The Boston Celtics giving LeBron James an unceremonious exit from the postseason, one seemingly unfit for a “king,” may end up changing the landscape of the NBA for the next decade and beyond. With Boston knocking out the Cavs in embarrassing fashion, all the skepticism that had been shown regarding James returning to Cleveland has grown exponentially.
The rumor gaining the most steam seeems to have James heading to Chicago to run with the Bulls alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. He will also be wooed by the glitz and glamour New York can provide, as well as the combined super forces of Jay-Z and Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov to bring some swagger to the New Jersey Nets.
He could also choose the weather and lifestyle of South Beach — that is, of course, only if Dwyane Wade decides to remain with the Heat.
Or he could stay in Cleveland, where he has grown up and elevated to mythical status.
When evaluating his choices, there is one common characteristic between all five of those teams: None of them will be hoisting the NBA championship trophy this June.
So instead of joining the mob of haters and speculators, let’s focus on the four teams who are actually still playing basketball and preview the conference finals.
Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic
Orlando’s offseason was spent re-shuffling its roster to match up with Cleveland in the playoffs.
Oops.
Though they expected to see the Cavs this week, it really hasn’t mattered who has taken the floor against Orlando over the past two months. The Magic are 8-0 so far in the playoffs and have won 27 of their past 30 games. Pretty remarkable.
On the other hand, Boston mailed in the regular season to be healthy now. It turned out to be a good strategy and the team looks like it did during its 2008 championship season, with maybe even more weapons.
Orlando’s Dwight Howard, when able to keep himself on the floor and out of foul trouble, has maintained a dominant all-court game. He won’t have to deal with Shaq, but the Celtics have the bodies to give him problems. Boston center Kendrick Perkins has become one of the top interior defenders in the league and Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace are two of the most clever. The C’s have lots of fouls to throw at Howard, a poor free-throw shooter.
The point guard matchup of Rajon Rondo and Jameer Nelson should be fun to watch. Rondo has become Boston’s best player and toughest guard, plus he is extremely opportunistic defensively. Nelson, who returned to the Orlando lineup after injury, is playing at an All-Star level. He is averaging 20.5 points and 5.3 assists in the playoffs.
Boston’s greatest asset in the Cleveland series turned out to be Garnett, who looked healthy and was creating mismatches with whoever he faced. Orlando will also find it difficult to defend KG if the assignment goes to Rashard Lewis, while putting Howard on him could take the Orlando big man away from the basket and limit his rebounding and shot blocking.
Future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have done everything asked of them and Allen is still a game-changer when his three-point shot is on target.
The Magic will need Vince Carter to not only make big shots, but understand he must continue to be aggressive. When Carter is passive and settling for long-range jumpers, Orlando is beatable by a team playing as well as Boston. If he can put together 4-5 strong games and average 20 points in the series, the Magic have the upper hand.
As great a coach as Stan Van Gundy is, I’m not sure how he’ll defend Rondo and Garnett. If the Celtics play close too as well as they did against Cleveland, they are heading back to the finals.
The pick: Celtics in six.
Western Conference Finals: Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers
As beatable as the Lakers looked in their first-round series against the Thunder, they were that dominant in their sweep of the Jazz. L.A. has the best combination of size and skill in the league, which will be difficult for Phoenix to counter.
The Suns got the first monkey off their back by finally dispatching of the Spurs, doing so with a very impressive sweep. The other monkey still latching on is getting to the finals with the core duo of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire.
The Suns’ best asset it their chemistry. A team that likes each other and gets along can overcome issues a talented but dysfunctional team can not.
Phoenix is back to playing a faster tempo, though it has become a better defensive team than any previous Nash-led squad.
Phoenix has four legitimate three-point threats in Nash, Jason Richardson, Channing Frye and Jared Dudley. Those guys will need to shoot a high percentage for the Suns to have a realistic chance of overcoming the Lakers’ size.
Besides Kobe Bryant, who was deadly in the Utah series, L.A. can throw a frontcourt of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum at Phoenix. All three guys are capable of putting up double-doubles and none of them has a natural defender on Phoenix.
Stoudemire has never been a good defensive player, though he is improving. Frye is not a physical post player and Dudley, though a defensive hound, is undersized.
The Suns’ Grant Hill is playing some of the best ball of his career and could be an x-factor, as his experience and savvy play will be important if he gets the Kobe assignment.
Injured center Robin Lopez, who has not played in the playoffs, could swing this series if he is able to hit the court fully healthy. A well above average defender and rebounder, the team began to come together when he began to get true starter’s minutes.
He is expected to start Game 1, which is bad news for Bynum. The Lakers’ big man could become muted due to Lopez’s activity and energy.
To me, this series is all about the first game. If Phoenix can come out and give L.A. a challenge on its home court, with Lopez effective and playing big minutes, this sets up to be a long series. If Lopez is still working his way back and the Lakers are able to get to the rim, while forcing Phoenix to hit from the outside, L.A. should be primed for a title shot.
I can’t believe Lopez will be ready to do what he is capable of just yet, while the Lakers’ combination of size and Kobe has me leaning their way.
The Pick: Lakers in five.
