Who Will Be The Beast From The Least?

Alright ladies and gentleman I’m back with my second installment of who will make the playoffs. This week I pick the team who will be the sacrificial lamb to whoever emerges from the bloodbath of the Western Conference because as I previously wrote, it is up for grabs.

1.Boston Celtics-The Celtics are the only team from the East who could seriously challenge a West coast juggernaught. This is evident because of their 16-0 record against the Western Conference. It also remains to be seen how Kevin Garnett recovers from his abdominal strain. They would also like to acquire a point guard by the trade deadline. Rajon Rondo has talent but is inexperienced and they are hoping to get a shot at Sam Cassell who obviously wants out of Los Angeles.

2.Detroit Pistons-The Pistons have a chance to do something special this year, but I don’t think they have the talent to go all the way. Last year they were thoroughly exposed by a not so good Cavaliers team, with numerous breakdowns on the defensive end. Trading Nazr Mohammed was a bad move because it left them without an inside presence. Right now they have Primo Brezec masquerading as a center. I believe that they will get to the second round, and if they get farther than that, I will be surprised.

3.Orlando Magic-The two man combination of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis has paid dividends for the Magic. Any other year, I would have them at the number two seed, but their inexperience has them at the number three. Unlike the Celtics, the sky is the limit and their window of opportunity is about five or six years as opposed to two or three for the Celtics. Jameer Nelson has been a strong contributor at point guard, while Hedo Turkoglu is having the best season of his career. I see them taking on Boston in the Conference finals, but lose in seven.

4.Toronto Raptors-Chris Bosh continues to develop but takes steps backwards when he faces a fellow superstar power forward. That is going to be a key for them down the stretch. Losing T.J. Ford was big but with the emergence of Jose Calderon, it begs the question, why was Ford starting over him in the first place? Last years number one overall pick Andres Bargnani has fallen back in his development and has not shown the qualities of a number one over all pick. The only highlight of their playoff run this year will be Jamero Moon dunking on someone down low.

5.Cleveland Cavaliers-Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Last year, LeBron James was the talk of Cleveland. Not only for his Yankee hat, but also for leading the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. This year however, I doubt they will get that far. Larry Hughes has proven to be an overpaid number two option who spends more time on the injured list than on the floor. Anderson Varajao’s contract situation was a huge distraction heading into training camp. But, he is now also on the injured list, joining Sasha Pavolic and Hughes. This team is not that great, and if they make it out of the first round I will be extremely surprised.

6.Atlanta Hawks-This is my sleeper pick for the playoffs this year. Marvin Williams has developed into a wonderful role player. And with the acquisition of Mike Bibby, he brings not only a solid jump shot but also playoff experience and leadership. Al Horford is a solid rookie of the year candidate and will be a force in the league for years to come. They have the potential to make it to the conference finals if they play like they know how to.

7.Washington Wizards-The Wizards play way better without Gilbert Arenas. I am a really big fan of “Agent Zero”, but this team does not play to his strengths. He is fitted for a more Golden State Warriors style of offense and it remains to be seen if he will remain with the Wizards after the season. If he returns in March as they hope, they have a legitimate shot at a higher seed. Antawn Jamison is aging rapidly, even though his spot on the All Star Team may say otherwise. Caron Butler is going to be the key for them when he returns from injury. I really like this team, but from where I’m sitting now, they don’t make it out of the first round.

8.Chicago Bulls-This team is the biggest disappointment of the season. They have so many problems, I don’t know where to start. It could be Ben Wallace’s rapid deterioration, or the fact that two of the future stars were failed to be signed to long term deals, or just the fact that we expected too much of them. Whatever it is, they stink. With that said, they will make a wonderful eighth seed in the Least (excuse me, the East) because people will underestimate them. Evidence of this was when they knocked off the defending champion, Miami Heat, last year in the first round.

Stay tuned for another article from me coming this week. Feel free to leave me a comment; I’d like to hear from you.