By JACKSON WANG
Executive Editor
After an exciting NBA All-Star weekend filled with the stardom of Kyrie Irving shining before our eyes, Terrance Ross bringing the Slam Dunk Contest back to life, and Chris Bosh getting embarrassed, the NBA now moves into the second half of its season.
The chase for the playoffs is heating up now with many teams being within a few games of each other in their respective conferences. But with so many well-coached and talented teams this season, a few teams that are just too hot to go home early.
Here are my top five teams you don’t want to see your NBA squad facing in the playoffs:
5. San Antonio Spurs:
Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili are going to carry this group far this season. But not too far because they’re old and fragile, which is why I put them at five. They’re great, the best team in the NBA right, according to their record. That’s why I believe they’ll be a dangerous team. They’ve played together for so long, and they just know where everyone is going to be. Their chemistry is most likely the best in the NBA, which is why they will be a hard team to beat in the playoffs. Plus they have a great coach with Gregg Popovich, who’s in his 17th season in San Antonio.
4. Brooklyn Nets:
Yes, the Brooklyn Nets will be a very strong team come April. They started off slow, playing below .500 and their expectations. But after firing head coach Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo has turned this group around. The Nets have gone 18-8 since firing Johnson. They went into the All-Star break winning two straight and getting another exciting win against the Milwaukee Bucks in their first game of the second half of the season. I see this team continuing using its momentum that Carlesimo has gotten them and launching themselves into the playoffs with home court advantage in the first round.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder:
They’re young, they’re fast, and they’ll run circles around older teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, if Kobe and friends even make the playoffs, and the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder will be another threatening team because their youth will carry them, especially in a seven game series, when the Thunder can rest and heal quicker than most teams. Plus, they have a great scorer in Kevin Durant, putting up nearly 30 points per game, and a rising point guard in Russell Westbrook, who averages about eight assists each contest. If the Thunder still had James Harden, they most likely would have been my number two team. But still, if the Lakers made the playoffs and had to face the Thunder in the first round in Oklahoma City, where the atmosphere is like Cameron Indoor at Duke, Kobe and the gang would be out in five games and hitting the golf course early.
2. Los Angeles Clippers:
The torch has been passed. A new basketball team now sits at the top in Los Angeles. It’s the Clippers time to shine. Just like the Thunder, the Clippers are also young and quick, but I believe they have better veteran leaders in Chauncey Billups and Jamal Crawford to make it deep into the playoffs and possibly battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy. That’s why I put them at number two. This is a team where the sky is the limit with Chris Paul, the best point guard in the game right now, and Blake Griffin, who has improved a lot since last season. Lob City will be the most dangerous team to face in the Western Conference and could see themselves playing basketball in June.
1. Miami Heat:
With one ring on his finger and eyes set on another, LeBron James is the best player in the game right now and playing on the most dangerous team in the NBA. They have speed, strength, size, and leadership in James and Dwyane Wade. After playing two and half seasons together, the big three finally have chemistry. Now with Ray Allen and Shane Battier coming off the bench, the Heat will only continue to improve as the season progresses. In a seven game series, I don’t see team in the Eastern Conference beating the Heat. Any team that takes Miami to six games should consider themselves lucky.
