Free Agency isn’t over yet, but that won’t stop Matt Levine from breaking-down the Eastern Conference.

LeBron James going back to Cleveland has shaken up the Eastern Conference. By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (LeBron James) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Once LeBron James decided that he wasn’t returning to Miami and would join back with the Cavaliers, it shifted a balance of power in the East. No longer would the Miami Heat run roughshod all over the conference as a de-facto lock for the NBA Finals. With that in mind, here’s an outlook on the future in the Eastern Conference:

Chicago Bulls: Although they missed out in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, they will still be putting a star player out onto the court in Derrick Rose — assuming he can stay healthy. Adding Pau Gasol and rookie Doug McDermott should help the offensive problems Tom Thibodeau’s team has had, while also adding some more star power to add to an already excellent team. Assuming Derrick Rose stays healthy and competes at a high level, expect the Bulls to compete for a title again.

Indiana Pacers: A Jekyll and Hyde metaphor nicely sums up how the Pacers’ 2013-2014 season ended. This team has so much talent on it but never got over the hump. Even with them playing so poorly through much of the playoffs, they were still two wins away from the NBA Finals. Losing Lance Stephenson is a blow to this team that struggles with offense at times. Adding a gritty player and scorer like CJ Miles likely will soften that blow. The best team in last year’s regular season, the Pacers will once again contend in the East.

Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James comes home. That will be the headline surrounding the Cavs all season long no matter how good or bad they are. Teaming up with Kyrie Irving and rookie Andrew Wiggins should give the Cavs a big-three for years to come. The Cavs will be a very good team simply because LeBron is on it but the storyline of LeBron winning a title for Cleveland at least this upcoming season is probably not very realistic, given the Cavs’ recent past.

Miami Heat: Even with the loss of LeBron James, the Miami Heat should still compete in the East. They still have Chris Bosh and assuming Dwayne Wade stays healthy, the Heat really aren’t all that bad. They replaced LeBron with Luol Deng who is a gritty defensive player and can also score the basketball. They added Danny Granger — a former All Star and leader of the Pacers. Although Josh McRoberts isn’t a household name, he can play. While the Heat likely won’t contend for a title for a while, don’t expect them to just fade into irrelevance.

Washington Wizards: Don’t look now but the Wizards are back and look like they are here to stay for the long haul. The back-court duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal can both flat out ball it up. Marcin Gortat and Nene up front make for a scary tandem for anyone who dares to enter the paint. They did lose Trevor Ariza, but the cherry on top of their offseason was the addition of Paul Pierce. Pierce clearly isn’t the same player as he used to be but can still be vital to a contending team. Watch out for Washington.

Toronto Raptors: Throughout all the LeBron and Carmelo Anthony madness, it seems as everyone has forgotten about the Raptors. The #3 seed in the East last year shouldn’t be overlooked either. They might slip a bit in the standings but not by much. Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan Terrence Ross are all young stars in their own right. Adding Lou Williams and rookie DeAndre Daniels from Connecticut will help fill in additional depth. Finally Toronto has a team to cheer for, for the first time since the Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady days.

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets went all out last season by teaming up Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Robin Lopez and Deron Williams but only got to the second round and paid a steep luxury tax in the process. Injuries and lack of chemistry were the demise of this team yet they started clicking towards the end of the season. While the Nets won’t surprise anyone or be a top team in the East, I think they will still make the playoffs and could get back to the second round yet again — even without Pierce or their ousted head coach, Jason Kidd.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have taken a lot of heat from fans and media over the past few years, but for some reason I believe in them this year. This is a team that won 54 games two seasons ago and has a lot of the same players. They brought in Phil Jackson to run the team and I don’t bet against the Zen Master. My beloved, Derek Fisher, is now call the shots as the head coach. Fish which will at least bring a new sense of culture to a team that seems to badly need it. The Knicks also got rid of some dead weight in Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton while acquiring Jose Calderon. On top of it all, they were able to somehow draft Cleanthony Early from Wichita State after he dropped to them in the second round. The Knicks look in pretty good shape especially after a very disappointing season last year.

Charlotte Hornets: Am I the only one who thinks it’s so cool that the Charlotte Hornets are back in the NBA? Not only are they back in the league, they also they look like a team that could compete. As the Bobcats last season, the made the playoffs as the #7 seed so they will be looking to improve from that. They still have big Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker and added Noah Vonleh in the draft from Indiana to add to their strong front court. They also may have gotten the steal of free agency by signing Lance Stephenson. Despite his playoff antics, Stephenson can be a huge piece of the puzzle for the Hornets. Michael Jordan may have finally built a team that can compete.

Every NBA season some surprise teams jump up and contend for the playoffs and in the East those could be the Hawks, Pistons, and Magic. The NBA season is a bit away from us but its never too early to look at the upcoming year especially one where there isn’t a clear favorite in the East for the first time in four years.

What do you think? Who is the favorite in the East now? Which team do you think will surprise people?

All season long, the two-time defending champion Miami Heat have been the favorites in the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs, who lost to Miami in the Finals last season, had the best record during the regular season and have looked like a team on a mission. The Indiana Pacers, who seemed determined to overthrow their rivals in Miami started off the season hot but have slipped lately. This was supposed to be the year that some team knocked off LeBron James and the Heat and stopped them from becoming a dynasty. Thus far in the playoffs that dream seems very unlikely.

Could the NBA Finals return to the Moda Center in Portland this season? By Another Believer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

At this point, I think the only other two teams that could give the Heat some trouble out East are the young Toronto Raptors and the veteran Brooklyn Nets, who happen to be facing each other in the first round. With the Pacers struggling to find themselves, it almost looks like a lock for the Heat to meet up with a team like the Wizards in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In other words, it’s not turning out to be as challenging as many thought for LeBron and co.

In the West, it’s a free-for-all, with some of the top teams struggling so far in the playoffs. The top-seeded Spurs are playing their in-state rival Dallas Mavericks who so far are showing the Spurs they mean some business. The two teams from the Lone Star State have split the first two games in San Antonio and Dallas could have won both games in San Antonio if not for an impressive run to end game one by the Spurs.

The second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder with MVP Kevin Durant seemed primed for another playoff run yet find themselves down 2-1 to the gritty Memphis Grizzlies. The Houston Rockets had a lot of hype after the addition of Dwight Howard in the offseason, but they are down 0-2 to the Trail Blazers heading into one of the loudest arenas in the NBA back in Portland. The Los Angeles Clippers are the only top seeded team looking like they should taking a 2-1 lead over the Warriors including winning a game in Oakland.

The NBA playoffs are far from over and anything can happen, but so far signs are pointing towards the Heat reaching their fourth straight NBA Finals and meeting up with any of the right Western Conference teams that clinched a postseason berth. Here is what I believe will happen over the course of the playoffs:

First Round:

1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 8. Dallas Mavericks (Spurs in 7)

2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7. Memphis Grizzlies (Grizzlies in 6)

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6. Golden State Warriors (Clippers in 7)

4. Houston Rockets vs. 5. Portland Trailblazers (Trailblazers in 6)

1. Indiana Pacers vs. 8. Atlanta Hawks (Pacers in 7)

2. Miami Heat vs. 7. Charlotte Bobcats (Heat in 5)

3. Toronto Raptors vs. 6. Brooklyn Nets (Nets in 6)

4. Chicago Bulls vs. 5. Washington Wizards (Wizards in 4)

Semi-Finals:

1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 5. Portland Trailblazers (Trailblazers in 6)

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 7. Memphis Grizzlies (Clippers in 7)

1. Indiana Pacers vs. 5. Washington Wizards (Wizards in 6)

2. Miami Heat vs. 6. Brooklyn Nets (Heat in 7)

Conference Finals:

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5. Portland Trailblazers (Trailblazers in 6)

2. Miami Heat vs. 5. Washington Wizards (Heat in 5)

NBA Finals: 2. Miami Heat vs. 5. Portland Trailblazers (TBA)

Jason Kidd and Mike Tomlin. I don’t think I ever thought I’d write a post that included both of them. I am today.

The coaches of the Brooklyn Nets and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively, Kidd and Tomlin have both had moments in games over the past 28 hours that should have been embarrassing and definitely have been disrespectful to the games they coach.

The Water Spill

Kidd went first. Last night, on Thanksgiving Eve, Kidd’s team was down by two points and had no timeouts remaining with 8.3 second remaining in the game.

You watch the video and decide what you think:

Today, it was reported that Kidd was fined $50,000 for his transgression. The Nets still lost the game to the Lakers. At 4-11, they have been a huge disappointment this season after acquiring both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce this offseason.

That's an expensive spill… Report: Jason Kidd to be fined $50,000 for drink 'timeout' – http://t.co/G3wtIziwEn (via @EyeOnBasketball)

— CBSSports.com (@CBSSports) November 29, 2013

With relatively high expectations in New York this year, Kidd has a lot of pressure on him to start winning. Losing to the Lakers, who weren’t supposed to be very good this year, he made the desperate move of a coach who doesn’t see any other options.

Screwed over by 2 backdoor covers today. 0 and 3 for the day. 22 games below for the season. I feel like I'm being coached by Jason Kidd.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 29, 2013

In the way

Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin is someone I respected so much before tonight. Coming into the game, he was 68-39 as the head coach of the Steelers. His team has been to two Super Bowls and won one during his tenure. I always loved his demeanor, attitude, and the way his teams played.

On a kick return during which the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones looked like he was going all the way, Tomlin got in the way. Go here and check for yourself. It was a ballsy play — the officials could have awarded the Ravens the touchdown anyway and I’m pretty sure they could have also ejected Tomlin. Instead, Jones cut inside and was tackled. Instead of the possible touchdown, the Ravens only managed a field goal on the ensuing drive. In essence, Tomlin might have saved his team an important four points.

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Nearly Collides With Ravens' Jacoby Jones During 73-Yard Kickoff Return (GIF) http://t.co/yhIGpPqjmT

— NESN (@NESN) November 29, 2013

As a fan of Tomlin, who I thought was so stand-up, I was very disappointed. I would be really surprised if the NFL didn’t fine him.

Mike Tomlin's reaction: http://t.co/UskmQ5wgja

— Smart Football (@smartfootball) November 29, 2013

After going 8-8 last season and missing the playoffs, Pittsburgh is in danger of missing the postseason for the second year in a row. Like Kidd, Tomlin was desperate in a rivalry game that looked like it might have been getting out of hand. It was a level of desperation I would expect from a rookie like Kidd. But, for a seasoned, Super Bowl-winning head coach to do something like that was disappointing.

In the end, both Kidd and Tomlin lost games they really needed to win. Their teams just didn’t have enough on the respective nights. Kidd and Tomlin are both intense competitors. When neither of their teams were good enough, they just couldn’t help themselves. It’s safe to say neither the Steelers or Nets are going to end up matching their beginning of the year expectations. Desperation in professional sports is a heck of a thing.

It’s never too early for predictions.

Since LeBron James (or Ray Allen depending who you talk to) sealed the Miami Heat’s second straight NBA title, the other 29 teams have been making many moves to try and compete with the defending champs. While not all teams will even be given a chance to dethrone the champs, I thoroughly believe that most teams throughout the league improved from a year ago, which is going to make a great NBA season in 2013-14.

Will the American Airlines Area be hosting it’s 4th NBA Finals in as many years? By Ines Hegedus-Garcia, via Wikimedia Commons

1. Miami Heat: How can I not put them at the top of the East? They are the two time defending champs who didn’t lose any players plus added Greg Oden to try and add to the championship mix. I’m not sure if they will win the three-peat but they will definitely be a strong contender for it.

2. Indiana Pacers: This team has pushed Miami to the brink the last two seasons in the playoffs, and Paul George had an incredible coming out party in the playoffs. They kept David West and added swingman Chris Copland from the Knicks and Luis Scola from the Suns. Plus Danny Granger should finally be healthy, look for the Pacers to have another great season.

3. Chicago Bulls: While they lost Nate Robinson, they welcome back former MVP Derrick Rose, which should make Chicago fans cheerful again. They are pretty much the same team as last year whom was pretty darn good despite all the injuries. Hard-nosed defense and Derrick Rose back, seems like a good combination to me.

4. New York Knicks: For some reason people doubt the Knicks and I don’t understand why. They finally won a playoff series last season only to lose to a great Pacer team in the second round. They have improved the 2^nd place team by adding Andrea Bargnani, Metta World Peace and drafting Tim Hardaway Jr. Until proven otherwise, the Knicks still own New York as far as I’m concern.

5. Brooklyn Nets: Having Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson as your starting lineup looks amazing on paper but only time will tell if they mesh well together under rookie head coach Jason Kidd. As we saw last year from the Lakers, names don’t mean wins.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers: Adding Andrew Bynum will give the Cavs an inside presence that they have been looking for, as long as he stays healthy. With both Bynum and Irving healthy, I really like this Cavs team. Also adding Jarrett Jack adds scoring off the bench and veteran leadership on a young team. For the first time since the whole LeBron James decision, the Cavs make it back to the playoffs.

7. Washington Wizards: It is about time the Wizards start winning with John Wall. They are a young team with tremendous upside, and to many peoples surprise the Wizards were one of the league best defensive teams last season ranking 8^th in the league. Not too bad for a bottom of the standings team last year.

8. Detroit Pistons: This was a hard choice because both the Pistons and Raptors could make the eighth seed but as of right now I think the Pistons edge them out a little bit. Adding Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings should improve this team enough to make the playoffs for a short date with the defending champs in the first round.

9. Toronto Raptors: Having Rudy Gay makes the Raptors somewhat relevant but not enough to make the playoffs. Maybe with one more piece to the puzzle, Toronto could win but not this year I don’t think.

10. Atlanta Hawks: Losing Josh Smith was a big blow and I’m not sure they can recover from that but adding Paul Millsap helps a little bit. The Hawks will drop, not to the bottom but out of the playoff race.

11. Charlotte Bobcats: I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Bobcats won’t be completely terrible this season, good enough for 11^th in the East. I liked the signing of Al Jefferson to a young team. Don’t expect the Bobcats to do more than play spoiler for on the bubble playoff teams at the end of the season.

12. Milwaukee Bucks: While the Bucks made the playoffs last year, I believe it was because of how weak the East was and that isn’t the case as much this season. They lost both Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis and replaced them with Brandon Knight and O.J. Mayo whom aren’t bad but this isn’t a playoff team for the second straight year.

13. Boston Celtics: The roster looks very, very different for the first time in awhile except for Rajon Rondo. The Celtics will drop to the bottom this season but with players like Rondo, Jeff Green and Avery Bradley they won’t be the worst team in the East. It’s a rebuilding process for the green that starts in 2014.

14. Orlando Magic: The Magic will be just as bad as they were a year ago except this time they will have added a soon to be star in Victor Oladipo. He is a special talent and I believe will translate in the future to being a star but for now, he like the rest of the Magic must wait out the bad years to get to the good ones.

15. Philadelphia 76ers: Yikes….that is what I thought when looking at their roster with the exception of Nerlins Noel and Michael Carter-Williams whom are both rookies. It’s going to be a dark year in Philadelphia unless Kwame Brown somehow decides to finally play like he was supposed to when the Wizards drafted him years ago. But even if that long shot happened, it probably won’t be enough for the Sixers.

Will he stay or won’t he?  After much scrutiny and damage to his image over the last few seasons, Dwight Howard finally signed a one-year extension to stay with the Orlando Magic last season. Not expecting him to stay put, the Magic ultimately decided to trade the three time defensive player of the year to the Los Angeles Lakers in a mega-deal. With Howard, Steve Nash and longtime-Laker Kobe Bryant, the Lakers were expected to become a dominant team once again. But injuries and poor play have made the Lakers a below-average team thus far in the season. Howard has been a target of blame for the Lakers’ struggles because of his play and the questioning of his mental ability to play in a city like Los Angeles and with another star player in Kobe Bryant. The idea of trading Howard before the trade deadline swirled up as the Lakers continued their struggles. Yet Mitch Kupchak and the entire Lakers organization, stood pat and didn’t do anything drastic like trading their center. The Lakers believe that they can re-sign the big man to a multi-year deal and make him a Laker for years to come. Many believe that Howard will only be a Laker for this season but I believe that he will re-sign with the Lakers and help them regain their status as NBA elite. Here are three reasons why:

Is Dwight Howard the right building block for the Lakers’ future? Do they have a choice at this point? By Howcheng (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

1. Where else is he going to go?: 

As we all know, Howard wanted to go to Brooklyn rather than the Lakers but that dream is dead and Howard would be smart to let it die. The Nets are way over the cap after trading for Joe Johnson and his almost $20 million contract. There would be no way for the Nets to sign Howard. The next option might be Dallas, which looks promising but isn’t so much. Why would Howard want to leave playing with an aging 34-year old Kobe Bryant to go and play with an aging 34-year old Dirk Nowitzki? That would be the most pointless free agent move in NBA history. The Mavericks would love to get Howard but that isn’t likely to happen. The final team that might make sense would be the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta is Howard’s hometown and they will only have about $18 million left in guaranteed money on their entire roster when the season ends. The Hawks, I believe are the only legit threat to the Lakers for Howard. They could sign Howard and re-sign forward Josh Smith, whom Howard has been friends with dating back to their pre-school days. Together, combined with Al Horford, the Hawks could have one of the scariest front lines in the NBA.

But in the end I believe he will stay with the Lakers because where else is he going to go if he wants to win a title like he says he does? The Lakers can also give him the most amount of money guaranteed, with up to $30 million more than any other NBA team. The Lakers know how to win championships and the best place for Howard’s career is in Los Angeles. I think he likes the spotlight and idea of being in Hollywood. As long as Kobe is around, Howard will be second fiddle to him but if that means winning, I’m sure Howard will learn to deal with that.

2. His image is damaged enough:

During the whole “Dwightmare” fiasco, Howard severely damaged his image as the “nice” guy and this is bad news to Howard. He likes to be loved by everyone and hates when people look down on him and rightfully so. How bad would it look if Howard left Orlando for the Lakers then left them after one season, especially the one the Lakers are currently having? He hasn’t put up very impressive numbers thus far this season, although some of that goes back to his still injured back and now shoulder. Howard seems to be trying to re-write his image, kind of like LeBron James did a couple years ago after leaving Cleveland for Miami. And the first and best way to do so would be to stay with the Lakers and sign an extension with them. Howard owes it to the fans to be truthful with them and he can start by telling them he is staying. This way it takes pressure off everybody and the Lakers can start playing the way we all expecting them too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08gvGpGCwA

3. He is finally showing maturity: 

After recent home wins over Boston and Portland, Howard has started to show some of his capabilities as a basketball player. He’s showing energy and has played the way Orlando fans remember him playing and it has resulted in two wins for the Lakers. He most recently was quoted for basically taking the blame for the many losses early in the season because of his lack of energy and spark. This is something new from the big-man, he’s finally showing some maturity, something that has been questioned since his arrival in Los Angeles. To me, this is a sign that Howard is planning on staying with the Lakers because why else would he come out and say those things? If he was planning on leaving the Lakers at the end of the year, I don’t believe he would take the blame as he would then be trying to get the best contract for himself. Howard’s mature statements a good sign for the Lakers and their fans and hopefully turns out to lead to a contract extension to stay in LA.

In the end:

Howard and the Lakers have struggled this season so far, currently sitting in the ninth seed in the Western Conference but surprisingly only sit three games back of the eighth seed. For the Lakers to make the playoffs, it will take all out focus and hustle plus they need some teams ahead of them to start losing. But the Lakers can’t worry about that, all they can do is play their game, win and hope that everything turns out for the best. No matter what happens this season, the most important thing is that the Lakers re-sign Dwight Howard back. As much as I hate the say this, he is the future of the franchise. With a healthy Dwight, I believe the Lakers will return to their winning ways and bring glory and dominance back to this franchise. As for this season, Kobe made a guarantee about this team making the playoffs so let’s see if he and the rest of the Lakers can back it up.

Predictions in sports can be just as fun as what actually happens and a lot of time many people do it. Every person has their own unique way of predicting outcomes, some go through the purity of stats or some use just the heart and will of a team or player. Either way, predictions can be a way for a fan, analyst or gambler to have and feel like they are involved with the actual games being played. As for me, I have made many predictions throughout my life. Some have come true and some haven’t, and I will be the first one to admit when I am wrong. On that note, here is my prediction for the Eastern Conference when the season comes to an end in April, a small breakdown of each team and some playoff predictions with a little over half the season complete:

1.    Miami Heat:

The reigning NBA champions have looked like the champions…when playing at home. They are 18-3 at home but only 11-11 on the road. Winning on the road is what the playoffs is about and the Heat have yet to prove they can do that. This team improved from last season, but I’m not so sure I trust them.

If Derrick Rose comes back healthy, the Bulls have a real chance to go to the NBA Finals. By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA, via Wikimedia Commons

2.    Chicago Bulls:

The Bulls and coach Tom Thibodeau have done an incredible job thus far without former MVP Derrick Rose. Getting him back will only make this team that much better. They are ranked third in the league in points allowed, only allowing 90.9 PPG. Defense is what this team is all about and its something that will help them come playoff time.

3.    New York Knicks:

The Knicks started 6-0 and haven’t slowed down, as they are tied with the Heat for the number one seed at the moment. They have already beaten the Heat twice, once without MVP candidate Carmelo Anthony (in Miami). This team looks like a complete team and coach Mike Woodson has them firing on all cylinders. The oldest team in the league is also one of the best.

4.    Indiana Pacers:

With the emergence of Paul George, the Pacers have continued their winning ways from last season. Despite not having former All-Star Danny Granger, the Pacers seem to be doing just fine. If he can come back into the lineup and fit-in smoothly, this can be a dangerous team. Who doesn’t remember that physical playoff series last year with the Heat? And being the second ranked team in points allowed with only 89.9 a game, the Pacers can do some damage.

5.    Boston Celtics:

Like the Lakers, the Celtics aren’t normally this low in the standings but injuries and poor play have put them here. My pre-season pick for the finals from the Eastern Conference suffered a huge blow last week, losing all-star point guard Rajon Rondo to a season-ending injury and then yesterday lost rookie Jared Sullinger to injury. But they still have hall of famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett who, if anything have heart and will — something you can never bet against.

6.    Brooklyn Nets:

After a hot start and then a coaching change, the Nets seem to have finally gotten things together. Big man Brook Lopez and point guard Deron Williams lead the Nets and look to have this team poised for a playoff run. New look, new city, new players — can it all lead to new winning ways for the Nets? Both them and their new Brooklyn fans hope so.

7.    Milwaukee Bucks:

I really like this team and what they have done this season. They have beaten the Celtics three times and the Heat once and they look ready for the playoffs. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis make a good backcourt duo for the Bucks and give them a tandem that teams don’t like to play against. The Bucks get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Fear the Deer!

8.    Philadelphia 76ers:

In a hard decision, I think the 76ers beat out the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth and final seed. The Sixers have hovered around the eighth seed all year and will be getting back big man Andrew Bynum after the all-star break. Bynum is a game-changer and I believe will really help the Sixers out. Although the Hawks have been very good this season, I think the Sixers will overtake them when it’s all said and done.

Notable Mentions: Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors

PREDICTIONS:

First Round:

1. Miami Heat vs. 8. Philadelphia 76ers: Heat in six

2. Chicago Bulls vs. 7. Milwaukee Bucks: Bulls in six

3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Brooklyn Nets: Knicks win the battle for New York in seven

4. Indiana Pacers vs. 5. Boston Celtics: Celtics in six

Semi Finals:

1. Miami Heat vs. 5. Boston Celtics

In the best series of the playoffs, I have this hard fought, mentally grinding series going to seven games with the Boston Celtics knocking off the reigning champions. Yes I know this is a crazy accusation (especially for a Laker fan), but I believe that the road struggles for the Heat will be the downfall of this years squad. I believe the Celtics can go into American Airlines Arena and still a game or two. This will be very difficult to do without Rondo, but these Celtics have a will to them, that you can’t describe. I may be wrong but Celtics in seven.

2. Chicago Bulls vs. 3. New York Knicks

Finally the Knicks get out of the first round, but its short served. I have the Bulls taking out the Knicks in six games. But it’s a promising sign for the Knicks to even win a playoff series. The Bulls head back to the Eastern Conference finals where they have a date with the green machine.

Conference Finals:

2. Chicago Bulls vs. 5. Boston Celtics

After the hard-fought series against the Heat, the Celtics finally run out of gas against a younger Bulls team, so I’m picking the Bulls in six. Kudos to the Celtics for making it this far without Rondo but the Bulls make it back to the finals for the first time since the Jordan era.

2013 Eastern Conference Champions: 2. Chicago Bulls

In my prediction, the Bulls make it back to the NBA Finals where they will meet up with the Los Angeles Lakers. Their defense, the return of Derrick Rose and the help of the Celtics knocking off the Heat, are what propel the Bulls back to the championship series. As I said for the Lakers, I’m not saying the Bulls will win the NBA title but they will be one of the last two teams standing.

I idolize/d Byron Scott and Magic Johnson. Loved the 39-win team in 1993 that nearly knocked off the all-mighty Charles Barkley-led Suns. At the age of 12, I loved Sedale Threatt. Embraced Cedric “the Garbage Man” Ceballos as the most underrated swing man of the 90’s and still root for the grinning spin doctor of humor with a dominate unrelenting game and a personality to match it: Shaquille O’Neal.

You see….I like me some Lakers. But I just don’t love the maniacally self obsessed Kobe Bryant. That’s it.   

That was in my opinion (key word there…pay attention), the worst move in franchise history, when the team opted to send Shaq packing to Miami in favor of Kobe. It set a precedent that anyone and everyone was/is recyclable. And Shaq, the man who made Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant is not ever, for one second, recyclable. 

So I began asking the question: Why do I have to go down with the ship if I hate the captain? Why don’t I get to be a free agent with my fansmanship? Why do I have to keep rooting for a team whose face I no longer support? Little did I know just how common my Central-Coast -swing-state perspective was.

A perfect example of this was documented by our own Owen Main in the Spring of 2011. Main asked the question in this article: Is the Central Coast a Giants or Dodgers country? And the answer was neither. What we discovered about ourselves was that we just don’t take sports that serious here. We have beautiful women, concerts in the plaza, an electric farmers market, beautiful downtown’s, stunning antique architecture, award-winning wine country, great bars, rolling Irish-like hillsides, hiking, rugged beaches, pines by the sea, clean air, low crime, abundance of restaurants, wonderful school systems, plentiful tourism, fishing, lakes and according to Oprah, one of the happiest environments in the world. 

Hakuna Matata.

Here, we embrace the many shades of grey and not the childish infatuations or irrelevant loyalty to organizations that have no grip whatsoever on our SLO life.

So here is my short opinion on the Dwight Howard landing in Los Angeles:

I think the move to land Dwight Howard was the second worst decision in team history. He’s a malcontent disconnected character with a lust for Hollywood stardom. And though I agree that Andrew Bynum was a glass kneed fool with a cheap and uninspired heart, he was, for the time-being locked up longer than one freaking year.

One year. 

In the Summer of 2013 when Howard is an unrestricted free agent, he will do as he’s promised all along by signing an enormous contract with the Brooklyn Nets to become the billboard face of Jay-Z’s franchise. And then what? Steve Nash is 40, Bryant a crippled 35 and Meta World is off in India learning to braid hair and meditate. 

The Lakers now have one year to win Bryant his sixth ring and are still only the third best team in the Western Conference. Not to mention I give them only a smidgen of a shot against the deep defensive minded Bulls and no shot whatsoever against the steam-rolling, LeBron-led Heat. I can name four teams right now with a deeper rotation: the Thunder, Spurs, Bulls and Heat.  And the upstart Pacers are on the fringes.    

So just remember this article when Dwight Howard is an underachieving underwear model with his low seeded Nets teams and you’re stuck watching pick and rolls between Steve Blake and Jordan Hill.  Learn to stop throwing rocks and sticking your tongue out at pragmatic realists with a fair take on things. It’s getting tiring and old and I would like to have a mature conversation.  

We differed in our opinions. Some of us thought he’d land in LA LA, to stake his claim to an acting career and play the Superman savior role for the dwindling career of Kobe Bryant. Others of us thought he would go to the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, or even stay with the Orlando Magic. I hoped he’d flounder in a miracle sign-and-trade to the New Orleans Hornets or Charlotte Bobcats. And I’ll tell you why.

For one: I didn’t really care. I was more interested in the winding down of the NFL.

For two: I was anticipating the return of baseball and salivating over an Albert Pujols’ new beginning with my beloved Angels.

For three: I was gearing up for the NBA playoffs, that so far have been brilliant with the performances of Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

A sign-and-trade to one of the above two teams made for good news and even better conversations. Can you imagine swinging a club with a few cronies, drinking beer, talking about Dwight Howard in a Bobcat uniform?

“Billy did you see where Howard went to?”

“Nope.”

“The Charlotte Bobcats, dude.”

“The who?”

“The Bobcats, they started from scratch when the Hornets moved.”

“Never heard of em.’ You gonna swing or not?”

The irony behind that trade would have made sense to every one of us who resent Howard for one ridiculous reason: He stole the “Superman” name from Shaquille O’Neal and hadn’t the decency to think of anything else. Just because he jumped nine inches in a superman cape to win a dunk contest, doesn’t mean he can stake claim to a mantle only real superstars can carry.

What has Howard ever won? A dunk contest. Oh, and Defensive Player of the Year, a rebound title and I’m sure, somewhere someplace, a body building competition. But besides that? Best Smile his senior year in high school?

Look, I’m not denying the man is gifted with incredible height and an athletic intangible to go along with it. But Howard has never and never will be, a franchise player. He will always be the raw inefficient offensive player who needs three other scorers to make him relevant.

Case in point: 2009. Howard and the Magic propelled passed LeBron James and the Cavs en route to their first Finals appearance since Penny and Shaq in 1996. They were manhandled by a superior Laker team in five games, a series during which Howard never scored more than 21 points and shot just 39% from the floor. Instead of Howard, it was Hedo Turkoglu who made a name for himself in the previous series against the Cavs, leading the team in scoring and hitting clutch jump shot, one after another, in the closing minutes of the fourth quarters.

Dwight Howard has been lucky enough to be a big partly skilled man in a moment in NBA History so parched for big men it makes Ron Jeramy’s addiction to sex look geriatric. In fact, Howard hasn’t, technically, been the best big of his generation.

Had not, Yao Ming broken a femur every time he stepped forward, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. We would be discussing the monumental career of Yao Ming, the man who bridged the basketball gap between two hemispheres. Instead we all know the unfortunate end to Yao Ming. A stoic soul with a keen, sensible, personality, and a meek humility, not to mention a 15-foot bank shot better than most guards and the body of a giant. It ended prematurely short, as all good people do, according to Bill Joel.

But Howard on the other hand, has had a relatively painless career. Until this year, Howard had played in 90% of his games. This is the only dividing factor critics use in discussing another big of his generation, Andrew Bynum, who like Yao, has been brushed off with injury woes. This year Bynum played an injury free year and equaled Howard in most categories (considering he shared rebounds and points with two other stars: Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol).

2011-2012 season

Andrew Bynum             Dwight Howard

Games Played: 60              Games Played: 54

Points: 18.7                          Points: 20.6

Rebounds: 11.8                   Rebounds: 14.5

Blocks: 1.9                             Blocks: 2.1

Field Goal %: 55.8              Field Goal %: 57.3

Free Throw %: 69.2           Free Throw %: 49.1

MPG: 35.2                             MPG: 38.3

When I originally heard the Lakers wouldn’t part with Bynum for Howard, I though they were absolutely crazy (And they still might be)! Bynum was a spoiled-brat, pampered by Laker ownership since he entered the league as an unproven and awkwardly lanky nonathletic 18-year old. He’s been injured often and shown little to any drive at using his god-gifted frame. Howard was the proven somewhat likable and consistent veteran. And then this year happened and my philosophy went to horse manure.

Howard flaunted his egotism all year with a round about approach to answering one god damned question: Dwight, would you like to be in Orlando or not? And while his teammates concocted a decent year swirled with media malaise, Howard embarrassed his coach in live interviews and bowed out early with what some critics describe as a makeshift snot nosed injury.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzORXMDvJzQ

Dwight, clearly, is not Shquille O’Neal. Shoot! He isn’t even the quiet gamer Al Jefferson is. I am beginning to think Bynum has more upside because of his offensive skill set and now for certain, Yao Ming with a dose of good health would trump him in ever major statistical category. You just can’t like a guy who flaunts himself around like a two-dollar hooker in a mismatched set of heels.

Howard fooled us all into thinking he was the funny charismatic star with a humbled determination to make his teammates better. Howard can’t even make himself better.

He shoots free throws wore, yes WORSE than Shaquille O’Neal.

He is outspoken a’ la bridal-gowned Dennis Rodman.

He is a quitter.

Dwight Howard is a quitter.

Dwight Howard is Baron Davis with a better body. You can blame God for that one. He is wielding a shredded cape, and shooting straight to Hollywood, collecting endorsement money and what will soon be one of the largest contracts in league history. But the O’Brien trophy will never be his if he wins one. It will belong to guys like Turkoglu, with the ability to hit a big shot and knock down free throws. Howard will be the face of the project but the men beneath him, the glue that holds his bloated self-ego together. If I were Magic owner Rick DeVos I would approach the Hornets and ask for the rights to Anthony Davis and a montage of role guys, and wash my hands clean of him.

O! But if only the world worked that perfectas. If only the world was just that damn ironically poetic it would be too good for words. Damn.