NBA Western Conference Preview

As promised here is the NBA Western Conference Preview. Almost always the stronger conference, the West will again be dominant in 2011-12 and that's because of veteran teams like the Spurs and Lakers that are experienced in the playoffs and young teams such as the Thunder and Clippers that demand viewers' attention. Also, let us not forget that the Dallas Mavericks have assembled a team that could have the potential to repeat. I would say there is no clear cut favorite out West and as many as five or six teams have a legitimate shot to represent the conference in the Finals. Here are my picks:

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

2. Dallas Mavericks

3. Los Angeles Lakers

4. Denver Nuggets

5. San Antonio Spurs

6. Los Angeles Clippers

7. Portland Trail Blazers

8. Memphis Grizzlies

9. Utah Jazz

10. Golden State Warriors

11. Minnesota Timberwolves

12. Houston Rockets

13. Phoenix Suns

14. New Orleans Hornets
15. Sacramento Kings

Teams to Watch

Dallas Mavericks: Always keep an eye on the defending champs in any sports and the Mavs are no different. They lost some pieces to the puzzle from a season ago such as J.J. Barea, Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler but they were able to add Lamar Odom, Vince Carter and Delonte West. The supporting cast is what will propel the Mavs through the playoffs. Carter, West, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood all bring experience and multiple talents to a deep roster. Dirk Nowitzki had a fabulous playoffs and if he, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry don't show their age this year, Mark Cuban and the Mavs could be hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy again.

Los Angeles Clippers: This is new territory for the Clippers franchise. They are actually a hyped up team with tremendous expectations. And why not? They made the HUGE trade that brought the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul, to LA and signed two veteran role players with Finals experience in Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler. Throw in the freakishly athletic inside duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and "Lob City" might be the most exciting television this season. Still, how high can expectations be for a franchise that has never been a winner? In their preseason games the Clips looked good but they aren't deep in the post and their bench is very young. Either way the Clippers are finally relevant and that will create some exciting storylines throughout the season.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Maybe the T'Wolves won't receive that much press, but mark my words, they will be a contender in a few short years. Start with Kevin Love, a double-double machine. He is the star this organization needs and he is consistent. Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams (2nd overall pick) will also be in the frontcourt. If Darko Milicic and Brad Miller can just give Minnesota steady play they will be fine. Gone is Jonny Flynn and in is Ricky Rubio at point. The T'Wolves finally got their man and America will soon find out if he is all he's hyped up to be. He and Wes Johnson will team up in the backcourt and J.J. Barea and Wayne Ellington will come off the bench. This team has serious potential but won't win quite yet due to youth. However, don't sleep on them.

Los Angeles Lakers: Everyone is down on the Lake Show after the Chris Paul trade fiasco that ended up with Lamar Odom in Dallas and Paul in the wrong locker room at the Staples Center. Now, LA will have to move on with it's core group of stars led by Kobe Bryant. Pau Gasol, who was nearly dealt to Houston, is back in a Lakers uniform and says he is fine, despite the trade rumors. LA needs Gasol to have a monster year with no Odom and little production expected from the bench. Maybe even more important will be the play of Andrew Bynum. His potential is great but his knees have to hold up for LA to play deep into the playoffs. I expect the Lakers to still be a good team but don't be surprised if they drop off a little bit.

Players to Watch

Paul (center) with new teammates Griffin and Billups

Chris Paul: The man who has caused the most commotion this offseason will finally be able to just play ball on Christmas Day. He should have a terrific year, benefitting from the athleticism of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan along with the veteran play of Chauncey Billups. CP3 is the best point guard in the league and continues to prove it. This year he could put up his best numbers yet and people are expecting something great from him in LA.

Kevin Durant: Here is my pick for the MVP this season. The Durantula has emerged as the best scorer in the NBA and he should lead his team to a Western Conference championship for the first time. He has talented teammates at every position which allows him to do his thing without double teams coming his way every night. He has already been a scoring champion and I expect he will be again this season. With his size and his ability to shoot he may be the hardest to guard in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant: For the first time in a long time Kobe Bryant isn't the most talked about basketball player in Los Angeles, California. People seem to have pushed the Lakers and Bryant to the side for Chris Paul and the Clippers but don't forget about Kobe. He is the best player in the league and for those who say he is too old to be the "old Kobe" why don't you check his numbers from last season. His 25, 5, 4 averages match his career numbers and indicates that we haven't seen the last of Kobe.

Western Conference Rookies to Watch
Derrick Williams, forward, Minnesota Timberwolves (2nd overall pick)

Enes Kanter, forward, Utah Jazz (3rd overall)

Jimmer Fredette, guard, Sacramento Kings (10th overall)

The West is always deep and this year is no different. I will predict the Oklahoma City Thunder to defeat the Dallas Mavericks for the Western crown but, in reality, there are six teams that have the potential to play in the Finals. It all starts tomorrow and the NBA is right in saying that we should expect BIG things.

Dirk Leads Dallas to First NBA Championship

One player left the floor a few seconds early to escape the crowd because he was overcome with the emotion of victory. The other player left the floor immediately after the buzzer, head down and the look of defeat spread across his forlorn face. It was polar opposites between the two biggest stars of the NBA Finals as Dirk Nowitzki needed a moment after his Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in Game 6, 105-95. On the other bench, LeBron James was foiled again and took the long, quiet walk back to the locker room knowing that he once again was second place. Where did it go wrong for the Heat? That's debatable but one thing that isn't is Dirk's greatness. With a championship under his belt he has cemented his status as one of the best players to ever play the game while LeBron continues to struggle under the microscope he has put himself under.

Dirk Nowitzki put on a clinic the entire playoffs and when he came under the weather during the Finals he still performed well. In Game 6 he was 1-12 shooting for the first half which was so un-Dirk-like that it seemed there was no way the Mavs could win. However, Jason Terry brought his jumper and kept Dallas in the game and in the second half we saw the Dirk we all know and love. It was clear that Terry and Nowitzki were on a mission to get their rings and not have a repeat of the 2006 collapse in which they lost four straight to Miami after going up 2-0. This was a totally different Mavs team and three key pieces that weren't there in '06 helped win the title. First, Jason Kidd has showed that he still can play as he climbs up in years. While he isn't as quick anymore and the dazzling plays become less and less, Kidd is a steady point guard and one of the greatest point guards ever. He will someday be in the Hall of Fame and he can now add a ring to his resume after two failed attempts with the New Jersey Nets. The experienced floor general found the open man and came up with timely steals throughout the playoffs. His backup, J.J. Barea, was also a big factor for Dallas with his quickness and his shooting. The undersized Barea averaged nine points and three assists in the postseason and irritated teams with his drives to the hoop. Tyson Chandler was perhaps the most important piece to the puzzle as he supplied muscle, athleticism and size in the post. He grabbed boards and blocked shots, but maybe the best thing he did was keep possessions alive with his tip outs off of misses.

For the Heat, they will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong. They should take a piece out of Dallas' book and try to find a veteran point guard who doesn't need to score and they need a more reliable center. Joel Anthony did nice things but at the end of the day he is an energy guy who comes off the bench. Chris Bosh stepped up his game in the postseason and, for the most part, quieted his critics but he will need to find consistency in the offense next season. The point guard position is the main problem for Miami as they recycled players through that position. Sometimes it was Carlos Arroyo, other times it was Mike Bibby and then other times it was Mario Chalmers. Somebody has to be brought in or a current Heat player needs to step up and accept the role if Miami is to win as many championships as they have promised to their fans. Lastly, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have to figure out how to play together. At times they look fabulous sharing the ball and feeding off of each other but other times they are too unselfish. A prime example would be the fourth quarter of Game 6 when the ball was passed around like a hot potato because nobody wanted to take the shot. That problem has to be solved or one of them will have to hit the road.

Dwyane Wade

Obviously criticism has already come the Heat's way as it should. There are no excuses for the way they performed, especially late in games. LeBron was particularly awful with an average of only 2.2 points in the fourth quarter of the Finals. That simply can not happen when he is supposed to be the closer. However, if he is not getting the job done then Erik Spoelstra needs to bench him. Last night he came out of the game and the Heat took the lead midway through the 2nd quarter. It was the perfect scenario for them because it looked as if they would open up a big lead before the half. And then....LeBron came in and the Mavs regained the lead before the half. The stats don't lie from last night: the Miami Heat played better when LeBron James wasn't on the floor. Something had to be wrong with him in the series because he wasn't the same player. In the Chicago series he was the closer and took the big shots but he was M.I.A. in the fourth quarter of the Finals. Rarely was LeBron good at the end of games and next year the ball needs to be in DWade's hands come crunch time.

Was the season a total failure for the Heat? I don't think so but I do think it was a partial failure. They may not have had the right pieces but they were certainly good enough to win the title. But give Dallas credit, they played phenomenal basketball and it's nice to see them win after so many years of heartbreak. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd can now put a ring on it after all these years and the Mavs have a great team that works together and plays hard. Those are qualities of a team that can be a dynasty if they perform how they are capable.

Dirk Cements His Legacy

Well congratulations Dirk, you’re officially the most loved player in the NBA. Why? Because you sent the Heat, as well as the whole city of Miami, a reality check. But was it simply one city that was affected by Dirk’s recent Finals victory? The League, players, and fans can all learn from how Dirk went about winning his first ring.

He was labeled as being a soft player, he lost to the Miami Heat in his first Finals appearance, and he lost literally every teammate from that Finals team with the exception of Jason Terry. Yet Dirk took it upon himself to get better and improve his game. He became a better off-the-ball player on offense, he developed a post-game, and he developed a true leadership role. When Jason Terry left Mario Chalmers wide open for that baseline three that tied the game in Game 2, Dirk got in his face and let him hear it. He then proceeded to win the game with his left hand, which was sporting an injured finger. After dropping Game 3, Dirk once again had late game heroics and had the game winning bucket, this time with his right hand.

Dirk took charge and led the team by himself. He was even bold enough to say in a press conference that he needed more support from his teammates. Not to let their leader down, the bench as well as other starters stepped up in the next few games. Tyson Chandler cleaned the glass like Windex, Jason Terry embarrassed the Heat defense by continually burying jump shots, and Jason Kidd stepped up for a few clutch threes down the stretch. His teammates respected him and played solely for the reason of getting Dirk his first ring; Jason Kidd, who had been in the Finals twice before, even said that he wanted to win for Dirk, not himself. Dirk Nowitzki gained their trust and failed only one out of three times to make the go-ahead shot in the NBA Finals.

Another reason you can’t help but respect the German 7-footer is because the man never asked out of Dallas. Even when he was left playing with scrubs like Tony Delk and Eric Dampier, Dirk stayed right at home. MJ never asked out of Chicago when they were awful at the beginning of his career, and Kobe never left Los Angeles when his starting power forward was Chris Mihm and Smush Parker was his point guard. Alongside those two, Dirk is a superstar that decided to endure criticism and do things the hard way, we all know LeBron James can’t say the second part.

Ten-time All-Star, one-time NBA MVP, NBA champion, and a Finals MVP; Dirk has cemented the legacy he’s been trying to leave since he entered the league. He’s never even wanted to leave Dallas, he worked harder than nearly every other player in the league to achieve his goal, and he delivered in the clutch. Dirk Nowitzki has silenced the critics and proved that hard work is how you succeed. Congratulations Dirk, you’ve earned it.