There's a new big man in Cleveland. The big man in Boston is back. And Orlando's big man is ready to make another run at his first NBA title. The NBA season opens Tuesday with four games, including Eastern Conference heavyweights Boston visiting Cleveland. So here's a quick preview of the NBA.
PREDICTIONS
-- MVP: Only three players are in the discussion, right?: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Any pick is a good one, but we say it's LeBron's turn now that he has a little help from Shaq.
-- Rookie of the year: Practically every analyst is going with power forward Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Clippers out of Oklahoma. Yes, he's that good.
-- Defensive player: Kevin Garnett still guards as well as he ever has, and his intensity is infectious for the Celtics. But Orlando's Dwight Howard is just like KG, except nine years younger. We'll take Howard.
-- Sixth man: Rasheed Wallace has joined the Celtics, and that's a perfect team for him to step into and just do his part instead of having to carry it.
-- Coach of the year: Is there any other choice than the Lakers' Phil Jackson? But let's look for a coach who can take a team to new heights. By that standard, we'll go with Washington's Flip Saunders, who might even triple the Wizards' 19 victories from a season ago.
-- Eastern Conference playoff teams: Celtics, Cavaliers, Magic, Wizards, Raptors, Hawks, Bulls, Heat.
-- Western Conference playoff teams: Lakers, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Jazz, Nuggets, Mavericks, Hornets, Clippers.
-- Finals: Get ready for yet another Celtics-Lakers matchup. The Celtics won the title two years ago, beating the Lakers. The Lakers won last season by beating the Magic, though they might have played the Celtics had Kevin Garnett remained healthy. To us, the real title series will be the Eastern Conference final, involving some combination of the Celtics, Cavs and Magic. Whoever survives that will win it all. So let's go with the Celtics over the Lakers.
EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAMS TO BEAT
-- 1. Boston Celtics: While the Cavs and Magic are the teams du jour in the East, let's not forget that the Celtics pushed the Magic to seven games last spring and they did it without Kevin Garnett, who remains as good a big man as there is in the NBA. With KG back, point guard Rajon Rando getting better every season and the acquisition of Rasheed Wallace, the Celtics are our pick as the team to beat in the East ... provided KG stays healthy.
-- 2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Now they have a big man to go with LeBron James. Shaquille O'Neal might not be the player he was five years ago, but he's better than any center LeBron has played with. And he's still dominating enough at times to take some of the heat off LeBron. Anthony Parker was a nice signing, too. A team that won 66 games last season got better. But so did the other top teams in the East.
-- 3. Orlando Magic: On paper, adding Vince Carter to a team that has Dwight Howard seems like a can't-miss move, but we won't be convinced until we see it work. Will Carter create offense for himself, or for Howard? If Carter is willing to share the ball, the Magic can play with anybody. The Magic will miss Hedo Turkoglu, a go-to guy at big moments. Orlando might be better than a season ago, when it lost in the Finals to the Lakers, but it might be worse, too. Depends on Carter.
TEAMS TO BEAT IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
-- 1. Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant remains the game's elite player, and there's nothing to suggest he's slipping. The question mark remains in the middle with Andrew Bynum, who hasn't been able to stay healthy. The wild card is new acquisition Ron Artest. If he can blend in and be a part of the "team,'' the Lakers could roll through the West. But Artest's reputation suggests otherwise.
-- 2. Portland Trail Blazers: Portland's biggest issue last season was inexperience, and now, the Blazers have another year of experience. Speaking of experience, they upgraded at point guard by bringing in veteran Andre Miller. Oft-injured Greg Oden needs to stay healthy, but this team doesn't rely on one player, though Brandon Roy is the star, and perhaps the most underrated player in the game. If Roy played in New York, he'd be doing Gatorade and Nike commercials.
-- 3. San Antonio Spurs: Do you realize the Spurs have had 12 consecutive winning seasons? Get ready for No. 13. The core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and sixth man Manu Ginobili remains intact, and they've added Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. And they drafted DeJuan Blair who was a monster big man at Pitt. We're saying they are the third-best team in the West, but it wouldn't shock us if they turn out to be the best in the NBA.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
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