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Yes, I detest the All-Star game and haven't watched it in years and I don't usually read the All-Star pick columns either.  Still, I can't deny there is some appeal to chew the scenery on the process.  So here's my take on this year's voting:  East Starters Guards, Dwyane Wade and Jason Kidd: It's always funny that the writers and the coaches seem to detest rewarding good players on bad teams.  I understand the syllogism: good player = good team, therefore, bad team = bad player, or at the … [Read more...] about All-Star Analysis

If you had to pick the surprise good teams of the first two months of the season, Portland, New Orleans, and the Lakers are the three teams that are really outperforming expectations.  Yes, the Celtics are probably the most outperforming so far, but I don't anyone really expected any of other three teams to break .500, let alone be on paces to break 50 wins.  How realistic is it that any of these three team can keep this pace?  First off, here are their current records and point … [Read more...] about Surprise Squads So Far

In this early season, we always look at the surprise teams, both good and bad.  It's always nice to see a team become great out of nowhere.  Going from the lottery to contention in a one-year period is fun but rare.  Like the 2007-08 Celtics, the exceptions to the rule are usually memorable (e.g., 2001-02 Nets, 2004-05 Suns).  Even intermediate change is rare.  We see that this year that some other younger teams in Atlanta and New Orleans are also poking their heads into the playoff picture.  … [Read more...] about Playoff Turnover

The first full month is in the books. I’m going to look at what a teams’ conference rank on 11/30 has historically meant and what it means for teams in 2007-08. Here’s a look at each seed at the end of play on November 30th and how well they’ve continued to play. This table goes back to the 1983-84 season, when the current 16-team playoff format began. The column on the left is the team rank on 11/30. The row across the top indicates the final standings. The numbers in the chart show … [Read more...] about What November Means

Although the season has just begun, there are, with apologies to certain former U.S. president, a few truths that have become self-evident.  Here are five very early season stories that created some buzz, at least within this author’s mind. 1. The Celtics are really that good With Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce leading the way the Celtics leap to a 3-0 start and a ridiculous 16.3 margin of victory per game.  Assuming health, this team is clearly for real.  But with just … [Read more...] about A Few Things We Learned This First Week

Who wins the Most Improved Players award? Typically it’s scorers. The winner has usually upped his scoring average by at least 7 PPG to the high teens or low 20s. The winner also tends to be a younger player, in his 2nd or 3rd season. Team success and position played have little to do with who wins this award. This award has been somewhat of a surprise the last 3 seasons, with few experts having spotted winners Simmons, Diaw and Ellis. Any player whose season has a “whoa, where did … [Read more...] about NBA Preview 2007-08: Most Improved Player