Clarion Content

NBA West Preview

#4 Houston Rockets vs. #5 Utah Jazz

McGrady went 0 for the 4th quarter in game one. There is a reason why this guy has never won a playoff series folks. Battier and Dikembe Mutombo could be on anybody's all heart, all grit, hard nosed all stars, but it isn't enough. As for the Jazz stars, Boozer, we don't love him, but we respect him. Deron Williams, it is suddenly an era of point guards, and there is no shame in being the third best point guard to Steve Nash and Chris Paul. Jerry Sloan is a good coach, the role players like Brewer, Kirilenko and Korver are solid. The Jazz cruise past the Rockets. They beat a better Rockets team last year.

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs. #6 Phoenix Suns

The Clarion is openly pulling for the Suns. We respect the heck out of the aptly nicknamed, Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan. The role players Finely, Bowen and Horry have aged. Former Knick, and once the leading scorer and rebounder in the NCAA, Kurt Thomas, may make a minimal contribution. Brent Barry is a stiff who can make a standstill three pointer. The real key for the Spurs is the play of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. These two guys for all there apparent flaws and issues, always find a way to come up big in the clutch. Bigger than Steve Nash? Well maybe not, but the Suns supporting cast doesn't match the Spurs. Amare Stoudemire is a head case who plays no defense. Barbosa and Diaw would be great in a pick-up game, but this is for keeps and that is when they come up smallest. Grant Hill is 107 years old, and moron coach Mike D'Antoni played him nearly 32 minutes per game. And don't forget, Hill is in the Tracy McGrady boat himself, having never won a playoff series. We want the Suns to win. We love Nash (Sadly, he is too old, slow and beat-up to play even passable defense any more.) He is the toughest guy in the series and a surefire Hall of Famer. His will to win is indomitable. His desire and decision making are first class. He's a great clutch shooter, too, but the cards are stacked against the Suns. They will probably make it so tough on the Spurs that they will soften them for future opponents. Without home court, though, it will be too much, the Spurs win in six or seven.

#2 New Orleans Hornets vs. #7 Dallas Mavericks

Chris Paul is the best player on either team. Jason Kidd is old and slowing down. He was never much in the half court offense anyway. Dirk Nowitzki has shown toughness that surprised the Clarion in returning from a late season injury, but can he be 100%? Byron Scott is so much of a better coach than Avery Johnson that if Avery touches Scott's clipboard it spontaneously bursts into flames. Do the Mavs win one game? They certainly win no more than two.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Denver Nuggets

Again, the Clarion has a rooting interest. Faithful readers will note this kind of thing often interferes with our ability to pick and predict sporting events objectively. What can we say? We dislike Kobe, primarily because of the way he ran Shaq off, but from way before that our ire was raised when he engineered an anti-competitive, near collusion, draft day trade ala Elway and Eli Manning. Whereas, we love some Allen Iverson. Yes we know all about, practice, and Allen's enthusiasm for practice, but he is a thoughtful, complex guy. Maybe not someone many suburbanites can relate to but a bright, introspective guy, not all from the wacky, selfish mold of say a Stephon Starbury. Starbury made the same salary as A.I. this season, the difference was Iverson played all 82 games, and nearly 42 minutes per. That is not a typo, nearly 42 minutes a game at 165 pounds soaking wet. Those Dwayne Wade commercials fall down seven times get up eight, were made about the more photogenic guy, not the tougher guy. On paper we like the Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony, Camby, and KMart all have All-Star caliber skills. J.R. Smith can light it up. The problem is outside of Eduardo Najera's 20 minutes nobody on the Nuggets plays a lick of defense. Gasol and Kobe will probably annihilate them but screw it, we saw A.I. carry a far less gifted Sixers team all the way to the finals. The Clarion is taking the Nuggets in six. (Once the bickering starts in L.A. Kobe will be glaring at teammates, showing them up, refusing to shoot for a quarter. The Lakers are a paper tiger.)

Labels: NBA, Predictions, sports