Congratulations to the Celtics for a well-deserved NBA Finals victory. I have to admit, after being taken to seven games by the Hawks I really had my doubts about them, and in fact I picked the Cavaliers and the Pistons over Boston. I'll give the C's credit though, they came up big when it counted, and dominated the Lakers in the finals.
One thing that became frightfully clear to me was the gap between the East and the West in defense. The D proved to be the deciding factor between Boston and LA, as the Lakers and MVP Kobe Bryant were exposed against an outstanding Celtics unit. Guys like Gasol, Odom and Radmanovic could not compare to Garnett, Perkins and Allen in that area, and Pierce vs Bryant was another story all together, with Pierce shutting Bryant down and forcing the league MVP to resort away from his team-oriented play that brought them to the NBA finals.
There were talks of this Los Angeles team being a dynasty, but I just don't see it after the finals. Sure, they may do great throughout the season and still reach the finals, but until they can man up on defense and play out a gritty game, they will not be champions. they lack a Josh Smith, a Kevin Garnett, a Paul Pierce on Defense to pull it off over the defensively superior east. I can see the Lakers ending up in the same position as the Suns now; a team that really lacks the defense to be able to go deep into the playoffs.
The Spurs grade as the team to be now in the west, although without an infusion of youth that will change. New Orleans and Utah are both going to be in the hunt, New Orleans especially with the top PG in the league, a very good PF in West and a great young center in Tyson Chandler. All they need is another scoring threat at either SG or SF, and they will be hard to beat.
Another team in the west to watch out for is the Portland Trailblazers. They have the pieces in place for a playoff run, with Brandon Roy at SG, LaMacrus Aldridge at PF, and Greg Oden at center. All they need is a spark at PG and they have the young, athletic, talented frontcourt to make the playoffs in the west. This PG could come from several places, possibly Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, or look in the draft to someone like Russell Westbrook. Either way, the #1 priority for the Blazers if they want to be contenders is acquiring a legitimate point guard.
Also in the West I like the Spurs and the Rockets. The Spurs may be the best defensive team in the West, and their style of play is best suited for the playoffs. The problem for them will undoubtedly be age, as the majority of their key players are over the age of 30. Look for them to go after some youth in the offseason, and if they do they will be in the hunt again.
I have always been high on the Rockets too. They have two great players in Tracy McGrady and Tao Ming, as well as a solid core of youth and experience alongside these two. I'd like to see them pick up a scorer to take some of the heat off T-Mac, Arenas is an option, so is Michael Redd or possibly a trade up in the draft, to nab someone like Eric Jordan from Indiana. I like their youth at key positions, with Luther Head and Aaron Brooks at guard and Carl Landry at power forward. Both of these spots have a solid starter as well in Luis Scola and Rafer Alston.
As far as the east goes, I like the Hawks and the Cavaliers most to be able to dislodge the Celtics. The Hawks have a good young team going, with Josh Smith, Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Childress. They managed to take their series against the Celtics to seven games, and guys like Smith, Horford and Childress will only be getting better. Bibby seems to be the weak link in their lineup, and they might be in the market for a young PG.
In the Cavaliers' case, the almighty LeBron James alone puts them in contention. They have been constantly in the playoffs with little supporting cast around him, so if they can add someone like Arenas, Davis or Antwan Jamison, they have a big chance to win the east. Look at what the addition of Pau Gasol did for Kobe and the Lakers; transformed them from a one-man team to a championship favorite. Give LeBron a PG or a PF and they will be mighty hard to beat.
The theme in the east for the most part may well be rebuilding, with Chicago, Miami, Minnesota and New York all high in the draft and looking to add some young talent. Derrick Rose may well be the most sought after prospect in this class, the 6'3" point guard out of Memphis capable of providing the East with their version of Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Behind him is Michael Beasley, the 6'9" forward out of Kansas State who averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last year in college. After those two, the #3 player drafted will be between USC guard O.J. Mayo, Stanford center Brook Lopez, Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless and Indiana guard Eric Jordan. Another interesting prospect is UCLA's forward Kevin Love, an extremely smart and techincally sound kid who lacks good athleticism. He grades as either a top 5 pick or a low first, depending on who you ask, and NBA GMs may well be similarly divided. It will be interesting to see where he ends up, although I have a feeling he'll go in the top ten.
To sum it up, I just don't see the Lakers repeating in the west this year. In the East the Celtics have to be the favorites, but if I had to pick my finals series now, I'd go with the Hornets vs the Cavaliers.
