Got some great response yesterday to the first NBA themed post of the new season, so I decided to keep it going for one more day. I want to get back into more of the hockey breakdowns since it's been a week since I went perfect, but it's always going to be about what you guys want to read about.
Quick Aside: I thought the Miami Heat looked like a bunch of individuals in Boston. Actually, more like a bunch of guys that just met that night to play pick-up basketball. At times, it was ugly. Those looking for a 70-75 win season out of the Heat could not have liked what they saw last night from the newest Big 3.
Anyways, I gave you four teams yesterday to look out for in the "total regular season wins" category. Today, I wanted to give you four darkhorse teams that will do some damage in their respective conferences, but are being forgotten by NBA viewers. I don't think these teams get to the NBA finals, but it's wrong to count them out as well.
1) Milwaukee Bucks
They have no real superstars to speak of, but what this team does offer is incredible depth through most of the roster. A lot of experts thought this team would make a good run in the playoffs a year ago, but those predictions were made before Andrew Bogut went down with his gruesome, season-ending injury. However, Bogut is back alongside Brandon Jennings and the duo will help Milwaukee compete against Chicago for the Central Division crown.
2) Portland Trail Blazers
It's easy to get mixed up in the shuffle of amazing teams in the Western Conference, but it floors me that the Trail Blazers haven't received any talk about winning the West considering the amount of talent they can put out on the floor. All they have to do is find a way to stay relatively healthy and have coach Nate McMillan divide the minutes amongst a ton of talented players to keep them all happy. If they can do these two things, they will be a tough out come playoff time.
3) San Antonio Spurs
We all know the jokes about this team's average age being comparable to the average age of tenants in a retirement community, but it doesn't mean that they can't win their share of ball games. Tim Duncan doesn't have the skills that he used to, but his savvy and experience will still make him dominant on some nights. Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker still make up one of the better guard duos in the game.
4) Dallas Mavericks
It's been the same story for the Mavs for a decade now. Always good enough in the regular season to get themselves into the playoffs, then nothing left in the tank once the important games start. Much like the Spurs, the core of this team is aging and rapidly, but a team led by Dirk Nowitski and Jason Kidd are still going to win a lot of ball games.
Was Mark Cuban able to get all the right pieces in place this time around? Only time will tell, but if the Lakers happen to drop off and fall short of their goal of a three-peat, the Mavs are as good as anyone in the West to possibly take advantage.