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Buzz Roundtable: The NBA Stretch Drive Begins

Its been a while, but The “Buzz”: Basketball Roundtable is back.  We are ready for the NBA Stretch Drive and as always we pose several basketball related questions to our panel of life-long NBA fans for their candid opinions. We invite anyone to participate by answering the same questions in the “Comments” section at the bottom of this article. In this edition, our panel consists of our LWOS basketball experts Liam McWade (@LiamMcWade), Matt Fish (@afishcalledMatt), Jeff Hall (@lwosJeff) and Sean Mallers (@LastWordSean).

 

1) Indiana and Miami are clearly the best two teams in the Eastern conference. Who will finish  first and how much does home court mean for what seems to be the inevitable Eastern Conference Finals matchup?

Liam McWade: This has been the most interesting matchups of the season in the Eastern Conference. The teams have played each other twice this season, each winning at home. On home court, each team is nearly unbeatable. Home court will be essential in the Eastern Finals with the winner being the team that has it. Indiana currently leads the East by a slim margin, and considering they have a slightly easier schedule remaining, I’m giving them the edge to win the East.

Matt Fish:  Indiana will most likely finish first based on comparative strength of schedule; Miami has outstanding games against some of West’s elite (Houston, Portland and Memphis to name a few), whereas Indiana gets more face time against the East’s bottom-feeders. However, Indiana was only fifteenth overall in attendance last year, and word on the street is that number hasn’t improved much this season. So, even if they get the top seed in the Eastern Conference, it guarantees nothing in my mind.

Jeff Hall: Miami should pull ahead.  These two play each other twice down the stretch and Miami knows if they don’t get home court advantage this year they are in some trouble.  With Indiana putting so much importance on getting the number 1 seed this year, Miami knows that if they can usurp them for the top spot, a sense of doubt will creep in for the Pacers.

Sean Mallers: Three things are inevitable in life: Death, taxes, and Indian and Miami playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year the #1 seed played crucial as Miami got to play game 7 at home, and it really played in their favor. The Pacers are very vocal about the importance of the #1 seed, and they certainly have the pieces to do it. But, this Miami team is really hitting a groove, and, most importantly, D-Wade is finally at full strength. When Wade is healthy, Miami is the best team in the world. If Wade stays healthy, Miami gets the 1 seed and the trip to the finals.

 

2) Can you give me one team as a darkhorse who could upset that plan and knock off the Heat or Pacers in the first or second round. Who are they and why do they have a shot to stop what seems like destiny to almost everyone?

Liam: It’s hard to think that any team will upset either the Heat or the Pacers in the playoffs. The Pacers haven’t had many problems with Eastern teams as most of their loses are at the hands of Western Conference teams. The Heat are a different story, struggling on occasion with Eastern teams. Even though I don’t see either team being upset, I can see Brooklyn giving Miami a run for their money (they are 2-0 against the Heat this season) and I can see Chicago making it interesting against the Pacers.

Matt Fish: So much depends on the injury situation when the playoffs start, since as we’ve seen with the Thunder in recent years, it can make or break a team’s playoff run. That being said, assuming everything is kosher health-wise, keep an eye on the Chicago Bulls. Despite losing Derrick Rose for an indeterminate period of time (again), the team has looked very strong over their last ten or so games. They’re getting great interior play from Noah and Boozer, solid outside scoring (for once) from the resurgent D.J. Augustin, and their defense has been as solid as ever. If Miami were to draw them as a second-round matchup, we could be looking at a tough, gritty, physical seven-game series.

Jeff Hall: I really want to say no team, but if I going to choose one…it’s the Bulls.  They are the best coached team in the conference and play superb defense. Chicago is 2nd in the NBA in opponent’s points per game (92.3/gm).  Also, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson can guard Bosh at any spot on the floor, and the tandem of Butler and Hinrich are solid perimeter defenders who may be able to slow down the ageing Dwayne Wade, or possibly (dare I say it) LeBron James.   

Sean Mallers: Does any team in the NBA work harder than the Chicago Bulls? I’ll bet you that the janitor works after hours to hone his craft. I honestly believe that the Bulls have a fighters chance at knocking off Miami or Indiana. They fight, they never give up, and they have the most physical defense in the NBA. Also, and you didn’t hear it from me, D-Rose might be back come playoff time. Now let me delete my Twitter account before it explodes.

 

3) We have quite the race for the number one seed in the Western Conference, who will get it and how valuable is home court advantage in the west?

Liam McWade: Oklahoma City is one of my favorite teams in basketball. They play great as a unit, have one of the best pairs in the sport in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and have already beaten the elite in the league. They’ve already beaten Indiana, Miami and are 3-0 on the season to the San Antonio Spurs. With that said, the Spurs are on the other end of the spectrum. While they are an elite team, they are 0-2 combined against Miami and Indiana and have yet to beat Oklahoma City. It’s hard to look past Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers though. They both sit within reach of the top spot but both struggle on the road, so the top seed is more essential for them than the Thunder or Spurs. The West is Oklahoma City’s to lose.

Matt Fish: I’d like to think that the Clippers, with their new waiver-casualty acquisitions, but I honestly don’t see anyone dethroning the Thunder atop the Western Conference, especially with a healthy Westbrook in tow. The home court advantage, potentially all the way through the NBA Finals, could be a major advantage for Oklahoma City, since their home court is among the loudest and most intimidating buildings in the NBA. The rest of the conference’s elite all have their postseason work cut out for them, frankly.

Jeff Hall: I am going with Oklahoma City.  Once Russell Westbrook get’s back to feeling comfortable in the rotation and with Kevin Durant on his way to legitimately contending for the league MVP, OKC should have home court through the Western Playoffs.  Another factor is going to be their bench; Fisher, Jackson, Collision, Lamb, and what looks to be the recent addition of Caron Butler has now put OKC’s depth as one of their strongest weapons to clinch home court. What’s the value of getting home court for the Thunder? The Thunder are 23-6 at Chesapeake Energy Arena this season.

Sean Mallers: This is one of the toughest things to judge in basketball. The Western Conference is absolutely outstanding. Kevin Durant, however, is in a league all by himself. This guy is outstanding. When he gets into a groove with Russell Westbrook, this team should run away with the West.

 

4) Currently sitting in 9th place in the West, Can Memphis (or anyone else) get themselves into a playoff spot and who do they knock out to do it?

Liam McWade: The only Western Conference team that can sneak into the playoffs is Memphis. They are about to start an east coast road trip against teams they should be able to beat. The Minnesota Timberwolves also have a few games against teams in the East remaining and could make a push, but they’ll need a lot of help from the teams ahead of them. Phoenix will likely falter and fall from the playoffs, meaning Memphis will move up. I don’t believe the same will happen to Golden State or Dallas.

Matt Fish: Memphis has been a bubble team all year long, and will probably remain there right up until the end of the regular season. If they can add another outside shooter, and they missed a chance with Sacramento’s former wunderkid Jimmer Fredette, it would only help matters down the stretch. In terms of who they can knock out, both Golden State and Phoenix have been vulnerable as of late. Both squads may be fun to watch, but their respective defenses are doing about as well under scrutiny as Arizona state legislature. If neither team shores up this facet of the game, they could looking nervously in the rearview mirror come early April.

Jeff Hall: Yes, Memphis can and will make the playoffs.  I predicted a few weeks ago that the Phoenix Suns were going to falter down the stretch.  As of February 28, Memphis is ½ a game out of passing Phoenix for 8th in the West and will probably surpass them in the next week or so.  These two team play April 14, in a game which will probably decide who’s in and who’s out.

Sean Mallers: In a conference as tough as the West, if you’re not in now than you probably won’t be in the playoffs. There’s a bit of a separation from 8 to 9. Teams like the Warriors and Mavs have playoff experience and won’t give up their spot down the stretch.

 

5) Who is doing the best job of tanking? Of course this doesn’t guarantee the best draft pick, but it helps put the odds in your favor on lottery night. Who will win the race to last place and why?

Liam McWade: It might sound strange but I really enjoy watching teams fail miserably, as long as they aren’t my team of course. When history is made for being terrible, you can bet that I am smiling somewhere (the perfect example is the 2008 Detroit Lions). This season, the honor for being terrible is a split between the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. First off, the Bucks are just plain terrible. Already with the leagues worst record, there is no sign of a turn around. My favorite is the 76ers though. They traded away young talent for Danny Granger, only to buy out his contract and let him leave six days later. They win the award for “Best Tank Job.” However, the Bucks will finish with the worst record based on their remaining schedule.

Matt Fish: I don’t really know how much joy you can get out of doing a “good job” at tanking, since the teams currently at the bottom of league need more than just one high draft pick to turn their fortunes around. However, if I have to pick, the Bucks have done a better job of looking terrible than any of their like-minded Western Conference counterparts. The Lakers could have been sitting pretty had they managed to unload Pau Gasol’s contract at the trade deadline, since it’s doubtful he’ll sign on to another rebuilding project in La La Land in the offseason. In Milwaukee’s case, they shed some salary (most notably Caron Butler) and look to be gearing up to (hopefully) build a solid team from the ground up for what feels like the first time in about a century-and-a-half.

Jeff Hall: Well it’s safe to say that Philadelphia is doing a pretty good job right now.  In their last 10 games they are 0-10 and just traded away 2 of their top 4 players at the deadline in Hawes and Turner. With Brett Brown trotting out a starting line-up that includes Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson and James Anderson, I would probably bet my life savings on the Sixers finishing dead last. 

Sean Mallers: “Why is our team trying to lose? I really don’t get it.” -Every 76ers, Magic, and Celtics fan. Well guys, here’s why. The 2014 draft class is absolutely outstanding, and the race for last place is really heating up. I’m going to have to give it to Philly, who haven’t won a game since January; that’s some damn impressive losing. Without David Stern here to rig the draft (too soon?), the first pick could really go to anyone. As of now, the Philadelphia 76ers have my vote as the best losers. 

 

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