A midseason review of the 2007-2008 NBA

As the basketball season is entering the midway point there have been some surprises that have made their way to the top and some let downs that have depressed entire cities. In the East we have new top dogs in position to make a run for the title. The expected-to-be-great Boston Celtics have been great as we are nearing the All-Star break. The big three are all putting up numbers that would satisfy any coach and their record has reflected all of their hard work. The Celtics have been the number one team in the East since opening night of the season and that fact doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. Following them closely are the Detroit Pistons who have now proved that they will be a top team in the NBA every season. The boys in Motown have another solid starting rotation and coach Flip Saunders has been putting more trust in his bench a lot more lately. If the Pistons play their best basketball any combination of starters and bench players will be devastating for opponents. The remaining teams that have been showing they will not give up without a fight have been those the likes of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic and Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. The Miami Heat are undoubtedly the most disappointing team this year dragging themselves through the injury-plagued mud that is the last place in the Eastern Conference.

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The NBA’s Western Conference has beefed up and become one of the toughest roads to the playoffs in NBA history. It is possible that we may see multiple teams acquire a 45-50 win season and still be snubbed out of a definite spot if in the East. The defending champion San Antonio Spurs are among the league’s elite, although faltering a little as of late. The Dallas Mavericks seem like they are out for revenge after their postseason meltdown. Dirk has thrown the Mav crew on his back and they are making a push for the best record in the West. The third lone star city, Houston, has been doing nothing more than teetering along, but with the hope for a healthy, ring-desiring T-Mac, they might have their shot at becoming the next Cinderella team coming down the stretch. Fans know Phoenix and the high-flying Suns have been one of the top three teams all year but it won’t be until the postseason where we get to see how good this team is really is. Steve Nash and his superb starting lineup theoretically have one of the best teams in the NBA and with Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion playing like they should, I see no one beating them easily. There may be some debate, with all due respect to the Trailblazers and the job they have done to turn around that franchise in Portland, but the surprise of the year award must be handed to the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets have a charismatic and exciting young player by the name of Chris Paul who has been developing into a masterful player at his position, even at the ripe age of 22. With the addition of Tyson Chandler the Hornets have found a new life and they are not thinking about their recently difficult past. The best and worst of the NBA have given us something to cheer for all season and we can do nothing but expect more of it after the All-Star break.

by Ja-Quan Greene
ProBasketball-fans.com Staff Writer

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