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West | East -------------------- April 22, 2005 Little brother no more. by Tyson Wirth1 2 • WASHINGTON WIZARDS Pros: When your third leading scorer (Antawn Jamison at 19.6 ppg) is an All-Star, you know you have some options on offense. Guards Gilbert Arenas (25.5 ppg, 5.1 apg, 1.74 spg) and Larry Hughes (22.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.7 apg, a league-leading 2.89 spg) had the breakout years Golden State feared they might, and the Wiz are fourth in the league in turnovers forced. They definitely have athletes, and can run on teams that get back poorly. Kwame Brown is inconsistent, but when he’s playing heady and with passion this team is much tougher. Cons: Losing out on first round home court advantage really hurts, since they’re the worst road playoff team at 16-25. The bench packs as much punch as the watered down lemonade at the corner bar, and Washington gets out-shot in field goals, three pointers, and free throws. For all the turnovers forced, they still allow 100+ points a game, and have actually been outscored by their opposition this season. The Wiz are also one of the most selfish teams in the league in both offense and defense, averaging the third fewest assists per game (19.1) and allowing the fourth most assist-against (23.0). • INDIANA PACERS Pros: This team is resilient, and strong defensively. After the November incident at Palace Hills, when Ron Artest was suspended for the year and several other key players given substantial suspensions, many wrote the Pacers off as dead. Four months later, Indiana has outlasted Orlando, Cleveland, and a host of others to make the playoffs. Jermaine O’Neal’s return (24.3 ppg, 8.80 rpg, 2.00 bpg) has recharged this team, and Reggie Miller (18.5 ppg in March and April) has been playing like a man half his age since announcing this season as his last. Dale Davis is knocking down his shots and doing great board work in fewer than 30 minutes a night since rejoining Indiana, and Stephen Jackson is averaging almost 19 points and 5 rebounds a game as well. The bench got significantly stronger thanks to experience during the suspensions, and the team is exceptional at the free throw line, connecting 79.2% of the time. Rick Carlisle is a resourceful tactician, and the Pacers are poised to make some noise. Cons: No Artest, obviously, but he’s been gone for so long that the team has had plenty of time to readjust. The offense is second worst among playoff teams, at just 93 points a contest, and there are a lot of shoot-first players on the team (18.2 apg, second worst league-wide). They seem to be just average in a lot of categories (turnovers, rebounding, field goal percentage against and for). Have they been overachieving the last few months? • PHILADELPHIA 76ERS Pros: For opposing coaches A.I. causes more sleepless nights than the aspiring rock guitarist next door. No, I’m not praising rookie swingman Andre Iguodala, although he has been a versatile and steady weapon for the Sixers all year. Allen Iverson is still the man in Philadelphia, and he’s proved it with an MVP-type season in which he saved his best for last, earning April Player of the Month honors for his 32.8 ppg, 9.1 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 spg, and 47.3% averages. Allen simply strapped Iguodala and the rest to his back and carried them all the way to the playoffs. Even as a disappointment to most Philly fans, Chris Webber is still averaging 15.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 3.1 apg since coming over. Kyle Korver keeps defenses from totaling collapsing when Iverson drives, and the Sixers shoot a sparkling 78.9% on free-throws, making them tough to catch in crunch time. Collectively, the Sixers have very quick hands, and their 9.22 steals a game are tops in the league. Cons: When your second option is hobbling around the court on essentially one leg and your third option is as one-dimensional as Kyle Korver, you know you’re not deep. The Sixers are terrible on the boards, and still weak up front even with the addition of Webber. Not a particularly strong road team at 18-23, the Sixers will have to steal a game or two at red-hot Detroit to keep hopes alive of winning a series. • NEW JERSEY NETS Pros: New Jersey certainly didn’t back into the playoffs, winning their last four games and needing all four. Vince Carter’s mother, after watching him at a recent game asked aloud, “Isn’t it amazing what can happen when you look forward to going to work?” It is indeed; since arriving from the Raptors, Carter’s numbers are up across the board. In addition to the benefits of a change of scenery, it hasn’t hurt to have Jason Kidd throwing lasers at Vince, and all the ill will in Jersey at the beginning of the season could be washed away with a nice playoff run. Coach Lawrence Frank, April’s Coach of the Month, has his troops playing together and well, and rumors are that Richard Jefferson may even try and return for the postseason. The Nets have momentum rolling at the right time. Cons: Problem is, that momentum will roll right into the mammoth frame of Shaquille O’Neal and his posse. That doesn’t bode well for Jersey on many fronts, but especially on the boards, where they are second worst in the league at 39.5 rebounds a game. Jason Collins and Nenad Krstic are together averaging 58 minutes a game. Jason Collins. Nenad Krstic. 58 minutes. Somehow, I don’t think Shaq is down on his knees, begging God for mercy and forgiveness of his transgressions. Even with the explosive Carter and Kidd, only the New Orleans Hornets, proud owners of 18 wins, score less than New Jersey.There, ladies and gentlemen, are your contenders to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Some, like the Pistons and Heat, will be picked as favorites to win it all. Some, like the Sixers and Nets, will just plain be picked on. One through eight, however, this is as dangerous as the Eastern Conference has been in some time. Watch out, San Antonio and Phoenix. Little brother is all grown up. 1 2 West | East -------------------- Next: Days of their lives Previous: The jump Back to articles Back to top © 2001-2005 H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m, All rights reserved Terms of service Privacy policy Contact |