With the Denver Nuggets’ upset victory over the Pacific Division leading Sacramento Kings, coupled with the overachieving Utah Jazz’s defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves (Current Western Conference leaders), The NBA's playoffs cast has been completed with the Nuggets taking the last bus to the postseason.
Just before this season started, I scanned the lineups of all 29 teams, analyzed all the players and coaches movements, and reviewed the results of the previous season to come up with my own predictions as to which 16 teams I thought would survive the regular season and move on to the playoffs.
My Final Result: 12 out of 16. Not bad, huh? Well, if I had gotten a perfect or a near-perfect score, I would have probably rushed to the nearest lottery outlet and rode on my momentum. Still, it can be argued that at least half of those 12 teams were practically no-brainers, but hey, a prediction is a prediction, no matter how obvious it may seem.
Following are the teams that I predicted would make it to the playoffs but did not:
1. Orlando Magic - Don’t blame me, especially after a good season last year where they came within a win short of upsetting the then Eastern Conference top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. They have the league’s leading scorer in Tracy McGrady, they have a prize free agent pick-up in Juwan Howard, and rumor had it that somewhere in the middle of the season, Grant Hill would be able to come out of the injured list. Who would’ve thought that they’d end up with the league’s worst record? How clueless could I get?
2. Philadelphia 76ers - Allen Iverson and Glenn Robinson were supposed to team up to lead the Sixers to the playoffs. Unfortunately, I think the team went through a rocky season with injuries and internal issues. They changed coaches twice (during the off-season and once more in the middle of the season), and had that ugly controversy where Iverson refused to play in a game after coach Chris Ford suggested that he come off the bench (it was his first game back from an injury) instead of taking his usual role as a starter.
3. Phoenix Suns - Just like the Magic, all the promise that they showed last season was laid to waste this year. They had a very slow start and failed to recover. Definitely, I was not alone in thinking that the trio of 2003 Rookie of the year Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Stephon Marbury (traded out to the New York Knicks during the season) were capable of leading them to the playoffs despite the presence of powerhouse teams in the Western Conference. We were wrong. The suns did not rise at all this season.
4. Portland Trailblazers - Will miss the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. Just like the Sixers, were rocked by internal issues. They got over those issues mainly by trading away Bonzi Wells and Rasheed Wallace, then made a late season run and almost made it. Together with the Jazz, they were the last teams to get cut from the postseason.
And the teams that I predicted would land up in the lottery but are instead heading to the playoffs:
1. Milwaukee Bucks - Got to admit, I didn’t see this one coming, Michael Redd being All-star caliber and leading the Bucks to the postseason. Apparently, Redd was just taking his sweet time playing behind the likes of Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, Gary Payton and waiting for his time to shine. Well, that time has come and he is now considered as one of the deadliest scorers in the league today.
2. Miami Heat - At the start of the season, it seemed that the Heat would justify my snub when they opened the season with 7 straight losses. But they have caught up since. Lamar Odom has been palying solidly of late, and freshman Dwayne Wade has reminded everybody that the rookie class of 2004 is more than just LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
3. Memphis Grizzlies - They are headed to the playoffs for the first time ever in franchise history. 71-year old Coach Hubie Brown is doing wonders in producing one of the biggest turnaround story this year. Last season, the Grizzlies coughed up a measly 28-54 win-loss record. This year, they already have 50 wins with still 2 games remaining in their schedule. I’ve also noticed that among the 8 teams with at least 50 wins, they are the only one who is without an all-star player. This could be testament to either the solid play of their entire 10-man deep rotation (i.e. no stars, just players working hard), or the fact that they were underrated.
4. Denver Nuggets - No it wasn’t just rookie sensation Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets were more than that. They played great at the beginning of the year. And though they stumbled a bit after the all-star break, they were able to build on the strong start to fend off the late season charge of both the Jazz and the Blazers.
Congratulations to these teams.
And since we’re at it, kudos should also go to coach Jerry Sloan and his Utah Jazz. Even though they failed to make the playoffs, they had a remarkable season. Really, how many teams would have been able to withstand losing their two best players in franchise history (John Stockton and Karl Malone), and on top of that, have their would-be top offensive option (Matt Harpring) go down with a season-ending injury very early in the campaign, and still manage to make a serious run at the playoffs? When the season began, they were seeded so low that some so-called experts even went as far as predicting that they will not manage to get ten victories this year. However, leaning on lanky forward Andrei Kirilenko (who has blossomed into All-star status this year), The Jazz shocked nearly everyone by surpassing 40 wins and will finish with a win-loss record above 0.500. It is no surprise then that Sloan is being strongly considered for Coach of the year honors.
Next up, predictions for the playoffs. When the seedings get finalized of course.
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