The sun coming up and going down, the moon taking the sun’s place, getting old, having a crush, embarrassing yourself in school, standing in line, the weatherman being wrong, the weatherman being right,eating too much at Thanksgiving, my daughter getting her way and taxes. All things we know we can count on.
The NBA season has ups and downs, twists and turns, surprises and disappointments. It is the ultimate reality show,but it also has things you can count on day in day out, game in, game out. Here are some of those guarantees:
-The Spurs will be in title contention and no one will favor them to win it.
-Dwight Howard is overrated. Houston is not looking like the Western Conference finals team of last year and Howard not competing or responding to adversity is apart of this…again. The Lakers know this.
-Defense wins championships. Teams want to play faster and score more but the teams that grind together win together.
-The East is top heavy and the West is deep. Cleveland, Toronto and Chicago are the top three teams in the East….Toronto is #2…enough said.
-Kobe Bryant will shoot
-Stan Van Gundy will prove he is a great coach. Ask the Orlando Magic.
-Dallas will be in contention for the playoffs despite never landing a star in free agency. Deandre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams (the first time), Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Chris Paul and Lamarcus Aldridge all met with Cuban and passed.
-Rick Carlisle will prove he is a great coach
-Lebron is still the premier player in the league. Sorry Brow, Durant and Steph. He is just getting worked into shape for the postseason
-A young Eastern Conference team will make the playoffs, give their fan base hope and then crash and burn. See the 2015 Brooklyn Nets, 2014 Charlotte Bobcats, 2013 New York Knicks and 2012 Orlando Magic.
-A team will fire a coach mid season despite the team being awful. I would guess George Karl or Randy Wittman are the number 1 candidates
-Alternative jerseys will be hit or miss. SLEEVED jerseys? C’mon Adidas. Nike should get the contract for NBA jerseys just for that reason alone
-Carmelo Anthony will learn what Lebron learned when he made the Decision. A team compiles trophies and an individual compiles numbers
-Seattle will be sad during basketball season
-A team with great promise will let us down. The Big 3 Heat, The Big 3 Celtics and The Shaq/Kobe/Malone/Payton Lakers are examples. The 2015 Clippers or Miami Heat seem to be on that track
-Coaches will deadpan answer mid-game interviews in hope the NBA doesn’t require it. The NBA will respond by not responding
-Shoes will get uglier and more expensive
-Players will get more athletic-The Brow, Karl Anthony-Towns and Andre Drummond are leading this charge
-Injuries will derail teams. Golden State losing Klay Thompson broke an historic winning streak.
-Teams pacing themselves will be strong at the right times. Cleveland and San Antonio seem to have the right idea thus far.
-The Sixers will…you know there are some things you just don’t try to understand.
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