The 82-game marathon known as the NBA regular season is finally over. The playoffs have started and we're staring at another Spurs/Pistons series right in the face.
In fact, the heated debate over who is the league's Most Valuable Player is more entertaining than any debate over which team wins the title. If the championship goes to anyone other than San Antonio or Detroit, it will be an upset. But the MVP award could go to any of seven guys who are all deserving. But I'll get back to the that later.
There have been some surprises this season, but overall, things went according to form. No one should be shocked that the Pistons and Spurs are on top of their respective conferences. And realistically, no one would have picked against any of the six division winners before the season.
I have some thoughts on the playoffs and the postseason awards, but before we look forward, let's look back at the 2005-06 NBA season that was.
Top 10 Storylines of 2005-06
10) The Tights
What in the hell is going on here? I think Kobe Bryant started this mess, although I also heard that it was Jerry Stackhouse a few years ago, and then it spread like the plague. All of sudden, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Webber, half the Milwaukee Bucks, and others were spotted sporting tights. I'm no doctor, but there are supposed to be health benefits to wearing them. We'll find out next year when the NBA will require a doctor's note from those who wear the tights.
9) The Dress Code
This might have been a lot higher on the list if any players had seriously violated it. Unfortunately, no one did and the offseason excitement that stole headlines in October fizzled by the end of November.
8) Disappointments in Philly and Houston
Some disappointing teams underachieve and others have injury problems. The Philadelphia 76ers underachieved. The Houston Rockets had injury problems.
The Sixers have an MVP candidate in Allen Iverson, a 20-10 big man in Chris Webber, and a rising star in Andre Iguodala. So what went wrong? I don't know, but I'll bet it had something to do with Chris Webber. His best days are behind him. Webber's career peaked sometime around 2001-02 with Sacramento. Those days are over and I wouldn't look for C-Webb to make an impact anywhere else. He puts up roughly the same numbers every year, whether or not his team is any good. He needs quality teammates that complement his game. So does Iverson, for that matter. Look for offseason changes in Philly.
As for Houston:
Record with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming in lineup: 21-10
Record in other games: 13-38
T-Mac's back injury is a constant concern. Remember when he and Yao were supposed to be the next Kobe and Shaq? Maybe next year.
7) Biggest Surprise: Defense in Dallas
The Dallas Mavericks finally figured out how to play some defense. For most of the Mark Cuban-era, the Mavs have been an upper-echelon NBA team that disappoints in the playoffs. This has been due to a lack of defense. Entering this season, it looked like another high-scoring, no-defense squad in Dallas. Instead, they stepped it up defensively, thanks to head coach Avery Johnson, and perhaps added their name to the short list of title contenders.
6) The Slam Dunk Contest
It was just terrible. Andre Iguodala was robbed and watching Nate Robinson miss dunk after dunk made us all cringe a little.
5) The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
When I first heard that the Hornets would play their home games in Oklahoma City, I was stunned. As far as I knew, OKC was a minor league baseball town. But the fans came out in droves to support the Hornets and gave them one of the best home court advantages in the league. Throw in an exciting rookie in Chris Paul and all of a sudden the bush league baseball town turned into a major league NBA city. Despite missing the playoffs, it was a good season for the Hornets from a strictly basketball standpoint.
4) Stevie Franchise and Shaq Take a Step Back
Steve Francis averaged career lows in points, assists, and steals. He also got traded to the New York Knicks, which can only hurt his career at this point. He wasn't working out in Orlando and could have had a fresh start on a new team. Unfortunately that team is the train wreck known as the Knicks and Francis had to share playing time with Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, and Nate Robinson. There is no way that New York can bring all four of those guys back next year.
Shaquille O'Neal regressed a little, as well. I used to think of the MVP award as the "best player other than Shaq" award. It seemed like what O'Neal did on the court was expected. Sure, he was an unstoppable force, but he was supposed to be. Other guys got rewarded for extraordinary seasons while the Diesel just went about his business of putting up huge numbers.
This season, however, is much different. Shaq is good, and probably has some greatness left in him, but he is not the monster he used to be. His 20 points per game is the lowest average of his career and this is also the first season in which he did not average double-digit rebounds per game. Shaq's had a strong start to the playoffs, but it looks like age is catching up with the big fella.
3) Carmelo Anthony Takes a Step Forward
There are a bunch of guys who improved their game this year. I like the progress that Dwight Howard made. I also think Paul Pierce, Yao Ming, and Elton Brand showed that they can be elite players in this league. But 'Melo took the biggest step forward.
His scoring numbers are way up from a year ago. He is the best player on a pretty good Nuggets team. He averaged 26.5 points per game this year, compared to around 21 in each of his previous 2 seasons. His shooting percentage went from 43% to 48% and his turnovers are down. Despite a rough start to the playoffs, it's been a very nice season all around from Anthony.
2) The New York Knickerbockers
What can I say about Larry Brown's team that hasn't already been said? From Isiah Thomas to "Starbury," the whole thing is just a mess. With a payroll of about $120 million, the Knicks spent around $5 million per victory. Yikes.
1) The MVP Race
As I previously stated, this is the first year in a while where I didn't feel like Shaq deserved the award. And since he is out of contention, the field is wide open. If I had a vote, it would go to Steve Nash. He makes average players good and good players great. And his team won a division that included four Western Conference playoff teams.
However, the only players who have ever won the MVP award two years in a row are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell. I believe Nash will be penalized for winning last year. Voters will be hesitant to add Steve Nash to this exclusive list of legends.
Therefore, it looks like a two-horse race between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. With all due respect to Elton Brand, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chauncey Billups, Kobe and LeBron have separated themselves from the pack. Considering that Bryant did more with less, I believe he will win the award.
LeBron's numbers are impressive, but he played in the Eastern Conference and had Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, and Eric Snow on his team. Kobe took a Western Conference team with Smush Parker as its third best player to the playoffs. That's a bigger feat than anything LeBron did this year. Kobe also broke 60 twice this year.
Other Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year: Avery Johnson
On Tuesday this was made official and there's no one more deserving. He taught the Mavericks how to play defense. He realized that the talent in Dallas had been underachieving because they couldn't defend. All that changed this year and Johnson is the reason.
Rookie of the Year: Chris Paul
There is no contest here. Paul wins in a landslide. I also like what Charlie Villanueva did this year. Toronto's front line of Chris Bosh and Villanueva will be lethal for many years to come.
Sixth Man Award: Mike Miller
He has strong numbers all around — 13 points per game, 47% shooting from the field, and 40% from the three-point line. Also, I can't come up with anyone else. Maybe Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but Sacramento just barely made the playoffs while Miller and Memphis have been solid all year.
Most Improved Player: Mike James
I think this category has the least to do with the team's overall performance. I like what Mike James did this year. He nearly doubled his career average in points per game, finishing at 20.3. He also averaged career highs in assists and rebounds. His shooting percentages are way up across the board as well. It was just a superb season for James.
Defensive Player of the Year: Bruce Bowen
Or Ben Wallace. Whatever.
Playoff Predictions
NBA Finals: Detroit over San Antonio in seven games
If I could choose, I would like to see the Suns vs. the Nets in the Finals — or the Lakers vs. Heat, or the Mavericks vs. the Cavs. Really, almost anything except the Spurs and Pistons. But I don't expect anything else. It is team basketball that wins in the playoffs, and these are the two best teams in the league on both ends of the court.
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