H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m
-------------------- June 14, 2005 Season in Review;
Four Stars **** by Tyson Wirth The 2004-05 NBA season was like a fascinating Hollywood movie eight months in the making, climaxing with the NBA Finals just in time to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters. There were time-tested legends acting their last scenes (Karl Malone, Reggie Miller), heroes (Steve Nash), villains (Ron Artest), and drama everywhere you looked. Contradiction wasn’t a byproduct of the season’s crazy events; it seemed to be required for their existence. At different points in the season Nash was the off-season’s most overpaid free agent, and the best player in the league. Vince Carter was washed up one day in Toronto, and an explosive force in New Jersey almost the next. The league’s future looks bright, led by rising phenoms such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire, and Darko Milicic (well, two out of three isn’t bad). Yet even next season is in question, with a possible lockout looming larger and larger with each passing day. Some constants remained, though. The San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons have proved that defense still wins championships, and rumors still swirled around Phil Jackson, even in retirement. The Atlanta Hawks still stunk, although even more so than usual this year (46 games behind Miami when all was said and done). Coaches were still fired faster than Donald Trump’s apprentices, even in a year when there were six or seven legit Coach of the Year candidates. Coaches weren’t alone in riding the NBA carousel. Plenty of proven talent such as Carter, Chris Webber, and Baron Davis were traded for various reasons. It’s interesting to note that none of the teams involved with trading those players, whether receiving them or packaging them, made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Teams that did, though, were exciting surprises Phoenix and Seattle, who excited the hometown crowd for the first time in years. Meanwhile Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves fans are still convincing themselves the last eight plus months have been a terrible nightmare that they’ll wake from any moment. One storied franchise fell from prominence (Kobe’s Lakers), while another rose back to respectability (Scott Skiles’ Bulls). Another rookie class was prematurely mourned as being weak and devoid of impact players, and another rookie class has proved the experts wrong thanks to the likes of Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Dwight Howard, and a host of others. Howard’s teammate, Grant Hill, delighted fans of any and all teams by playing in more games than he has the last three seasons combined. His 20 point, five rebound averages reminded us all why Hill was once one of the premier young talents in the league, which isn’t even as important as the fact that he’s always been one of the nicest guys in the league. Yes, storylines thick with drama and entertainment ran rampant throughout the ’04-’05 season. The best part of any huge film has got to be the climatic finish though, so grab the popcorn and turn off your cell phones for what should be the biggest and best ending of this annual blockbuster known as the NBA. The Spurs took Game 1; but the final scene is only just beginning. -------------------- Next: All rookie preview Previous: Days of their lives Articles index © 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 |
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