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Don't discount the Celtics
The NBA's trade deadline is just hours away, and three blockbusters have already gone down.
Experts are saying watch out for the Lakers with Kobe and Pao Gasol. They're excited about Super Shaq pairing with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire in Phoenix. And they're gushing over the Mavericks landing Jason Kidd.
Toss in the fact that the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs reside in the West, and there's a whole lot of love be thrown out West.
What about the East?
Many folks are saying the title is the Lakers' to lose. Or maybe if Phoenix gets the Shaq of old instead of old Shaq, they could be champs. And of course, Kidd -- I must admit to having a man crush on J-Kidd, having been one of only a handful of Nets fans over the last twenty years -- is going to make Dallas an immediate contender.
But it seems all the experts have forgot about the best team in baksetball. In my book, the three-headed monster in Boston is still the favorite. For crying out loud, they've only lost 11 times all year, and when the triplets have all played together on the same night, the C's have only lost five times.
When healthy, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen form the best tandem in basketball. Garnett is going to get 20 points and 10 rebounds on a nightly basis, and Allen is still one of the most dangerous shooters in the league. Factor in Pierce, a premiere scorer, and the boys from Boston are hard to stop.
Sure, Kobe, Pao, and young center Andrew Bynum are force to be reckon with, and Shaq, Nash, and Stoudamire are a formidible trio, but in my estimation, none of those triplets compare to the ones in green.
Plus, throw in the fact that KG, double-P, and Ray Allen have been together since October, and they are clearly the front-runners.
The guys in the West are going to beat the crap out of each other come May and June, while the Celtics will only have Detroit to deal with. Expect a beat up team to emerge from out West, while the Celts put it on cruise control until late May.
The Celtics are on pace to win 60 games, and unlike the Mavs from a year ago, they've got the pieces to contend come May. So ooh and ahh, all you want about the Western Conference and how stacked it is, but Don't be surprised if there's another victory parade through Boston in June. kind of like the one they've grown accustomed to in October.
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