2010 NBA Tip-Off

In case anyone has noticed, the NBA tips off tonight. Amazing, the season completely snuck up on us. And I will be honest, I cannot wait. I know the NBA isn't a must read for the majority of my readers, but I've always enjoyed the NBA. So expect the occasional Inside the Paint post along with some basketball related posts. I won't waste your time or mine previewing each team, just read these posts. I will though go over some of the headlines this year that interest me.

Can Miami Win 72 Games?: Lebron! Wade! Bosh! The super team in Miami will have a huge target on their backs this season, and that's an understatement. Lebron ruined his reputation this summer with "The Decision" and his act afterward. The only way Lebron repairs his image if he dominates and the Heat win the title. That will be a dominating theme of the season along with if the Heat can win 72 games. I don't see the Heat winning 72 games this season. Dwayne Wade has already gotten hurt. Mike Miller (The Heat's best outside shooter) will miss games until January. Here's another thing to think about, the Heat's point guard/center combo is Mario Chalmers and Joel Anthony. What happens when the Heat play a team like the Celtics with a combo of Rajon Rondo/Shaq/Jermaine O'Neal/Kendrick Perkins combo? The Heat will be really good this year, but they're not 96 Bulls good.

Could the Lakers three-peat?: A lot was made of the Heat's offseason moves and Amare Stoudemire moving to New York, but the Lakers made a couple of key moves of their own. They still have Kobe, Bynum, Fisher, Artest, Gasol, and Odom, but they improved their bench with the acquisitions of Steve Blake and Matt Barnes. Blake can give Fisher's old legs a rest and run the point and Barnes is a poor-man's version of Artest. Somehow the Lakers got better in the offseason than last year. If they don't make the finals out of the west, I'll be surprised. The only thing that can hold the Lakers back is an injury to Kobe.

My Surprise Team: The San Antonio Spurs?: I know your asking yourself, how could the Spurs be a surprise team? They still have Tim Duncan! Right now though the Spurs have become an afterthought. That will be a mistake. Duncan is still a double-double machine, Tony Parker and Manu are still in the backcourt. The Spurs also added front-court depth with the addition of Tiago Splitter from Brazil. Dejuan Blair will be improved. They have one more title run left in them.



Can Oklahoma City Be a Title Contender?: A lot of people have jumped on the Thunder bandwagon. And why not? Kevin Durant is the reigning scoring champ and coming off an MVP performance in the World Championships. Russell Westbrook was the breakout player from the World Championships. The Thunder have youth on their side. I just don't see them with enough experience to contend for a title this season. Maybe next season the Thunder will knock the Lakers off their perch.

This should be an outstanding NBA season. I might even live blog a couple of the Thursday night TNT games.