The NBA's Second Season


What a weird NBA season we just endured. Down the stretch it felt like a competition for who wanted it least… In fact, more stories were devoted to the idea of tanking than who would be competing for the title.

Why is that the case? The teams that peaked early — Indiana, Miami, Houston, Portland — all faded late. The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers — major teams in major markets — were all terrible. Teams on the rise, like the Oklahoma City Thunder, seemed to fall short of the mark. And marquee players, like Chicago's Derrick Rose, ended up injured and out for the year.

Then there was the best most consistent team all season — the Spurs. The Spurs are getting older, and each year people say they're due to fall off, but it still hasn't happened. The old, boring, consistent team was the best, again.

And what about the other top seed, the Pacers in the East? Last year they seemed like a hungry upstart. Now they seem like a reeling ball of dysfunction; like the one seed in the NCAA tournament each year you know has no shot at the Final Four.

So, as the playoffs begin (and will continue through June), here are my fearless predictions:

East Round 1:
* Indiana over Atlanta
* Miami over Charlotte
* Toronto over Brooklyn
* Chicago over Washington, D.C.

West Round 1:
* Spurs over Mavericks
* Thunder over Grizzlies
* Warriors over Clippers
* Rockets over Trailblazers

East Round 2:
* Chicago over Indiana
* Miami over Toronto

West Round 2:
* Spurs over Rockets
* Thunder over Warriors

East Finals:
* Miami over Chicago

West Finals:
* Spurs over Thunder

NBA Finals:
* Miami Heat over San Antonio Spurs, six games

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