2003/2004 Preview & Predictions Thread

[paul_pierce_the_truth]

East
1. Nets
2. Pacers
3. Pistons
4. Celtics
5. Sixers
6. Magic
7. Hornats
8. Knicks
--------
9. Bulls
10. Heat
11. Bucks
12. Raptors
13. Hawks
14. Wizards
15. Cavs

West
1. Mavericks
2. Spurs
3. Lakers
4. Kings
5. Timberwolves
6. Suns
7. Rockets
8. Blazers
--------
9. Grizzlies
10. Sonics
11. Warriors
12. Clippers
13. Nuggets
14. Jazz

NBA Finals Series
Lakers over Nets 6 or 7 Games

Comments:
The lower nine teams in the East are horrible and any of them could finish 9-15. The Cavs, Wizards and Bucks look very bad.
Utah to me is the worst team in the NBA, I think they will lose around 60 games.
I believe the Lakers win be the strongest team in the playoffs, but will sag here and there with injuries, off-court problems and old-timer games.

The Mavericks will collect all the wins against the lower teams, only losing here and there to the top teams.
But again the postseason will change things more to match-ups and halfcourt play, this will slow the Mavs run.

[mdiamond]

I think the Pacers aren't getting much credit. They will be 1st or 2nd in the playoff picture in my mind. New Jersey will probably get the 1st seed but Indy will be second.

EAST:
!.Nets/Pacers
2.Pacers/Nets
3.Pistons
4.Magic
5.Pistons
6.76ers
7.Celtics
8.Hornets

Cavs- 30-35 game winners. No more no less.

West:
1.Lakers/Mavs
2.Mavs/Lakers
3.Kings
4.Spurs
5.T-Wolves
6.WeedBlazers
7.Suns
8.Grizzlies(believe it!!!)

Nuggets- Will be a very different team from a year ago, they will have the Rookie of the Year and some really good role players around him but will not be a .500 ball club.

[MAKAVELI THE DON]

Are you kidding me? There is no way the Kings are going to get back to 59 Wins, or finish with a better record than the Mavericks! Because they no long have the depth!

As far as the Celtics are conserned, I don't even expect them to make it to the playoffs, maybe they could; but that's 50/50!

As for Lebron James, people say that he is probably the best high school ball player ever; but I remember Kobe from high school compared to Lebron James, and Lebron in no way, or in anyhow has the skills or talent that Kobe had, and has.

I believe Carmelo Anthony is going to win rookie of the year award; and the Cavs are going to lose alot of games! It's unfair that a team should get tv time because of one player, and the team had one of worst records in the NBA last season.

As for the championship, anyone is a contender! But i don't feel people are giving the Wolves enough props. Some people feel they'll just make it out the first round and that's it; the Wolves may do alot better than that!

And look out for Van Gundy's rockets, Franchise & Yao Ming, whose put on some weight and muscle & is looking good!

[emadhn15]

Are you kidding me? There is no way the Kings are going to get back to 59 Wins, or finish with a better record than the Mavericks! Because they no long have the depth!

That is true

As far as the Celtics are conserned, I don't even expect them to make it to the playoffs, maybe they could; but that's 50/50!

anything can happen in the east!

As for Lebron James, people say that he is probably the best high school ball player ever; but I remember Kobe from high school compared to Lebron James, and Lebron in no way, or in anyhow has the skills or talent that Kobe had, and has.

maybe this indicates something 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds

I believe Carmelo Anthony is going to win rookie of the year award; and the Cavs are going to lose alot of games! It's unfair that a team should get tv time because of one player, and the team had one of worst records in the NBA last season.

this might help u understand why? - Lebron James - 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds
Carmelo - 12 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds

As for the championship, anyone is a contender! But i don't feel people are giving the Wolves enough props. Some people feel they'll just make it out the first round and that's it; the Wolves may do alot better than that!

ofcourse minnesota might do alot better,, they might get out of the first round and get eliminated in the 2nd

[/quote]

[Filip]

I'm just gonna name two prediction since those two i'm feeling pretty sure.

6th man: Antawn Jamison, I think he should start instead of fake ass Finley, Jamision does more in less minuts than Finley

Most improved player: Definitly Zach Randolph, the guy is a 20points 10rebound player, he showed last year that he could do that when he got the minuts, and this year, he will get the minuts.

[Shep]

Most improved player: Definitly Zach Randolph, the guy is a 20points 10rebound player, he showed last year that he could do that when he got the minuts, and this year, he will get the minuts.

let me say this: a player doesn't improve if he gets 8 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes one season, and gets 16 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes the next season. although the nba might vote this way, it doesn't work like that. gilbert arenas didn't improve enough to win MIP last year. kobe bryant should've got MIP.

[Damien War]

West
1. Lakeshow-It's ridiculous to think they'll win all 82, but know one thing: The only team that can beat these Lakers are the Lakers.
2. Mavericks- Incase you ain't know these boys can score. They will blues their share of teams, but their defense or lack thereof will ultimately be what kills them. And personally I would never put much faith in a team that's star would sit out in the biggest game of the year. Dirk, you a ho in my book.
3. Kings- The crowd's starting to lose that fire, and everybody's forgetting about them but as much as I hate them, this is who I expect the Lakers to face in the Conference Finals.
4. Spurs-Not as good as some think, but better than their record shows. Expect Tim to continue to be the ignored most dominant player in the game, and Horry to show that he ain't worth a squirt of squirrel piss if the team's not rolling.
5. Timberwolves- Once Wally and Troy return I expect their offense to start flowing and to finish what and what with the Spurs.
6. Suns
7. Rockets
8. Sonics or Grizzlies

East
1. Nets
2. Pacers
3. Pistons
4. Celtics
5. Sixers
6. Bucks
7. Magic
8. Cavaliers or Hornets

Awards
MVP: Kevin Garnett

MIP: Vin Baker (God Willing)

Sixth Man Of the Year: My nigga, D-Fish

Rookie of the Year: LeBron James This lil bitch is damn good. If he fuck around and be better than Kobe, I'm have to go take him out.

Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace

[Filip]

let me say this: a player doesn't improve if he gets 8 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes one season, and gets 16 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes the next season. although the nba might vote this way, it doesn't work like that. gilbert arenas didn't improve enough to win MIP last year. kobe bryant should've got MIP.

He does about 18points and 11rebounds at the time, and I he'll get up to 20points.

And I think that Arenas deserved to win MIP last year. The award that I think went wrong, was Bobby Jackson. Sure, he great, but he played to little on the bench (When bibby was hurted) to be named 6th man.

[Filip]

I agree that Vin Baker has good chance to also win the MIP.
He seems healthy and strong now.

[Shep]

The award that I think went wrong, was Bobby Jackson

i agree with you on that. i mean the guy played 59 games and wins the 6th man of the year? what a joke. top 6th men, and more valuable 6th men than jackson last season:
1. a.kirilenko
2. m.redd
3. a.foyle
4. r.horry
5. d.armstrong
6. a.harrington
7. j. crawford
8. n.van exel
9. m.rose
10. t.kukoc
11. c.williamson

all the awards were wrong: mvp should've been k.garnett, roy should've been y.ming, 6th man should've been a.kirilenko, and mip should've been k.bryant

[Filip]

agree with you on that. i mean the guy played 59 games and wins the 6th man of the year? what a joke. top 6th men, and more valuable 6th men than jackson last season:
1. a.kirilenko
2. m.redd
3. a.foyle
4. r.horry
5. d.armstrong
6. a.harrington
7. j. crawford
8. n.van exel
9. m.rose
10. t.kukoc
11. c.williamson

all the awards were wrong: mvp should've been k.garnett, roy should've been y.ming, 6th man should've been a.kirilenko, and mip should've been k.bryant

6th man: You forgott Earl Boykins, 10points in 20minuts.
MVP: I thought that Garnett would win, but I think Tim deserved it as well.
ROY: I think Ming and Stoudemire where about even.
MIP: I still think Arenas deserved it

[Shep]

nope, i did not forget earl mankins. he only played 19.4 mpg so the warriors didn't play him as if he was some 'valuable' bench man. that plus he missed 14 games. so no, all of the players i mentioned (and b.jackson)was a more valuable 6th man than mankins, plus l.harris, v.lenard, and m.jackson (utah)

[Jackal]

all the awards were wrong: roy should've been y.ming

And why is it you say Ming deserved it instead of Stoudmire?

[Shep]

-better stats

-s.marion = 9th most valuable player last season, s.marbury 13th. y.ming has s.francis (15th most valuable player) but thats all. despite the lack of support, ming helps the rockets to only one less win than the suns.

[EGarrett]

Figured I'd take a stab at predicting the All-Star rosters.

East

C Ben Wallace
F Jermaine O'Neal
F Vince Carter
G Allen Iverson
G Lebron James (this is probably the only one I'm 100% sure about)

C Alonzo Mourning
F Shareef Abdur-Rahim
F Paul Pierce
G Tracy McGrady
G Jason Kidd
G Baron Davis
F Kenyon Martin
________________
(if injuries)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F Jamal Mashburn


West

C Yao Ming
F Tim Duncan
F Kevin Garnett
G Kobe Bryant
G Steve Francis

C Shaquille O'Neal
F Dirk Nowitzki
F Chris Webber
G Steve Nash
G Stephon Marbury
F Shawn Marion
F Elton Brand
____________________
If injuries...
G Gary Payton
F Rasheed Wallace

[Andrew]

Zach Randolph is flourishing having earned a starting role and the extra minutes that come with it. I'd say he's an early candidate for MIP.

[TheBigEasy]

Well ... almost two weeks into the season and most of you can trash their predictions . Especially those (low predictions) about the Hornets. We have busted the Lakers on Friday (and lost to the Bulls last night ) and are one of the top teams in the east. I'd say they have a definite chance on winning the east. And thats even without Mash now.

As for the awards. ROY should go to Anthony. James may be the better player, but Anthony helps his team win. If Denver continues to play so good, they will content for the 8th seed in the west.

MVP is too early to predict ... But Baron Davis sure puts up the numbers for that one right now.

TheBigEasy

[EGarrett]

The Hornets have a roster full of fragile players though. They've always been considered one of the better teams in the league on paper....but they always break in action. We'll see...

As for the awards. ROY should go to Anthony. James may be the better player, but Anthony helps his team win. If Denver continues to play so good, they will content for the 8th seed in the west.

It's not the Most Valuable Rookie Award. I think team success is a good tiebreaker but Carmelo isn't close. With the impact Lebron is having on basketball and his level of play...it would be a farce to name anyone else the ROY.

[Swoosh]

D. Armstrong really impressed me, after a not so strong season last year(imho), for the moment he is my 6th man of the year, though jamison isn't farbehind,but he still plays about 30mpg if im not mistaken.

[Jackal]

-better stats

Stoudemire:

PPG: 13.5
RPG: 8.80
BPG: 1.06
APG: 1.0

Ming:

PPG: 13.5
RPG: 8.20
BPG: 1.79
APG: 1.7

Better stats, but not much of a difference...one went as the number one pick...and the other as a number nine pick, big difference.

-s.marion = 9th most valuable player last season, s.marbury 13th. y.ming has s.francis (15th most valuable player) but thats all. despite the lack of support, ming helps the rockets to only one less win than the suns.

Heh, if I'm not mistaken, ROY goes to the player that deserves it most based on individual success...not the teams...if I'm wrong here, I've got another point to bring up...

You (very nicely btw) told me how valuable those players were...since Ming only has Houston, shouldnt he have MUCH better stats than a kid who is 19, unproven, went number nine...not number one...AND has to share the ball with...yeps...like you said, the 9th and 15th mvp's in the league...? Makes sense doesnt it?

Stoudemire averaged those with Marbury & Marion around, imagine what his stats would be if he didn't have those 2....bottom line being, if Ming deserved it...he shouldve played ALOT better than Stoudemire...which he didnt do...he just played a teensie weensie wee bit better...get my point?

If there is a player beside Stoudemire that shouldve gotten the award, that would be Butler imo.

[Shep]

Better stats, but not much of a difference...one went as the number one pick...and the other as a number nine pick, big difference.

the number the player gets chosen in the draft has absolutely nothing to do with the choosing of rookie of the year

shouldnt he have MUCH better stats than a kid who is 19, unproven, went number nine

1. age doesn't matter when it comes to the rookie being chosen as rookie of the year. a rookie is a rookie
2. was ming 'proven'?

Stoudemire averaged those with Marbury & Marion around, imagine what his stats would be if he didn't have those 2....bottom line being...

imagine this imagine that. 'bottom line' being he did have those players,. no point saying what would happen if he didn't have those players

he shouldve played ALOT better than Stoudemire...which he didnt do...he just played a teensie weensie wee bit better

so you're saying that if a no.1 playes only a little bit better than a no.9 (he played much better), then the no.9 should get rookie of the year? what a joke

[Colin]

so you're saying that if a no.1 playes only a little bit better than a no.9 (he played much better), then the no.9 should get rookie of the year? what a joke

If the number 9 pick plays a bit better than the number 1 (like the barely different numbers in this case) and the number 9 pick's team makes the playoffs, ahead of #1's team nontheless, then the #9 should definitly win the ROY. Bottom line: He deserved it.

[Shep]

If the number 9 pick plays a bit better than the number 1

ming played better.

and the number 9 pick's team makes the playoffs, ahead of #1's team

if you want to talk wins and losses houston improved 15 games from '02 to '03

[Se7en>>Dimension]

If the number 9 pick plays a bit better than the number 1

ming played better.

I disagree. Stoudemire made much more of an impact on the team. People actually had to pay REAL close attention to Stoudemire, him being the explosive player he is. Ming is gile but face it, he's easy to spot and for all the hype he had gotten I expected much better performance, especially with a great point guard like Francis on his team.

and the number 9 pick's team makes the playoffs, ahead of #1's team

if you want to talk wins and losses houston improved 15 games from '02 to '03

[Colin]

If the number 9 pick plays a bit better than the number 1

ming played better.

W/e you know what I meant, I do think Stoudemire played better, despite what stats say. Ming played very passivley and didn't take a whole lot of shots, Amare was agressive (see Olowokandi, facial on) and seemed to know the game better.