Road to NBA Finials brings excitement for fans

by Jerrod Carr, staff writer

 

For many basketball fans, this is the year to watch the Western Conference in the NBA. 

While activities in the Eastern Conference are slow and the Boston Celtics are clearly the front runners to play in the finals, the team to represent the West is not so clear.  There are many contenders in the West who have all of the right ingredients to make it to the finals.  The ingredients necessary are a good offense with several leaders who can step up in critical moments, a defense that can slow down even the most potent offense and create turnovers, a bench that can support your starters and still be productive on the court, and finally, a coach who has experience and can draw up a play when it matters most. 

Who are the teams in the Western Conference that have a chance to make a run for the Finals?  Anyone could easily make a case for six of the eight teams that will make the playoffs, thus making it hard to narrow it down to only one.  So I will narrow it down to the four teams that I believe have the best chance to make it to the Finals.

The first team that has a legitimate chance, and probably the greatest chance, is the San Antonio Spurs.  The Spurs are not only the reigning champions, but they have something to prove.  As many sports fans know, the Spurs are the oldest team in the league.  But while being the oldest team, they have knocked out many of the young, more athletic teams.  Therefore, winning consecutive championships would only add to their legend. 

But more importantly, the Spurs have the four factors I see necessary to win a championship.  The Spurs have several leaders in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, who can all step up and make the big plays when they are needed most.  The Spurs also have one of the perennial defenses in the league, holding teams well under their average number of points per game, and forcing turnovers.  In addition, the Spurs have a strong bench, supported by Brent Barry, Ginobli and Ime Udoka.  Finally, the Spurs have one of the greatest coaches in the NBA in Gregg Popovich.  Popovich has not only coached the team for more than a decade, he has led the Spurs to four NBA championships in nine years.  What is to stop Popovich from getting another? 

The next team on my list is the Phoenix Suns.  The Phoenix Suns have a high-caliber offense that can make even the greatest defense look ridiculous.  They have stars including Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal and Amare Stoudemire.  While the Suns’ defense is nowhere near the caliber of the Spurs, they have an above-average defense that might not stop you cold, but can slow you down enough so the offense can outscore you. 

Not only do the Suns have a great starting lineup, but they have a bench that could easily be considered one of the best in the league.  With players such as Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw and Gordan Giricek, not only do you have some speed and power, but you have some exceptional shooters.  Mike D’Antoni isn’t the coach that Gregg Popovich is, but he knows his team, and he knows the game of basketball.  If you know those two factors, you can pose quite a threat. 

The next team I have in the top four is the Los Angeles Lakers.  At the beginning of the season, no one expected the Lakers to be where they are today.  But with a little money and a surprising trade, anything can happen. 

The Lakers have stars such as Kobe Bryant, Pao Gasol and Derek Fisher, two of whom have played in the Finals in the past and know the ropes well.  With these All-Stars, you have a bench that isn’t quite as stellar as the Suns, but quite impressive, none the less.  Players to watch are Rodney Turiaf, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic.  On offense, the Lakers are almost as potent as the Phoenix Suns.  With leaders such as Bryant and Gasol, big plays are going to happen. 

Finally, the key point and advantage the Lakers have in my mind is their coach Phil Jackson.  Jackson coached the “Jordan Era” Bulls, and he’s the coach who had six championships before he went to Los Angeles and added three more.  There is no argument that Jackson is a great coach and poses as great a threat as any of his players. 

The final team I have as a major threat to make a run for the Finals is the Houston Rockets.  Many thought that with the injury to Yao Ming, the Rockets’ hope of getting to the Finals, much less the playoffs, was gone.  However, the Rockets pulled together and created a 22-game winning streak.  Not even the “Jordan Era” Bulls did that. 

With leaders such as Tracy McGrady and defensive powerhouse Shane Battier, the Rockets have a legitimate chance.  While the other three teams I’ve mentioned have several major stars, the bench of the Rockets is what really makes them a major threat.  When a team is down and the starters are worn out, it is good to know that there’s a bench that can step in and fill the shoes of the starters and still be productive.  That is what the Rockets’ bench is capable of.  Also, with a great team comes a great coach. In the 17 seasons Rick Adelman has been a head coach, he has only had only two losing seasons.  That is impressive. 

While these are the four teams I believe have the greatest chance, the remaining four are just as threatening. 

The Utah Jazz have some great stars in Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, and they have a legendary coach in Jerry Sloan.  While the Jazz did make it to the Conference Finals last year and showed tremendous potential, I just have a gut feeling that they won’t make it all the way.

The only other team I feel that deserves mentioning is the New Orleans Hornets.  The Hornets are a feel-good story of the NBA season this year.  No one expected the Hornets to hold a top-three seed in the West and do as well as they have done. 

While the Hornets have all the necessary keys to make it to the Finals, they lack the most important key of all, and that is experience.  Sure, the Hornets have won the most games in the West.  But when playoff time comes around, the game becomes more intense and there is a lot more on the line.  So the lack of experience is what I believe will ultimately ruin the Hornets’ fairytale season. 

At the end of the day, and at the end of the season, there will be only one champion.  Who that champion is remains to be seen.  But the one guarantee that I can put on the table is that the battle in the Wild West is going to be a showdown like no other.