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Overall
Win/Loss Record : 54-28, first place Atlantic Division
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Last Season’s Rank
7
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Projected 2013/2014
Finish
7
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Last
season’s Team Statistics and League Rank
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Returning
Individual Statistical Leaders
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Projected
Starters Based on Talent, Tenure, Paycheck and Potential Impact:
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Second Unit Roster Order Ranked on Talent, Tenure, Paycheck and Potential Impact:
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Analysis:
Sorry New Yorkers, but you dream of honoring your team with a ticker tape parade to celebrate your long awaited NBA championship will not come true despite the progress it made last season when they won their first 50 plus win season in over a decade and their first playoff series in around that same time span. The Knicks simply do not have what it takes to reach to that next level and they will certainly not be any match for the incumbent champion +Miami HEAT as they proved last season losing handily in the second round to an inferior +Indiana Pacers team. In fact, it may even be doubtful for your team to capture the Atlantic Division crown, be granted home court advantage in the post season, or even advance past the first round of the playoffs. With the 200$ million roster renovation of your cross town rival +Brooklyn Nets as well as the resurgence of the +Chicago Bulls, the Eastern Conference has become a far more dangerous place and as a result, your Knicks will be finding themselves on the outside looking in. This season will certainly mark a turning point for this franchise and just may possibly be the last chance for the Knicks to contend for a title as their window of opportunity has all but closed and it is all due to a player who is supposed to be the team's greatest strength, but may be in fact it greatest weakness. Upon his arrival three years ago, Carmelo Anthony was tabbed as not only the team's savior, but the missing piece that would raise the Knicks from being just a marginal playoff team into a title contender; however, sad to say the reality of the situation far from lived up to expectations of fans and the media. When he first arrived at the trade deadline of 2011, the Knicks struggled greatly finishing the season just one game over .500 and eliminated quickly in the playoffs, while on the flip side, his former team, the +Denver Nuggets actually played better without him finishing the regular season with 50 wins. In his second year, during the lockout shortened season of 2012, the Knicks struggled greatly at the beginning barely able to reach .500 and they managed to bounce back not so much because of Carmelo, but more because of a walk on who no one had heard of that went by the name of +Jeremy Lin. Fast forward to last season where the Knicks not only finished with their first fifty plus win season since 2000, but also finished with on top of their Atlantic Division for the first time since 1994. That seasons Knicks fans had stars in their eye thinking that this could be THE season where their team will take that first big step from being just a marginal team to a true contender for the NBA crown; however their hopes were dashed as their beloved team was humiliated in the second round of the playoffs by a far inferior +Indiana Pacers team that had barely won their rather weak division winning just 49 games in the regular season. After three straight disappointing finishes, this season looks as if it will be do or die for the Knicks as it looks to be their final chance to contend for that long elusive title before their window of opportunity shuts on them once again; however, as long as they have Carmelo leading the team, they might as well shut it themselves because he is in no way capable of bringing the team to the Finals let alone to championship glory. Despite being promoted as one of the league's greatest players and placed alongside such superstars such as +LeBron James and +Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony deserves no such praise because he has not played anywhere near the same level as James or Durant nor has he shown the desire or ability to do so. Carmelo is essentially a black hole on the offensive end sucking up every single possession as he basically takes it upon himself to score every basket while his teammates simply stand by as spectators. He is virtually useless without the ball in his hands and his tyrannical dominance of the offense has come at the expense of his teammates, most notably his supposed "partner," Amare Stoudemire whose offense has struggled upon his arrival. His iron clad grip on the Knicks offense has also made them the most predictable team in the NBA leading many of their opponents to easily anticipate their every move. That is what happened in the second round playoff series with the Pacers--all Indiana had to do was to close the lane to keep Carmelo from attacking the basket thus forcing him to take bad jump shots and keep him from getting to the free throw line chance he had no chance to get fouled. Once the Pacers closed off the basket to Anthony, the Knicks' offense simply just ground to a halt as the team proved completely incapable of generating any sort of real consistency in scoring with no one else being able to put the ball basket. As a result the Pacers, a team that was one of the worst offensive in the league managed to hold the Knicks, who managed to score an average 100 points in the regular season, to just 89.5 per game and subsequently took the series four games to two. From all the evidence that the previous season provided, Carmelo Anthony is not as much the Knicks greatest strength, but their greatest weakness as he sheer domination of the basketball shuts out his teammates while making them even more vulnerable if an a opponent manages to do the same as Indiana did in the playoffs shutting down Carmelo. What makes matters even worse for the Knicks is that Carmelo's only value on the court is his ability to score the ball and his penchant for taking as many shots as he possibly can while providing little if anything else otherwise. And it does not seem as if things will change anytime soon despite the new off season additions to provide extra offensive firepower such as Metta World Peace, Andrea Bargnarni, and Beno Udrih, because as long as the team's offense run through Anthony, they might as well be considered as ineffective since neither one of them will be fully utilized to their full potential. Carmelo was supposed to be the one to lead New York to championship glory, but thus far all the Knicks have been in his tenure on the team marginal at best if not mediocre. Hopefully the Knicks' front office will realize this before it is too late when Carmelo's contract expires at the end of this season and it chooses between offering him a maximum contract extension of 129$ million over the next five years or allowing him to walk as a free agent. As it stands now, the Knicks are no better off whether they decide to keep Anthony or not and it has become painfully apparent that Carmelo will not develop into the franchise player that they had hoped he would for the team. They will remain among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference behind the Miami Heat; however, just don't expect them going anywhere farther than a second round finish in the playoffs because they simply do not have the good to take that next step and the primary thing that's holding them back is the same thing that was supposed to push them forward. |
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Showing posts with label number 7. Show all posts
Showing posts with label number 7. Show all posts
Monday, October 21, 2013
SDH's 2013/2014 NBA Worst to First Previews and Predictions: 7. New York Knicks
Sunday, July 14, 2013
SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 7. New York Knicks
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 54-28, first place Atlantic Division
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5
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At
Season’s End:
7
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)
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Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .
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SDH Player of the Year:
Carmelo Anthony 
Carmelo Anthony was essentially the beginning and end all with the Knicks as he not only led his team, but the league in scoring. Unfortunately, despite his accomplishments this past regular season, Carmelo is far from being considered as one of the league's top players. He is certainly not at the same level as his contemporaries--namely the Miami Heat's Lebron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant. Other than putting the ball in the basket, Carmelo Anthony offers little if anything else as he is often lazy on the defensive end of the court and a mediocre rebounder at best considering his size, skills and talents. It is these red flags that keep Anthony from getting any real respect in the league and it will probably continue as long as he continues to play the same way he has had.
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Analysis:
Despite winning the Atlantic Division for the first time since 1994 along with posting their first 50 plus season in 16 years, it was quite apparent that the New York Knicks were in any way ready to contended for a title, let alone take on the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat. Overall the Knicks did not play that impressively in the regular season considering that they allowed their opponents to shoot better than them and despite having one of the deepest rosters in the league, were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. They exposed their flaws in the playoff where they blew a three games to none lead over an old and weary Boston Celtics team, a team that they should have swept in four games, losing two straight games and were forced to play a game six to finally eliminate them. Once they lost the first game of the second round against the Indiana Pacers, it was all over for Knicks and their fans as the team would fall three games to one and Big Apple fans swallowed another steamy helping of disappointment as they watched their team fall four games to two shattering any hopes for contending for a title. The Knicks' failure not only showed how far they are from being championship material, but also that they are not nearly as good a team that their fans believe that they are. To put it bluntly, the Knicks showed that they are a team that is all sizzle but no steak and all flash without any real substance whose window of opportunity has possibly shut on them already. The team itself consisted of of either broken down or worn out old pieces and were held together by a player who simply dominated the ball on the offense taking most of the team's shots and offered basically little if anything else. Carmelo Anthony, who not only led his team but also the league in scoring, only continued to show what many have judged him to be--a shot happy player who offers little or nothing else other than scoring and his reputation of being one of the league's most dominant players is rather over inflated to say the least. Sure he finished the season with the highest scoring average, but he shot at rather a rather sub-par rate hitting just a shade under .450 from the field while taking a league high 22.2 shot attempts per game. Compare that with players that are considered his contemporaries, Lebron James and Kevin Durant who nearly scored just as much but with fewer shot attempts and with better field goal percentages, one can certainly see that Carmelo Anthony is nowhere near in the same league as the great players that media and fans have placed him in. Anthony is nowhere near the superstar franchise player that Knicks fans and the local media have touted him of being and what is worse is that he is put in the unenviable position of being the team sole option on the offensive because no other player can be counted on to consistently step up to take the pressure off Carmelo. The other two leading scorers, JR Smith and Raymond Felton, were far from being solid consistent supporting cast member as both players put up rather sad shooting percentage numbers to say the least. Smith, who was second on the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game while earning the league sixth man of the year award was far from being a model example of stability as he spent most of the season shooting under .400 and finished it with a less than stellar .422 field goal percentage. The same thing can be said for Felton who also spent much of the season shooting at a rather low field goal percentage of .427 despite taking the third most shot attempts on the team behind Anthony who led the league in that statistical category and Smith, who took nearly 16 attempts per game coming off the bench while making less than seven of them. What was even more sad about the state of affairs the fact that the rest of the team did not fare any better as most of the players, save for three of them, shot at respectable percentage at .450 or higher. Although he finished the regular season with the highest field goal percentage, Tyson Chandler was not much a offensive threat as he averaged just six hot attempts per game and most of his baskets came from lob passes and alley oops. In his twelve years in the league, Chandler has yet to develop even a half way decent post game on offense end and can be seen as more of a hindrance than a help as he was essentially a non factor on offense. The same thing went for Amare Stoudemire who despite shooting and impressive .577 from the field while average a shade over 15.0 per game, played just 29 games this season spending most of it on the bench watching the games in street clothes. He certainly has yet to live up to the higher expectations put upon him by the fans and the rather brutal scrutiny of the press after signing a whopping 5 year 100$ million contract as he has spent three of them on the injured list. Finally, there was Chris Copeland, who was probably the best of the three as he provided a solid rookie performance coming off the bench to average around eight a game while shooting .479 from the field; however, he was nothing more than an energy player who provided solid production in limited minutes and nothing else--and at 27 years, it is possible that will be the best he has to offer. With such a roster, it is quite evident why the Knicks suffered such a bad a collapse against the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs--all the Pacers had to do was allow the Knicks to beat themselves with their poor shooting an offensive execution. All Indiana needed to do was essentially block all the driving lanes to the basket which preventing Carmelo Anthony from attacking the basket thus forcing him to take bad shots and keeping him away from the free throw line. That led to the Knicks' offense to grind almost to a halt because it primarily counted on Carmelo's ability to put the ball in the basket and his domination of the ball on the offensive emd to keep the team running. And the rest as they say was history as the Indiana Pacers went on to show what frauds the New York Knicks really were and that they were in no ways deserving of the praise it received from the press nor their image of being a real match for the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. In addition, with the team being virtually capped out by the massive contracts on Anthony, Amare, and Chandler totaling up to 56$ million, the Knicks have little or no ability to upgrade their roster as they have used up all their salary cap space on those three players which will lead Knicks fans to anticipate another less than anticipated finish next season and the season right afterwards. |
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Sunday, May 5, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 7. Denver Nuggets
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th): 37-22 (second place, Northwest Division)
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13
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This Month:
7
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
|
Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Andre Igoudala
 After starting the season posting some of the best numbers in the past few years, it looked as if Andre Igoudala would finally shed the label of being an overhyped, overrated, and overpaid player; however, as the season wore on, his scoring dropped for a rather respectable 15.9 points per game to just under 12 per game by the end of February. His steep drop in production shows once again that Andre is once again undeserving of all the attention and accliam that he has received throughout his career. At best he is a mediocre offensive player, average rebounder and decent defender which is fine; however, considering the fact that he is receiving an All Star caliber salary of close to 15$ million with another 15$ million heading his way next season, a performance like that simply does not cut it. The Philly 76ers certainly saw that and upon seeing that Iggy would provide them with nothing much else, they found the best opportunity to finally part ways with that chronic underachiever. Now it's up to Denver to again shoulder the burden of carrying this burden of his erroneous contract for the next couple of seasons |
First Player
of the Month: Kenneth Faried
 Among the heap of Denver Nuggets players who have nothing really to set each other apart, there is one who has set himself above the rest and that is the team burly forward Kenneth Faried. His offensive numbers may not stand out and his rebounding may be considered as not living up to expectations, his efficiency while on the floor cannot be questioned. In January, Faried was simply near perfect from the field as connected on more than .600 of his field goal attempts while posting double double in points and rebounds in seven of fifteen games. February was simply splendid for Faried as he posted his best numbers averaging a season's best 12.6 points per game while shooting .577 from the field and posting double doubles in six of twelve games. Such exceptional play makes Kenneth Faried the obvious choice for the team's unsung hero. |
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Analysis:
At the end of 2012, the Denver Nuggets was just another middle of the pack team simply trying to survive in the wild Western Conference; however by the end of February Denver went from average from becoming one of top teams in the league with one of the best records in the league as well. At the end of December, the Nuggets were barely hanging on with a less than spectacular 17-15 record and many simply gave up on Denver ever being a true contender; however once 2013 arrived, it was as if a sleeping dragon had finally awaken and went forth to scorch the entire league. The Nuggets simply roasted their opponents in winning every game except three--a four point disappointment against the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves (1/3/2012), a blowout against the division leading Oklahoma City Thunder (1/16/2013) and a shocking upset against the lowly Washington Wizards (1/18/2013). Regardless, January simply belonged to the Nuggets as they won all the 50/50 plays and managed to come through in the clutch winning six of their twelve games by ten points or less. As for the other six, Denver were simply dominant winning by an average margin of 18 points.
The winning continued into February as the Nuggets would start the month winning four straight in a rather dominant fashion crushing their opponents by an average margin of 15.8 points--the most notable being a 32 point drubbing of the Chicago Bulls (2/7/2013). Unfortunately, after riding a nine game winning streak that last since mid January, the Nuggets hit a short speed bump in the ways as they lost three straight one the road. It started with on overtime loss in Boston against the Celtics (2/10/2013) followed by a one point heart breaker against the Toronto Raptors when they visited the Air Canada Center two days later (2/12/2012) and finally an eleven point loss against the Brooklyn Nets where the Nuggets allowed the Nets to score a whopping 119 points (2/13/2013). The Nuggets did manage to stop the bleeding avenging their loss against the Celtics beating them on their home court (2/19/2013); however they were surprised yet again losing to the Wizards, this time on the road (2/22/2013). Regardless, Denver still managed to salvage February by winning their last three games to finish the month thus giving the Nuggets 37-22--good enough for third place in the Western Conference. What makes this sudden resurgence of the Denver Nuggets special is that unlike the other top teams in the league, Denver neither has a real marquee name or even a player selected on the All Star team. Some may consider Andre Igoudala as a marquee name; however that more has to do with over-inflated hype rather than his actual ability to take over a game. Looking upon all the teams with the best records in league, each of them unlike the Nuggets had at least one player selected on the All Star team--the Miami Heat have the three headed monster of Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, while the Oklahoma City Thunder has the dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook representing them as well. The San Antonio Spurs, who currently boasts the league's best record, has the long standing tandem of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker as the faces of the franchise while the New York Knicks, the second best team in the Eastern Conference, have Carmelo Anthony as the team's poster boy. However, in the case of Denver, even the most devoted of Nuggets fans can really single out one player who is the begin and end all of the franchise. The players are in fact such well kept secrets that no one could ever even pick them out of a police lineup let alone choose which player is the cornerstone of the franchise and that what makes this team so appealing as well. There is no one player on the Nuggets that can be singled out and that is because it has been a full team effort from the starting five players to the last man on the bench. From the beginning to the end of the 24 second shot clock, it is not about who will be taking the shot, but who has the best opportunity to take the best shot. Thus far the Nuggets have proven to be the most unselfish teams in the league as they ranked among the top five in assists a game along with boasting a whopping six players who average double figures in scoring. Even more amazing is the fact that the team's rotation goes almost nine players deep and they all average at least eight points per game thus far in the season. Credit the head coach George Karl for taking a team that has no real established star and turning a roster of virtual nobodies into one of the most potent and efficient offensive forces in the league as the Nuggets look to raise some eyebrows as the regular season winds down to a close. In what can be seen as Denver's best performance in the post-Carmelo Anthony era, the Nuggets will certain look to carry this momentum not only until the end of the regular season, but also in the post season as well. They have certainly shown enough swagger and firepower to give any team in the league a bit of anxiety upon facing them. One thing that is for certain, however; and that is the fact this is not the same Nugget team that allowed their opponents to shoot over .460 from the field as much of the team's success has to do with an improved devotion to defense. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new Golden era in Nuggets basketball as they look to step ahead of the pack and make the jump from first round playoff fodder to a true championship contender. It still remains to be seen whether or not the Nuggets, despite their recent hot streak, have the goods to take on the West's top dog or even be able to break the team's first round curse; however, it will certainly be more interesting to watch as the spotlight currently shines brightly on this resurgent Denver Nuggets team. |
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for December: 7. Indiana Pacers
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of December 31st): 18-13 , first place Central Division
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This Month:
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of December 31st):
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of December 31st):
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Worst Player
of the Month: Frank Vogel
It has become striking obvious that Frank Vogel has no idea to utilize the talent and depth in his team; otherwise the Pacers would be one of the best performing offensive team in the league instead of the worst. He continues to send out the same flawed starting unit on the floor placing George Hill, primarily a shooting guard who looks for his own shot instead of facilitating his teammates as the team's starting point man. One can certainly see how such a strategy has kept Indiana at the bottom in the league in scoring and among the league's worst in commuting turnovers. If it were not for the Pacers bouncing back from a rather lackluster start in November, Frank Vogel would have, could have should have been fired a long time ago. There is simply no excuse for the Pacers to perform so poorly on the offensive end despite a roster that was supposed to be much longer, deeper and talented than last's season's group.
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First Player
of the Month: Paul George
Although he has improved leaps and bounds as he has exploded offensively and thus far is having a break out season, it is difficult to really to Paul George seriously as an NBA star. Most of his break out season has more to do with the absence of last season's leading scorer, Danny Granger, than any actual improvement in his play. Granger's absense not withstanding, Paul George has certainly filled in the vacuum left by Granger leading the team in scoring (18.8), second on the team in assists (4.1) and third leading rebounder with 7.6 per game. One still has to openly question, however, whether George would have been able to blossom the way he has if Danny Granger was still in the picture. One also has to also wonder if George would continue his production if Granger were to return as well casting a dark shadow on an otherwise impressive season.
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Analysis:
From a basic glance, it looks as if the Indiana Pacers have improved leaps and bounds jumping from number 20 to number 7; however, it has not been the case. Despite finishing December 10-5 and retaking the top spot in the Central Division, the Pacers continued to execute poorly on the offensive end making many speculate that Indiana is in no way, shape or form championship material. They certainly do not look as if they would be a match for the Miami Heat if they ever manage to meet them in the playoffs. Although the Pacers pride themselves as a defensive stopping team, they simply do not have the personnel to match or contain the offensive fire of Miami's three headed monster of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Most importantly, they certainly do not resemble the team that was advertised in the off season as their overall play has been lackluster and mediocre at best. The Pacers certainly have not played like an elite team of late as they are barely able to outscore their opponents and although they are one of the best in field goals allowed, it really does not matter since they cannot shoot any better themselves. Indy is also one of the worst teams when it comes to turning over the ball and despite boasting that the Pacers are one of the top defensive and rebounding teams, they simple are unable to force turnovers as they rank near the bottom of the league in that regard. All of these factors make it very hard for anyone to believe that this was the same team that shocked Miami taking last season's Eastern Conference Semi-Final series two games to one before subsequently falling to the Heat. In fact, many would have thought that this current Pacer team would have been a marked improvement from the previous season considering the great lengths the front office took to upgrade the roster making it deeper, longer and more athletic than the last one. Unfortunately, the whole team looks completely out of sync as the players have struggled to execute on the offensive end negating any effort put forth on the defensive end of the floor. It can certainly make one cringe witnessing such a long and athletic team that should be pushing the tempo and scoring in bunches plod on the court as if they are wearing cement sneakers. It must be even more disheartening for Pacers fans to see their team come up with a excellent defensive stop only to follow it up with a poorly executed play which leads to either a poor shot or a turnover. There is simply no excuse for such a mediocre performance on the offensive as the team boasts not just one, but two NBA All Stars in David West and Roy Hibbert and an up and comer in Paul George who has shown potential worthy of earning an All Star nod himself. What is even more disheartening is the Pacers are playing in a Central Division that is the weakest that it has ever been and have only been able to simply hold first place barely by a thread. With their only competition being a hobbled and hollowed out version of the Chicago Bulls, the Pacers should have owned the division from day one as they had little or no competition in that regard. Unfortunately, despite their advantages in terms of their roster and the current status of their division, the Pacers have not played well enough to even be considered a good team, let alone a contender for an NBA title. What is even worse is this team has thus far played with little or no sense of urgency as would be expected from one that has championship aspirations. With teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks emerging as powerhouses of the Eastern Conference, Indiana looks even less worthy of a potential suitor capable of slowing down the Miami Heat in its quest to grab their second straight NBA title. Even the Atlanta Hawks, a team that has not had nearly the amount of exposure nor measure equally in terms of their roster depth, have outperformed the Pacers despite not even being considered as much of an elite team that Indiana was projected before the season began. After showing so much promise and potential last season, Indiana's performance has thus far been a rather deflating disappointment that has led to many of fans who anticipated so much more to write in anger and disgust. Fortunately for the Pacers, there is still time to iron out all the wrinkles and finish the season on a strong and positive note. They will certainly never have a chance to take on the Miami Heat come playoff time unless they can match their stifling defensive performance with an equally devastating offensive attack. As of know, their defense has been more than a crutch than a catalyst as they limited offensive production often negates any advancing momentum that their defense could and should bring. The Pacers almost resemble a company that has all the right tools and equipment along with the resources to outshine any competitor, yet have no idea on what to do or how to use them. Until they figure that out, the Pacers will still remain as flat and listless as they have been thus far and thus have to watch their window of opportunity for a championship close shut. |
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for November: 7. Golden State Warriors
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of November 30th): 9-6, first
place Pacific Division
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20
|
This Month:
7
|
Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of November 30th)
|
Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of November 30th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Andrew Bogut
 For the third straight year in his career, Andrew Bogut has proven to be yet another letdown as he has been sidelined indefinitely for the season due to injury. He was expected to be that missing piece that the Warriors have never really had in its entire history—a solid post presence on both sides of the floor that can spread the floor and keep defenses honest. Now that has all but evaporated as he announced that he is shelving himself essentially for the entire season. At least the Warriors have not been hurt by his departure as they have been playing rather well in his absence. What’s unfortunate is that they will be stuck with him and his brittle body for another couple of years at 26$ million |
First Player
of the Month: Carl Landry
After having to
struggle the last couple of seasons with injuries and disappointing
performances, Carl Landry seems to be back as he is posting his best season
since the 2009 season where he posted career highs. Coming off the bench, Landry has started
the season playing better than starter David Lee averaging close to 15 points
and 8 boards per game while shooting a scintillating .595 from the field
(currently fourth best in the league).
If he continues his stellar play, he can certainly be in the running
for sixth man of the year once the season ends making him one of the best
come back stories in the NBA. He has
certainly silenced any doubters who believed that he could no longer perform
at the high level that he did in 2009 and will be a key player in maintaining
the Warriors current playoff hopes. It
would seem by his current play, Landry has let go of the past and looks to
make a bright future with the Warriors.
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Analysis:
For the maligned fans of the Golden State Warriors, this is a time to cherish as their home team has finally climb out of the pit they have been in for the past 25 or so years and have finally given them something to cheer for. For this first time in what can be considered a lifetime, the Golden State Warriors have opened the season with a winning record along with capturing first place in their Pacific Division. After years of patiently waiting for their team to turn things around, Warriors fans have finally learned what it feels to not only win, but for once in the team's history, be on the top looking down rather than it being the other way around. It is as if all the pain and anguish they have suffered has finally paid off watching their Golden State team on the winning side of the final score. The entire Bay Area certainly have something to celebrate as it has been such a LONG hard road to finally get to this point where the people can lift their heads high in stead of shaking the in disappointment and disdain.
At the beginning it seemed like it would be "business as usual" as the Warriors lost four of their first seven games; however, Golden State won their next two games and all of a sudden, as if by magic, they finished the month of November with the best record in the Pacific Division. The Warriors finished the month of November winning six of their last eight games losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder (11/18/2012) and the Denver Nuggets (11/23/2012),both on the road. This sudden ascension of the Warriors is not only miraculous, but it also signals to massive paradigm shift in the balance of power of the NBA, as both them and another former laughing stock, the Los Angeles Clippers have now taken over a division that has been always draped in either purple and gold or purple and orange. For the first time in what can be seen as an eternity, both the Lakers and the Suns, two team who for most of the NBA's History dominated the Pacific division, are now at the receiving end of the punishment. The Lakers have come out the gates sputtering, trying as much as they can to climb out of the hole they have created for themselves as their struggle to remain at .500 while the Phoenix Suns are smack dab in the bottom of the division standings.
What is even more incredible is not only that the Warriors have been winning, but it is also the way in which they have won and it is with a word that similar to "winning" has never been synonymous whenever mentioning the Warriors. That word is "defense" as the Warriors uncharacteristically held their opponents to just .430 shooting, while at the same time crashing the glass out rebounding their opponents by a rather large margin--+4 to be exact. In their nine wins, the Warriors kept their opponents to scoring 95.6 points and shooting .426 from the field--a sharp contrast from the 101.1 points .453 shooting that they allowed last season. By all that has been seen thus far, it does not seem like that devotion to defense is likely to subside as coach Mark Jackson has his young Warriors team attentive and focused on maintaining a strong defensive presence before anything else. And long as their defense remains solid and consistent, there is no way, barring a major catastrophe that the Warriors will relinquish their current hold on their division as save for the Clippers, there is no other team in the Pacific that can hold a candle to them--and that includes the once dominant Los Angeles Lakers.
The renewed devotion to defense is just one small part of the immense culture shift that has occurred internally within the organization as it has become a more mature and professional group who are accountable for themselves and each other on everything that goes on the court. Another key to this Bay Area Basketball Renaissance has been Stephen Curry, who finally healthy after two seasons playing on and off due to injuries, has taken the leadership role on both ends of the court. On the offensive end, he has not only come through for his team in terms of scoring the basket, but has also taken it upon himself to assure that his teammates get involved as well. Curry leads the team in assists and along with orchestrating the offense, he has also made himself a major factor on the defensive end leading his team in steals per game. This 24 year old "shot happy"has suddenly grown up in front of everybody's eyes as he has shown plenty of grit, determination and maturity and in turn, has silenced his critics while at the same time has exceeded even the loftiest of expectations. As with everything in life, there is always a call for cautious optimism because after all, it is the Golden State Warriors--the team that for the past 25 years has reached the post season just twice. In retrospect, even the LA Clippers, who despite their recent success still historically rank amongst the worst teams in professional sports, performed better during that same span of time. Through the team's entire history, the Warriors have endured such hard luck thanks to poor personnel decisions and just simple rotten luck. At anytime, most observers will be looking to predict at what point will the floor will full from under Golden State's feet and fall back to reality. Hopefully, that will not be the case for the sake of their fans, who after so many years of disappointment, deserve at least one season to joyously celebrate and cheer their team to victory. |
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