Kleeman's Last Word

The NBA Mid-Seasson Report Card

Everybody and their domesticated pets are compiling report cards that rank the NBA's 30 teams. It's only natural considering football is nearing season's end, baseball spring training is still a few months away, while the basketball season is far from over. Basketball is the greatest sport in the world and the NBA is the greatest sports league that has ever existed. While no other sport is being played at the level of professional basketball, the 2006-07 season has seen its share of blunders, tumbles and graceful exits.

Let's face it, most teams are under performing, and if you had to pick one team to win the championship, there's only one obvious choice - unless of course you're demented.

Ranking the top 10 is a synch; easier than ordering a pizza, but adequately notching the other 20 teams is a difficult affair. At least six teams are in the severe rebuilding stage, three have no idea what the hell they're doing and the rest have talent but lack sufficient personnel at a key position.

At face value, the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns are the only definite title contenders. The glamorous records both clubs sport shows their grit and determination to finish at the top of the heap. Problem is, this years bevy of NBA teams really is a heap. Some are suffocating and have no hope of catching air, while other need just a few big pushes to be back in the hot (Eastern Conference, I'm looking in your direction).
To call the Eastern Conference putrid would be a term of endearment. Few nasty words could accurately describe how despicable and detestable the East teams are. The Western Conference is packed with playoff hopefuls, while the East is literally up for grabs.

As of Friday, January 19, 2007, here is the definitive ranking of the NBA 30.

1. DALLAS MAVERICKS
This choice couldn't be more obvious if owner Mark Cuban were yelling it and hoisting a sign. Thankfully, we don't have to listen to Mr. Cuban run his goatee-stricken face off. While the unabashed owner might still be the referees and fans' greatest menace, his basketball team is one of the most impressive franchises this league has ever seen. At 33-8, easily the league's best record, Avery Johnson has his rotation thinking in a championship mentality. Since starting the 0-4, the Mavs have left the doubt and poor clutch decision making that cost them last year's championship miles behind them. In 29 games, the Mavs have lost 4. As of late, Johnson's bunch have been doing whatever it takes to win - from sending Kobe's dunks all the Sansibar to knocking down tough shots at the buzzer. No other team has exhibited or matched the creativity of this Dallas franchise. They play like a team, have a bench full of players who are good for more than sitting on their derrière's, while the superstars muscle all the hard work. From confusing 3 time MVP Tim Duncan to making a mockery of star guard Chris Paul, the Mavs have made this their season to lose.
Why they're winning: You could say that the success of this ball club starts with forward Josh Howard and no longer be laughed at. Whether he's swinging a tough 3-point play, draining a three-pointer or grabbing a clutch steal, Howard is the Mavericks' most complete player. He can play defense and as of late can score from virtually any spot on the floor. The additions of Anthony Johnson and Devean George as reserve defenders has allowed Avery to try a variety of methods in shutting down superstar shooters. Austin Croshere hasn't been a compelling factor, but he's still a nice addition.
Short-term worries: None.
Long-term worries: What transpires in this year's playoffs will be the only thing that matters and Avery is surely keeping this is mind. Dallas should have no problem cornering and beating Phoenix, but San Antonio and Houston, who may not have a shot at getting the league's best record, will be waiting for whoever dares to face them. Nothing Dallas has accomplished against either of these teams in the regular season will matter. Contrary to what Mavs fans might say, the team was not asleep when it lost the season opener to the Spurs. And Miami, despite blowing for most of this season, could still stab with the same knife they used last year.

2. PHOENIX SUNS
At 30-8, the Suns are showing an impressive composure against tough teams and have found ways to come from behind. However, despite the Suns easily snagging second place, this review will contain mostly criticisms. Bill Walton and other players who played in the "no-defense" era are easily swayed by Phoenix's lightning fast game. At home, this team operates at hyperspeed. Problem is, nothing has changed about this beautiful, one-trick pony. No one is as fun to watch as Phoenix, but no one that's winning most of their game is as far off from championship as Phoenix is. A few years ago, the Mavericks found themselves at 33-8, an identical record to what they have now. Difference is, that team, coached by Don Nelson, didn't have a prayer to win the coveted title.
Why they're winning: This team's success starts with two time MVP Steve Nash. He deserves every accolade that comes his way and the team has the most balanced and dynamic scoring unit in the league. How many teams can say they have six players who average more than 16 points per game? The answer is none. But it's what the Suns don't have that will kill them.
Short-term worries: see below.
Long-term worries: It will be the same old story for D'Antoni when he gets to playoffs. The Suns will win an incredible number of games running their fast break offense. They run up and down the court and outscore oppoenents. They succeed because no one can match their speed or depth of weaponry. But this Phoenix team has no defense, absolutely NONE. The Suns worries won't be fixed by improving a few numbers, such as taking charges or getting teams to miss 3-pointers. The Suns will never win a championship until they start playing a defensive-centric game. Until they slow down and let their offense extend from their defense, a championship is a lost cause. Yes, Bill, that means Phoenix will have to stop playing your beloved run-and-gun. Hyperspeed, one-dimensional offense doesn't win championships. Defense does. Until the Suns start playing a game where the halftime score is 38-39, they will never win the big one. And if D'Antoni thinks he can convince other teams in the West to play Phoenix's tempo, he should remember that both Dallas and San Antonio have done that the last two years in at least one game and won. They're fun to watch, but doomed to fail in the end.

3. MIAMI HEAT
You're wondering if I'm serious when I say this under. 500 ballclub is the third best ballclub in the land. In fact, I am. Consider it an insult to the half-asleep Spurs who need to wake the hell up. The Heat are six wins away from the best record in the East. As the defending champions, they deserve the benefit of the doubt to do just that. No other under performing team can say they are a few wins away from being a title contender. If Miami pulls itself together, it won't be because Shaquille O' Neal is back in the lineup. It will be the bench players and the young starter assisting Dwyane Wade deciding that they are in fact for real. Wade can score 40 and O' Neal is priceless in the paint, even in his twilight, but it will be James Kapono, Dorell Wright, Michael Doleac and Udonis Haslem that have to pick up the slack. James Posey, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and Jason Williams will also have to conjure brilliance. Miami is the one Eastern Conference team without a winning record I wouldn't bet on to lose to whichever Western Conference team reaches the finals.
Why they're #3: Dwyane Wade is the best player in the league. He's figured out the secret to winning close games - getting to the free throw line at all costs - will always borne fruit as it did in last season's finals. Kapono is one of the most efficient shooters in the game. He may not take that many shots, but when he does they usually go in. Antoine Walker as a bench player intrigues me, as him taking less shots and shooting a higher percentage is always a good thing. And though Shaq is hardly anything a great player should be afraid of anymore, the O' Neal/Mourning center combo is bested only by the Yao Ming/Dikembe Mutombo dynamic on the Rockets. This team has a chance, so don't count them out of the title discussions.
Short-term worries: The psychological, not the physical impact of Shaq not playing. He's not that great anymore, but everyone worships at his altar and just the image of the big man back in the lineup is a comfort to this Heat team.
Long-term worries: If this supposed "15 strong" franchise somehow gets to the finals, they have to like their chances of a Mavs-Heat rematch. This time, however, the Mavs won't be caught losing on national television. If the mediocre Heat want to win another "white-hot" championship, Sunday's regular season matchup in Miami would be an opportune time to show they have the intangibles. Dallas is 33-8, so Miami had better come with some stuff, championship stuff.

4. SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Those who know me might expect me to put the Rockets and the Spurs first and second, respectively, on every list, but that wouldn't be giving me credit for my analytical faculties. The Spurs deserve a fourth place ranking for they are sleepwalking as of late. Spurs fans can only hope somebody or someone will wake them the hell up. In the last three weeks, the Spurs have made Denver look like a respectable team (even though the Spurs won by 9), lost to the Bulls sans Andres Nocioni and Ben Wallace, made game costing decisions against the Los Angeles Lakers and that doesn't include all of the stacked losses that should have been Spurs blowouts.
The Spurs had only 7 home losses all last season and have already accrued that number this season and their recent 3-point shooting has been vomit-inducing, despite still holding the top spot in that percentage. However, no team deserves a benefit of the doubt more than the Spurs. San Antonio is much deeper this year, the bench has been high-octane at many points this season and the scoring is up. Standing at 27-12, the Spurs are still one of the NBA's elite and with a lighter schedule ahead, the Spurs have an opportunity to redeem themselves.

Why they've slipped: Poor foul shooting and too many clunks have been this team's recent Achilee's Heel. The foul shooting had improved earlier in the year, but now, seems to have returned to its old decrepit form. When the Spurs are great defensively, their offense is something to behold. Against the Lakers and the Bulls, the defense looked a bit like an airplane trying to hold a 30,000 ft. altitude with a bursted fuel tank. Tim Duncan is the healthiest he's been in quite some time and yet his numbers don't fully reflect that. More aggresive inside play from Timmy and more consistent numbers from Brent Barry, Beno Udrih, Michael Finley, Fabricio Oberto, Eric Williams, Matt Bonner, Jacque Vaughn and Francisco Elson's return will get this team back on track. As far as Robert Horry goes, they don't call him "Big Shot Bobby" for nothing. Somtimes that one big shot is all he does.
Why the Spurs are still the team to model after: Defense is the greatest one-dimensional skill a team can have. The surging Mavericks should take some notes. Dallas fans believe that their teams ability to also play run-and-gun is a plus against other NBA teams. The ability to play fool's gold offense is a nice touch and sometimes its a creative way to win. The Mavs, who have borrowed much from the Spurs, should hold defense in the highest regard. Slow half-court defense that holds teams to under 90 points is the only kind of championship basketball. Greg Poppovich knows you don't win titles with speed and fastbreak shots, which is why this Spurs team will likely never play that kind of basketball.

5. HOUSTON ROCKETS
The Rockets have had a championship roster since Shane Battier and Bonzi Wells signed in the offseason. Helmed by Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, undoubtedly the best center in the league, this team has the personnel, the depth, the coach and the gameplan to win a championship. This trouble this season has been getting all of those components on the same floor at the same time. But I am one of the few who see the Rockets' swath of injuries as a blessing in disguise. The Rockets have needed to play without Yao and McGrady to confirm that there is in fact a rest of the team. Houston is far from where it needs to be if a title is in the works, but this could very well mirror the storybook 94-95 season which ended with a gleaming Hakeem Olajuwon hoisting the Larry O' Brien Trophy.
The Rockets will need Wells, Yao, McGrady and all of the other parts to succeed in the postseason. When they reach the playoff berth they have battled for this seasson, no team in either conference will want to face them. Jason Terry will be punching himself in the groin so he doesn't have to play this team.
Why they're a title contender: The aforementioned off-season additions have proved to be some of the best in the league. But one stands out above the rest. Shane Battier has spent this season putting himself and this Rockets team above the numbers. He doesn't need to have better statistical numbers than another player to outplay them, he just needs a little will and determination. Although McGrady's return to high scoring form may have been the biggest offensive catalyst to the Rockets success with Yao out, it has been Battier's clutch shots, charges taken and defensive stops that has turned this team into a formidable champion. Dikembe Mutombo has stolen the fountain of youth and has sucked every last gulp from its bowl. Nobody, not even me, expected him to play like he was 20 again when he took over the reigns with Yao's absence. He recently passed Kareem Abdul Jabar on the all-time blocked shots list. The rest of the team's success is uncertain as that worry is addressed below.
Short-term worries: The Rockets haven't quite gelled yet. Perhaps it's the fact that the roster has seldome been complete this season or that many of the players are young and lack enough professional experience. This shortcoming will need to be fixed if a deep playoff run is to be expected. The posts below contrasting the Rockets' play against Dallas in Phoenix (both losses), explains those perfectly. Also, two names: Alston and Head. That issue is also explained below.
Long-term worries: Yao and McGrady will need to get healthy and remain so for the rest of the season. Other than that, see above.

6. DETROIT PISTONS

7. LOS ANGELES LAKERS

8. CHICAGO BULLS

9. ORLANDO MAGIC

10. UTAH JAZZ

11. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

12. WASHINGTON WIZARDS

13. NEW JERSEY NETS

14. DENVER NUGGETS

15. SACRAMENTO KINGS

16. NEW ORLEANS/OKLAHOMA CITY

17. INDIANA PACERS

18. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

19. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

20. BOSTON CELTICS

21. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

22. TORONTO RAPTORS

23. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

24. SEATLLE SUPERSONICS

25. MILWAUKEE BUCKS

26. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

27. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

28. PHILADELPHIA 76'ers

29. NEW YORK KNICKS

30. ATLANTA HAWKS

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 10:52 AM