But what about celebrating the Labor Day weekend with a little bit of prediction power?
George and I got together last week and went down the line, predicting the results of both the Western and Eastern conferences. During this extravaganza, we realized something that we already really knew, but was confirmed: the East is awful. Yes, it has 4 legitimate title contenders, but after that, the bottom just falls out and, well, good god.
The West, on the other hand, has 9 playoff contenders (and one potential sleeper) according to George and I, and personally, I feel like there will be a situation again where there might only be 4 games separating the 3rd seed from the 9th seed. It will be exciting, if nothing else.
So on to the predictions. These are obviously not in stone, as our season preview will not hit the cyberspace until October, but to get you prepped, I'll throw a brief reason why we put that team there (or why George will be wrong on his. . .). Obviously our initials are by our predictions so you can see where we differ in opinion. This is also to show who eventually was right all along!
Today, I present to you the Western Conference:
(J/G) 15. Minnesota
When C-Webb clowns your GM, you know it's gonna be a bad season. Poor, poor Kevin Love.
(J/G) 14. Golden State
The David Lee acquisition was nice, but the Knicks were terrible too and they had D-Lee.
(J) 13. New Orleans (G) 13. L.A. Clippers
This Chris Paul situation is toxic. It won't end well. And the Clips have Blake back. That's good for a few more wins.
(J) 12. L.A. Clippers (G) 12. New Orleans
But not that much more.
(J/G) 11. Sacramento
Dangerous young team that no team will be looking forward to play in March and April. Still a couple years away though.
(J/G) 10. Memphis
This is the sleeper in the West. The Conley-Mayo-Gay-Randolph-Gasol combo is nice. Could be a playoff team next season, but not quite there this season.
(J) 9. San Antonio (G) 9. Houston
The teams that just miss the playoffs differ in our heads. I think the Spurs run of playoff visits ends this season after their devastating sweep last season (yes, I still celebrate it) and George feels like the return of Yao is not enough for the young Rockets.
(J) 8. Portland (G) 8. San Antonio
For me, Portland is not that intimidating. The fact that they anticipate the return of Greg Oden at all is enough for me to doubt their potential of being a contender.
(J) 7. Houston (G) 7. Phoenix
I think Houston will be there all year as long as Yao stays on the floor. I mean, they were almost there last year without him, and he's still a huge body in the middle. They're being built well (and obviously this spot goes up if they can get Melo from Denver). I won't even comment on George's backhanded compliment of putting my Suns 7th. He should know better than that.
(J) 6. Utah (G) 6. Portland
I say Jefferson is an upgrade from Boozer. But losing the shooters in Brewer and Korver will hurt Utah in the end. George likes the young Blazers a bit more than I do.
(J) 5. Denver (G) 5. Oklahoma City
This Melo situation is similar now to the Chris Paul situation, only worse. It seems like he's either gonna be traded for 70 cents on the dollar or not play to his full potential. Either way, they're no longer a top 4 team in the West. George isn't completely sold on the Thunder's improvement, but still likes the young guns to move up in the standings.
(J) 4. Phoenix (G) 4. Utah
Much more on my beloved Suns in the weeks leading up to the season, but I still feel like we are a relevant team in the West, despite losing Amare. Although it didn't necessarily help us for the near future, the Turkoglu/Childress acquisitions were good for us, as I feel like people want to play in Phoenix and that our chemistry remains to be a leading factor in our success. Plus we have Two-Time still running the offense. That's enough for me.
(J) 3. Oklahoma City (G) 3. Denver
I have a little more faith in the Durantula than George does. He's a straight beast. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with. George still has a belief in George Karl. I like the guy too, but c'mon. . .
(J/G) 2. Dallas
The next best team (after you-know-who) in the West. Dirk is still Dirk, J-Kidd will still produce, and the Caron Butler/Brendan Haywood combo is now fully involved and ready for a full season. I still think they fall out of the playoffs in the first or second round, but they're a great regular season team and the wins will be there.
(J/G) 1. L.A. Lakers
Ugh.
. . . .
Back tomorrow with the Eastern Conference. Hope you enjoyed!!!
- JUSTIN
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