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With the NBA having just passed its mid-season point, I am going to look at some of the top contenders who could win the championship.
Miami Heat
Miami has three stars on their team, and their winning the title will depend heavily on how good Chris Bosh will be and whether LeBron James can score 30 points a game during the playoffs. Miami are the defending champions, having won winning twice in a row, and after this season they won’t likely be as big a threat because of the future departures of LeBron Bosh.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana really pushed Miami to the edge during the last year’s Conference finals. This year, Paul George is scoring even better than last year, proving that he’s still an NBA superstar. Now with the addition of Evan Turner, Indiana can hope for more free-scoring. Roy Hibbert and David West will be occupying the post, and Lance Stepheson will provide some nice secondary scoring for them.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma is one of my picks to be in the Western Conference finals. Kevin Durant has been doing some nice scoring, and he’s a potential MVP this year. They just need Russell Westbrook to stay healthy; if he does, I believe they can really go deep in the playoffs.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs always been a big threat during the playoffs. Not just because of their players but also because of their great coach Gregg Popovich. Now with the sudden rise of Kawhi Leonard, they will likely be scoring more and putting up better defensive plays. If Danny Green can shoot as well as he did during the finals last year, I believe the Spurs can do well this year.
Golden State Warriors
Now this team is my “underdog” team. The Warriors are currently 6th in the Western Conference. I believe they are one of the best shooting teams in the NBA with players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrion Barnes. Andre Iguodola is currently not playing good offence – he’s averaging less than 10 points a game. In order for Golden State to do well this year, they will need the good all around game of Andre Iguodala to be firing at its best.
Houston Rockets
Houston are playing well after the addition of Dwight Howard. Howard is averaging close to 19 points and 12.5 rebounds a game. James Harden is also playing at an elite level, and Chandler Parsons is providing some nice secondary scoring. But don’t expect this team to go deep in the playoffs, because this year the Western Conference is stacked with good teams.
Los Angeles Clippers
The LA clippers are off to a great start; they are currently 4th in the Western Conference. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are having a great year, and now with Doc Rivers as their coach, they could go deep in the playoffs. But I don’t believe they will make the finals.
Prediction: I’m picking either Indiana Pacers or Miami Heat to win the 2014 NBA championship. And that’s not just because they are number 1 and 2 in their conference, but because of Miami’s experience and star power, and because of Indiana’s depth.
Guess the Lakers players!
