TOP TEAMS STUMBLE EARLY
November 2, 2009 by R.C. Cola
For the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, high hopes turned to disappointments pretty darned quickly.
The new-look Cavs, sporting a newly acquired behemoth in Shaquille O’Neal, dropped their first two games. The Lakers, quietly shooting to exceed the Chicago Bulls’ 72-win season through in 1996, fell far off pace with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in their second game. What does this mean for the two teams–both trendy picks to meet in the NBA Finals–in the largely scheme of things? While expectations need to be brought down, not a whole lot.
There was a lot of hype going into the season, and as usual, the hot air in that balloon has burst out–only sooner than expected. The Lakers weren’t going to top the Bulls’ record season, and likewise it’s going to take time for Shaq to get adjusted to his new team. Add the fact that there have been a lot of high-powered trades and an accumulation of power among the top teams, and you’ve stacked the deck against even the best teams.
Bottom line: it’s a long season and good teams tend to level out. The Lakers had a nice rebound win against the Atlanta Hawks, where Ron Artest finally showed his defensive stripes, although it does little to wipe the bitter taste after seeing how well Trevor Ariza did on Saturday in Houston. The Cavs, meanwhile, have won two straight as they look back on course.
Perfect Teams
There are still a number of undefeated teams, but the one to look out for are the Boston Celtics. They won their season opener against the Cavs in a hostile environment, and Rasheed Wallace looks to be clicking into place.
The Orlando Magic also looks good, despite Vince Carter going down with a sprained left ankle. The Magic is our pick to head back to the Finals from the Eastern Conference, and so far, they haven’t disappointed. If Carter can stay healthy, they should be on track to challenge the Lakers in a rematch of last year’s Finals.
I’m not so hot on the Denver Nuggets or Phoenix Suns. Something is going to happen and they’re early momentum will start to dissipate. For the Nuggets, it’s a lack of maturity, while age is getting to the Suns.
Perfect (Loss) Records
On the flip side, there isn’t much to cheer for in the New York/New Jersey area with both the Knicks and Nets winless after three games. The Knicks actually had a chance against the Philadelphia 76ers, but again fell short. I’ve said this before, but Coach Mike D’Antoni isn’t the right captain for this ship. Yes, his team is entertaining, but does that really matter if they keep losing?
If defense wins championships, the Knicks are not only far away from that goal, they seem to be falling further back. The Knicks lack the personnel to make his run-and-gun system work as well as he did in Phoenix. Maybe if the Knicks traded for Steve Nash…Even over the hill, he’s a better player than most of the guys on the Knicks squad.
Not like Nash would leave his (currently) perfect team to head to the hapless squad in New York.
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