2013-14 NBA Thread part 1

You can't swing a dead cat in Manhattan or my little piece of suburban NJ without hitting a bunch of kids wearing a European soccer jerseys with a sponsor prominently displayed.

After the initial shock, people will be just fine wearing a sponsored NBA shirt with a team crest/logo.

 

Yeah, the sponsorship is a much bigger return than jersey sales.

Of course, now at team shops or online you can customize T-shirts and jerseys as needed, so you don't get stuck buying the jersey of a guy who gets traded in six months. Although it was a nice touch at the Sixers-Pacers game to see the couple with one wearing Evan Turner's Sixers jersey, and the other wearing Evan Turner's Pacers jersey. Why anyone would buy an Evan Turner jersey of any sort is beyond my understanding, but, whatever.

 

This Miami-Indiana game has a playoff feel to it. 2 point game with three and some change left.

 

I honestly don't know if either Indiana or Miami can win in The Finals after enduring the ECF they will likely have. By the way, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion they both get their this year. My, and Bob Cook's, beloved Pacers seem especially vulnerable to Chicago in my mind.

But Heat/Pacers have now played three epic (as epic as regular season NBA games can be) games and they've pushed one another all regular season long. West playoffs will have its own showdowns, but I'd definitely give edge to the team that comes from there. Then again, maybe LeBron does have enough much like MJ did in 98...definitely think there are some parallels to this year's Pacers and that Bird-coached group that came up a few rebounds short.

 

Yes, that eastern conference is so much tougher than the West where the 9th place team has a better record than the third in the East

 

LeBron, Durant or Noah for MVP?

It'll be Durant but Noah has a strong case.

 

I'll add that Noah's has been more of a Kirk Gibson not-for-the-stats MVP but for his general excellence on a team that was left for dead after Rose went down again and Deng was dealt.

12 ppg, 11 rpg, 5 apg, 1.2 steals, 1.6 blocks.

But again, it'll be Durant-LeBron then everyone else in the voting.

 

I think the Western Conference is far more difficult top to bottom. I can also read.

 

The Bulls aren't going win four games against Indiana or Miami. One thing that was clear last night is that the Pacers and the Heat were coasting in part because they're just so far ahead of everyone in the standings. They certainly woke up for each other.

It was a playoff atmosphere in the crowd, too. Joey Crawford must have been the cop, because the Pacers fan was escorted out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakiBmI1OkY&app=desktop

 

Omitted Griffin by mistake.

My ballot would be:

Durant
Noah
Griffin
LeBron

I think it will be:

Durant
LeBron
Griffin
Noah

 

It's Durant and Lebron, voting for someone els is how the Malone won over Jordan. Overthinking and trying to hard with your vote.

 

You should watch the Sixers, on the cusp of losing their record 27th straight. I'm not sure you'll ever see a team like this again -- a few keepers surrounded by nobodies on 10-day contracts. The team really has the look and feel of players who just met at open-court gym that morning -- because they did. The players are trying, but this is one expert tank job put together here.

And, yet, Milwaukee still has the worst record in the NBA.