CAVS, LAKERS, LEAD THE WAY
Well, the regular season is over, so now, with the dust settled, how do things look?
Well in the East, the Cavs have picked up the number 1 spot in the Eastern conference to add to their Central division title. Of course that doesn't make them the Eastern conference champions, that's for the playoffs to decide, however the fact that they are the team to beat is a great credit for LeBron and crew. They may have lost their last game of the season but that came off the back of winning the previous five and few teams can argue with a 66-16 record to end the regular season. Of course LeBron leads the way with a 28.4 ppg. The Cavs have never won an NBA title and their one appearance in the Finals was a disaster but with homecourt advantage all the way to the Finals, this is certainly their best chance of making history.
Slightly lower down and the Celtics having already secured the Atlantic division, have also grabbed the number 2 seed in the playoffs. They finish with a 62-20 record and off the back of a 100-98 win in Philadelphia and a 115-107 win over the Wizards. The Magic, having already snapped up the Southeast division, have to make do with the number 3 seed off the back of a 59-23 record. They won their last game against the Bobcats 98-73. Could either the Celtics or Magic challenge the Cavs? In theory, both could but they each have problems. The Celts have to survive an injury to Kevin Garnett, the Magic haven't had a serious shot at a title since Shaq's days.
The Eastern conference playoffs are completed like so: The Hawks have the number 4 spot off the back of a 47-35 record. The Heat take number 5 spot off the back of a 43-39 record and it's good to see them back in the picture. The Sixers have the number 6 spot off the back of a 41-41 record and winning their last game of the regular season. The Bulls have number 7 spot off the back of a 41-41 record despite the loss of Luol, now it's just fingers crossed that he makes it to Eurobasket. The Pistons have the number 8 spot off the back of a 39-43 record - a poor record for a playoff team despite the addition of Allen Iversen midseason, something's not clicked there.
Out West well the Lakers rule that particular show, adding the number 1 spot to their Pacific Division title. Again, they can't call themselves conference champions just yet but strangely enough, they are the only team from their division to make the postseason this time around. They come in with a 65-17 record and finished the season with wins over the Grizzlies(92-75) and the Jazz(125-112). Everyone in the West knows what this team can do, they came close to winning the title last time around. Kobe leads the way with a 26.8 ppg. Lakers fans will say "it's about time we won another title" and you have to admit, it's hard to see past them.
Slightly lower down and the Nuggets picked up the Northwest division title, their first division title since '06 and more surprisingly, the number 2 seed in the West! They end the regular season with a 54-28 record despite having having an inconsistant record to end the season, they did have an eight game winning streak at one point. The Spurs have picked up the Southwest division title, their first since '06 and also have a 54-28 regular season record but lost a tiebreaker against the Nuggets. Still, they finished with a four game winning streak. Can either the Nuggets or Spurs challenge the Lakers? The Spurs are a pretty good bet to do so.
The Western Conference playoffs are completed like so: The Blazers somehow manage to grab the number 4 spot with a 54-28 record, though they too lost a tiebreaker to the Nuggets and Spurs. The Rockets have the number 5 spot with a 53-29 record despite losing their last game of the season. The Mavs have the number 6 spot with a 50-32 record. The Hornets come to the party on the number 7 spot with a 49-33 record despite losing their last two games of the regular season. The Jazz have a 48-34 record and the number 8 spot. Overall, the Western conference is looking a lot stronger that it's Eastern counterpart and that promises some tight battles.