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West | East -------------------- April 22, 2005 The King is dead by Tyson Wirth1 2 The Western Conference playoff picture resembles something very much like a post-revolution monarchy. The king is dead, and the desire to rule tempts all those who have been oppressed for so many years. Post Lakers-dynasty, you better believe the eight teams with a now-legitimate shot of making the Finals are saturated with that desire to rule. Desire and ability are more like distant second cousins than brothers, however; you wouldn’t gamble your paycheck on Rudy to win the NFL combine’s bench press competition just because he had the desire to win would you? Me neither. Eight teams will fight, scratch, and claw at each other for the right to represent the West in the Finals. In the end, however, there can be only one king. Discover why these eight think they have a right to the throne. • PHOENIX SUNS Pros: The secret to their success is, well, no secret. Point man Steve Nash is a legit league MVP candidate, although he would have stiff competition for his own team’s MVP candidacy. Nash is a slashing, shooting, superstar point guard who creates innumerous open looks for studs such as Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson, and Joe Johnson. Outside of Nash, Amare gets the ink (and deservedly so, averaging 26.0 ppg and 8.9 rpg on 55.9% shooting), but it is Marion who’s the most underrated player in today’s NBA. Marion shoots with range (114 three’s), rebounds like a seven-footer (11.3 rpg), has scored under double digits twice in his 79 games this year, logs almost 40 minutes a night, and is the only player in the league to average over two steals (2.01) and one block (1.47) a game. Bottom line is this team is more talented than any in the league. Cons: Their go-to-guy in the post is young, and young doesn’t generally make it to the Finals. Might be one Steve Nash broken ankle away from an early exit. Even with midseason additions of Jimmy Jackson and Walter McCarty, bench is pretty thin. Hard to envision a team that allows over 100 ppg winning a championship, but that’s Phoenix’s style. No team’s perfect, but there’s much more to like about the Suns than not. • SAN ANTONIO SPURS Pros: Having perennial all NBA first-teamer Tim Duncan doesn’t hurt, and neither does a dazzling backcourt, a loaded bench, or one of the most overlooked coaches in the game. Duncan is flanked by PG Tony Parker, who’s arguably the quickest player in the West, and who’s unarguably having his finest season. Parker’s averaging career highs in points (16.6), rebounds (3.7), assists (6.1), steals (1.23), and field goal percentage (48.2%). Assassin Manu Ginobili also brings an electric all around game to the Spurs, averaging career highs in nearly identical categories as Parker. Throw in veterans Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Brent Barry and you’ve got an imposing blend of experience and success. Coach Gregg Popovich’s bunch has an average margin of victory of +7.8 per game, more than triple that of seventh best Memphis (+2.3 per), and they almost always keep their collective heads, as evidenced by fewer ejections than any other team this year. There’s a reason the Spurs lost just three home games this year. Cons: That sparkling 38-3 record at home this year won’t do them any good if they face Phoenix minus home-court advantage. San Antonio is just above .500 on the road. Duncan’s ankles are a major concern, and starting center Rasho Nesterovic was recently introduced to the injured list because of his own ankle problems. Free throw shooting is often the difference in close series, and the Spurs are the fifth-worst charity stripe team in the league. • SEATTLE SUPERSONICS Pros: Balance and unselfishness. Four guys average 37.5% from three point land or better; Rashard Lewis, Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Ridnour, and the sweet-shooting Ray Allen. If this team gets hot from downtown, it’s a long night for the opposition. They’re lights out from the charity stripe (79.0% as a team, third best in the league), and are a better rebounding team than people think (+3.0 rpg advantage over opponents), mostly thanks to banger Reggie Evans, and Danny Fortson to a lesser extent. They might still carry the stigma of an overachiever, and be able to use that to sneak up on people. Cons: A lot of things scare me, if I’m a Sonics fan. First, they’ve lost 9 of 12, and not because they’re sitting starters for the season’s last two weeks. They aren’t particularly adept at the defensive end of the floor, and there is a glaring lack of significant playoff experience on the roster. A lot of people will be picking the Sonics to be victim of a first-round upset. • DALLAS MAVERICKS Pros: Dirk Nowitzki is the hardest player to match up with in the entire league, and he’s got plenty of help from an exciting mix of youth and experience. Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, and Devin Harris bring the youth, while Michael Finley, Jerry Stackhouse, Erick Dampier, and Jason Terry provide the experience. Nowitzki’s season (26.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 39.9% three point percentage) has been invaluable to the Mav’s success, but it’s been the whole team’s takeoff since Avery Johnson permanently took over as Head Coach for Don Nelson that has really turned heads. Dallas’s D, their Achilles Heel seemingly since the days of Moses, has allowed only 91 ppg since Johnson’s takeover, and their offense hasn’t suffered. Dallas is deep as well; they’ve got twelve men averaging double digit minutes a game, although granted, one of those men is Shawn Bradley. The point is these guys will be fresh since their big guns didn’t have to play ridiculous minutes, and they take care of the ball, having the fourth fewest turnovers of anyone in the league. Cons: Is the improved ‘D’ here to stay, or just a novelty? This is, roughly, still the same group that has been burned in the playoffs so many times previously. They get out-rebounded, and a rookie coach, even one as likeable as Johnson, isn’t usually a formula for postseason success. 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 |