Wednesday, November 01, 2006
NBA PREVIEW 2006-07
By John Chandler
It crept into their minds this summer, while lying on the beach, ruining many a vacation. What if the Cavs had mustered a few more rebounds in Game 6. What if they had closed out the Pistons, and then the Hea...
SLAP!!!
Sorry. I was about to imply that if the Cavs somehow pulled it together in that fateful fourth quarter of their Game 6 Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup, then they might have had a chance to beat the Heat. Crazy, I know. But I wouldn't be a Clevelander without asking the requisite question.
What if?
You know, the Cavs are asking it, too. Yup. They may not admit it to your face, but deep down they wonder what kind of results a chance at Miami would have yielded. If you're thinking a parade down Euclid Avenue, you're thinking with your heart and not your head.
But then... what if? This season, the Cavs intend to answer the question.
Get your pencils out (with erasers, of course). Here are a few of my predictions:
Divisions:
ATLANTIC: New Jersey Nets. Because I had to pick someone.
CENTRAL: Cleveland Cavs. Why? Why not?
SOUTHEAST: Miami Heat. So long as Officer Shaq is still into chasing titles, not criminals.
NORTHWEST: Denver Nuggets. Melo catches up to 'Bron and D-Wade.
PACIFIC: L.A. Clippers. No longer just a Staples Center tenant. Elton Brand says so.
SOUTHWEST: Dallas Mavericks. I may regret counting out Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
It crept into their minds this summer, while lying on the beach, ruining many a vacation. What if the Cavs had mustered a few more rebounds in Game 6. What if they had closed out the Pistons, and then the Hea...
SLAP!!!
Sorry. I was about to imply that if the Cavs somehow pulled it together in that fateful fourth quarter of their Game 6 Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup, then they might have had a chance to beat the Heat. Crazy, I know. But I wouldn't be a Clevelander without asking the requisite question.
What if?
You know, the Cavs are asking it, too. Yup. They may not admit it to your face, but deep down they wonder what kind of results a chance at Miami would have yielded. If you're thinking a parade down Euclid Avenue, you're thinking with your heart and not your head.
But then... what if? This season, the Cavs intend to answer the question.
Get your pencils out (with erasers, of course). Here are a few of my predictions:
Divisions:
ATLANTIC: New Jersey Nets. Because I had to pick someone.
CENTRAL: Cleveland Cavs. Why? Why not?
SOUTHEAST: Miami Heat. So long as Officer Shaq is still into chasing titles, not criminals.
NORTHWEST: Denver Nuggets. Melo catches up to 'Bron and D-Wade.
PACIFIC: L.A. Clippers. No longer just a Staples Center tenant. Elton Brand says so.
SOUTHWEST: Dallas Mavericks. I may regret counting out Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
Will Dwyane Wade & Miami laugh last?
The Playoffs:
East: Heat over Cavs in the Conference Finals. Bird and Magic? Meet LeBron and D-Wade.
West: Spurs over Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Spurs make me regret counting them out.
Finals: Spurs over Heat. Sorry, Cleveland. One more step to take.
The Hardware:
MVP: LeBron James. He's the popular choice, yes. He's also the smart one.
ROY: Adam Morrison. Best 'stache since Bird. Best jumper? Easy, now.
TOP SIXTH MAN: Anderson Varejao. Boards. It's all about the boards.
TOP COACH: Mike Brown. Proves he's not just hitching a ride on Flight 23.
That's how I see it. Now, Cleveland, it's your turn. Send your predictions to 5sports@newsnet5.com and we'll post them.
Posted at 2:26 PM
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