The west is stacked this year..as of right now anyways...so much so,you actually have to look at more than stats..heres the breakdown
1a.New Orleans 31-12...Uh..to be perfectly honestly...there isnt a weakness here..statistically..19-0 when scoring 100+,good both home and away(15-7,16-5),12-8 against .500 and above teams,5-1 in games decided by 3 points or less....I could keep going guys..it wild...Chris Paul really IS this team...you look at the talent of this team...Tyson Chandler,Peja Stojakovic,David West...all good talent...but outside of that?....Mo Pete?..Jannero Pargo?...see the talent level drop?....the only thing I would worry about is the health of majority of these players falls into question..they all have missed significant time last year and they were in the playoff hunt then...other than that....watch out.
1.b.Phoenix 32-13...this is another team where statistically there isnt anything to complain about..I could put it on the style of play,but everyone has their reasons...anyways...they are 30-6 when scoring 100+..the only knocks I have would be a lack of defense...now I know,I know...they "dont play defense" at all...well I'll contest that they do play defense,they just have alot more possessions than other teams...but I just leery of post defense mainly...Amare and Skinner arent getting it done for me...mainly Amare...his lack of defense I'm thinking will be the downfall of the Suns(other than a freak injury to Nash)..next time a Suns game is on tv and if they are playing someone with a post presence,just watch how many times Amare is beat for a score...someone with his athletic skill set is leaving me with something less than desired.
3.Dallas 29-13...statistically...fine...but after last years...upset(?) they are no longer judged by what they do in the regular season...and looking at the roster...if they run into Golden State again..I dont see them getting out of the 1st round again...they just dont have that player that has the mark of "this isnt going to happen to us" on their roster..Josh Howard is sort of that player..but he can still disappear for stretches and that type of player cant do that..if nothing is traded for...its when they lose,not if...
4.Denver 26-18..I would be a tad shocked if this team ended up with home court in the 1st round..but they are going to need it..they are only 7-11.its good to have 2 25+ scorers on the same team..it is also great to have a defensive player of the year winner leading the league in blocks and up there in rebounds...but outside of that?...alot of gaps..Kenyon Martin and Nene are decent players but nowadays they are too easily connected with "out 3-5 weeks"..and a team who loves to run and score,the refusal to play JR Smith is a bit baffling considering he can....you guessed it...run and score.Linas Kleiza has the potential to become that 3rd scorer..but I think he may be a year away from a consistency standpoint..I dont know if this team has another year
5.San Antonio 28-14..I think this is the team to take Denver's spot..but they have their share of weaknesses as well...8-12 vs .500+ teams..and losing close games(3-4) arent a mark of a championship team right now...I think the thing that sticks out to me is the less than stellar road record(8-9) thats fine for a middle of the road team,but for a championship team you need to have a much better road record.I would assume once their big 3 gets completely healthy(or are they now?) these statistics will improve.
6.LA Lakers 27-14..This is a team that could either make the playoffs and do damage..slide out to the 8 seed and get bounced...or slide out completely and pick in the lottery...it all depends on Andruw Bynum....hes a real center..which nearly everyone doesnt have..so..if he can come back,and be as effective as he was pre-injury(thats the kicker) they can really do some damage..if everyone can avoid the freak injuries...they'll be fine....I know one thing...I dont want to see Kobe in the playoffs when he has talent..
7.Golden State 26-18..this is the wildcard team...you dont want to see them because they play at Phoenix-like speed,but the difference is that at any point in time the Mike Martz of basketball(Don Nelson sorry) can put out 4 guards and say "run".I think they may be more style than substance though..when the opponent scores 100+ they are 13-18..and thinking about it...the team is built for 100+ games...all in all they are good for entertainment...not much else.
8a.Portland 25-18...I wont go into how much of a surprise team this is...beating a dead horse at this point...but this is a pretty good team,but I(the Portland fan) would expect this team to drop off a bit...the road record isnt so great(8-14)...when they go against good competition its a coinflip basically(12-12)..but there are reasons why they could hang around..they win the close games(3 pts or less,5-0) and when they score 100 they are 13-3..with all that said,I feel this young team will hit a slight wall eventually and slide a bit..and in this conference you cant slide from the bottom.
8b.Utah 25-18..This is the enigmatic team to me of the bunch...they have the star point guard(Deron Williams) the workhorses(Boozer,Millsap and Harpring) the glue guys who do everything(Kirilenko and Brewer) and the shooters(Okur and Korver)....so....whats up?...the road record(7-15) is the glaring issue..but other than that..all the other stats are in line(20-8 scoring 100+,10-8 vs .500 comp)..but yet...theres something missing...I think its the lack of consistent wingplay offensively and in crunch time who do you go to?....Williams can create for himself but he's still learning and its hard to go to any post presence in the closing seconds...so you really cant rely on anyone else for the win....
I hope I cleared up somethings for you...and if not..thats okay
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2 comments:
this is a helluva breakdown...not alot to work with...well done
good job.
i would put phx at a solid #2 (and not 1b) based on defense alone. it's a glaring issue.
also, the stats regarding record against .500+ teams...i think that shouldn't start being recorded until after 10 games have been played. because think, say you play someone your third game, they're off to a 2-0 start. i mean, anyone can do that. it doesn't make them a good team. yet that win will count as against a .500+ team (unless i misunderstand how the stats are calculated)
i don't get denver either. they just seem like they should be so much better. on paper. i think i will call them the Paper Superstars.
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