While much of the first half of the NBA season has been focused around the saga that is the Los Angeles Lakers and whether the Miami Heat can repeat as champions, there is a surprising amount of competition in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Miami Heat currently hold a one game lead over the New York Knicks for the best record in the East. However, there is a common belief that the Heat are simply coasting until the playoffs, when they will really distinguish themselves from the rest of the competition.
Unfortunately for the Heat, it will not be that easy. The Knicks possess an advantage in size and forward Carmelo Anthony has arguably played better than anyone so far this season. Furthermore, once Amar’e Stoudemire becomes comfortable in his new role as a bench player and Iman Shumpert returns to full health, the Knicks’ depth will significantly grow. While LeBron James has played excellent thus far this season, the Heat lack an inside presence that is hard to overcome during the course of a season, even with their recent signing of Chris “Birdman” Anderson.
One other team the Heat should be concerned with is the Chicago Bulls. All signs point to Derrick Rose returning very soon from the devastating ACL injury that has sidelined him thus far this season. For those who do not remember, before Rose’s injury last season, the Bulls had the best record in the Eastern Conference. If he can return to form, then the Bulls could very well compete in the East.
In the Western Conference, it is more of a toss up in terms of who will come out as champions. While the Spurs may currently hold the best record in the West, they are still an aging team and it is hard to forget the Thunder rolling them last season in the playoffs.
As for the Thunder, they have two of the brightest stars in the NBA in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. However, talent does not always guarantee team chemistry. Plus, the loss of James Harden has not been as damaging as originally thought but once the playoffs roll around, Harden’s absence may begin to be felt.
The real team to watch out for in the West is the Los Angeles Clippers who have the talent, chemistry and depth to make a deep run in the playoffs. The Clippers will have to focus on being better on the road. The Clippers’ road record stands at 14-10, a pretty average record for a team with that much talent. It will be up to Chris Paul (and Blake Griffin to a lesser extent) to lead the team and help it reach its full potential.
The second half of the NBA season should also bring about many interesting storylines other than who will compete for the conference championships. The main storyline surrounds the state of Los Angeles Lakers, who acquired both Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the offseason. Will the Lakers make the playoffs? Will Dwight and Kobe be able to coexist? If not, what does the future hold for Dwight in LA? Also, this may be the final run for the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett era of the Boston Celtics, so it will be interesting to see what moves GM Danny Ainge will make in order to preserve the future success of the Celtics. Overall, the second half of the NBA season is gearing up to be one of the more intriguing ones in recent memory.