2008 Woodie Awards
The up and down NBA: Whose bandwagon can you safely jump on?
David Mellars
Issue date: 2/7/07 Section: Sports
Just when I hopped on the Phoenix Suns bandwagon, they've lost two of three. After Kevin Garnett lit them up last week for 44 points, Mehmet Okur dropped 29 points and posted 12 rebounds as the up and coming Jazz beat the Suns 108-105. The win was the Jazz's second over a big time Western Conference foe. The Wednesday before the Suns win, the Jazz defeated the Spurs 97-93, getting another strong effort from Okur who had 31 points and 11 rebounds. Utah sits as a number four seed in the Western Conference and could go deep into the playoffs if they keep getting stellar play from Okur as well as Deron Williams and Andre Kirilenko. These three will especially have to step up now that Carlos Boozer is out four to six weeks with a fractured leg.
The Eastern Conference has been all over the place for the whole season. The Pistons have already lost 18 games, matching their total from last season, yet they still remain as the number one seed in the conference. They convincingly defeated the Cav's and a struggling LeBron James yesterday, 90-78. The Cavaliers, who sit at 27-21 and fifth in the conference, have struggled as of late. They lost two of their last three and three of their last five. LeBron's fighting a toe injury and is not shooting the ball well lately.
Then there is the struggling Wizards, who have lost their last two and got some bad news when they learned Antawn Jamison (19.3 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game) would miss three to six weeks with a knee sprain. Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler must pick up the slack to keep the Wizards on top of the Southeast division and in the race for a top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls and East All-Star snub Ben Gordon and the Pacers, who have won six of seven, also look good as the All Star game approaches. Both must keep up their hot play in the second half of the season and into the playoffs.
Right now, it's a race between the Celtics and the Grizzlies for the worst record in the league and the best shot in the lottery for the number one draft pick. Texas' Kevin Durant is putting up NBA- caliber numbers and dominating the competition. However, Ohio St.'s Greg Oden has the skill and raw potential to make it big in the NBA. Finally, games to watch this week: San Antonio plays Washington on Wednesday, followed by a Lakers/Pistons match-up on TNT Thursday. Houston plays league- best Dallas on Friday and DWade and Lebron battle on ESPN at eight in Cleveland. No good weekend games, so tune in to watch the ever-exciting Pro Bowl.
The Eastern Conference has been all over the place for the whole season. The Pistons have already lost 18 games, matching their total from last season, yet they still remain as the number one seed in the conference. They convincingly defeated the Cav's and a struggling LeBron James yesterday, 90-78. The Cavaliers, who sit at 27-21 and fifth in the conference, have struggled as of late. They lost two of their last three and three of their last five. LeBron's fighting a toe injury and is not shooting the ball well lately.
Then there is the struggling Wizards, who have lost their last two and got some bad news when they learned Antawn Jamison (19.3 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game) would miss three to six weeks with a knee sprain. Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler must pick up the slack to keep the Wizards on top of the Southeast division and in the race for a top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls and East All-Star snub Ben Gordon and the Pacers, who have won six of seven, also look good as the All Star game approaches. Both must keep up their hot play in the second half of the season and into the playoffs.
Right now, it's a race between the Celtics and the Grizzlies for the worst record in the league and the best shot in the lottery for the number one draft pick. Texas' Kevin Durant is putting up NBA- caliber numbers and dominating the competition. However, Ohio St.'s Greg Oden has the skill and raw potential to make it big in the NBA. Finally, games to watch this week: San Antonio plays Washington on Wednesday, followed by a Lakers/Pistons match-up on TNT Thursday. Houston plays league- best Dallas on Friday and DWade and Lebron battle on ESPN at eight in Cleveland. No good weekend games, so tune in to watch the ever-exciting Pro Bowl.
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