain filthy. Painting 97 on the outside black, going up and in with fastballs for swings and misses, dropping the big breaking ball for called third strikes ,etc. I really enjoyed getting a chance to watch him pitch live. I liked the clear excitement he shows and the desire he has to be on the mound. Immediately after the Tigers made their 3rd out of an inning, Verlander was already headed out to the mound with some bounce in his step. I hope every Marlins pitcher was watching him today b/c that is exactly what you want anyone to emulate. He carries himself so well, and he exudes greatness.

Still, at the end of the day, Henderson Alvarez was AWESOME today! I was worried we were gonna "Pedro Martinez" him. Thankfully that 9th inning went the way it did. I heard a lot of hype about Henderson Alvarez when he was coming up in the Blue Jays' minor league system. Everyone knew about his electric fastball and the nasty movement on his 2 seamer that he throws at 93-96. I watched him when he came up as much as I could and got a chance to see him dominate the Yankees in a meaningful game last September. I was really happy to hear his name as part of that trade last November. There has always been questions about whether or not Henderson Alvarez can remain a starter, as he hasnt shown much in secondary offerings, but I saw him show a good changeup at times in Toronto, and he has shown it a bit this year. Today he threw a couple of slow breaking balls, that I'm pretty sure I never saw him throw before, and they were both good, with 1 helping him record a nasty strikeout. For all of the people that said he cant be a starting pitcher, including myself, he threw it in our face today, and I couldnt be happier. Today there was some real electricity in the ballpark, and it was an awesome atmosphere. Dont usually get a chance to say that about games down here, and since I average 70 games a season, I know what I'm talking about there. Regardless of what has happened this season, the team has played hard, and we have seen the development of some of these young players, especially the pitching staff. There are more on the way, and the future feels bright (ignoring Loria for now). Winning 5 of the last 6 games and sweeping the Tigers to end the season, with THAT performance really makes the rest of the season feel a lot better. I dont know about anyone else, but I'm pumped for 2014!!!

NBA Playoffs 2nd Round Predictions

East
(1) Miami Heat def (5) Chicago Bulls (4-1)
(3) Indiana Pacers def (2) New York Knicks (4-2)

West
(5) Memphis Grizzlies def (1) OKC Thunder (4-2)
(2) San Antonio Spurs def (6) Golden State Warriors (4-1)


When I get the chance, I will write up a wrap up of the first round and explain my predictions for the 2nd round. I still am not counting out the Thunder in my own mind, even though I am picking the Grizzlies to win here. The Thunder are definitely capable of winning. Its just a matter of if they play to the best of their ability.

Westbrook Done for the Season

Tough to hear about Russel Westbrook. Should make things interesting in the Western Conference. Clippers, Grizzlies, Denver, Golden State, San Antonio could all come out of the West, and I'm not counting out OKC either. They have Reggie Jackson to step in, allowing Jeremy Lamb, Deandre Liggins, or maybe Ronnie Brewer to probably step in and provide help, especially defensively. It also allows Kevin Durant to take more shots, so lets see how that goes. Westbrook had never missed a game in his life. That streak is over

2012-2013 NBA Playoffs predictions

East                                                                              
(1) Miami Heat def (8) Milwaukee Bucks (4 games)        (1) Miami Heat def (5) Chicago Bulls (4-1)
(5) Chicago Bulls def (4) Brooklyn Nets (6 games)         (3) Indiana Pacers def (2) NY Knicks (4-2)
(2) New York Knicks def (7) Boston Celtics (6 games)
(3) Indiana Pacers def (6) Atlanta Hawks (6 games)

                                                                               (1) Miami Heat def (3) Indiana Pacers (4-2)


West
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder def (8) Houston Rockets (5 games)            
(4) Los Angeles Clippers def (5) Memphis Grizzlies (6 games)
(2) San Antonio Spurs def (7) Los Angeles Lakers (5 games)
(3) Denver Nuggets def (6) Golden State Warriors (7 games)


(1) OKC Thunder def (4) LA Clippers (6 games)
(2) San Antonio Spurs def (3) Denver Nuggets (6 games)

(1) OKC Thunder def (2) San Antonio Spurs (6 games)

                                                                                    
                                                                                 NBA FINALS
                                                        (1) Miami Heat def (2) OKC Thunder (6 games)