The festive season has kicked off and a couple of mouthwatering prospects are on the horizon. The NBA season, after a continuum of procrastination, will start today and India’s tour Down Under is set to commence tomorrow. Here’s a look ahead to the action.
Eastern Conference preview
The holy trinity of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh gear up for another tilt at the NBA ring, as Miami Heat are the resounding favourites to top the Eastern Conference. Heat have the star power, title winning experience and the apt mélange of defense and attack to be the frontrunners in the East. Shane Bettier has also been added to the squad, to come off the bench and bring his reliable shooting to the fore. A healthier Mike Miller would also be beneficial for last year’s NBA finalists.
Then there are Chicago Bulls, lead by the MVP of a year ago Derrick Rose. Bulls replaced Keith Bogans with Richard Hamilton at shooting guard and have had time to blend in Carlos Boozer as well, to challenge Miami as the top dogs. Then there is Superman Dwight Howard and his Orland Magic as possibly the third best team on paper in the East. But of course Magic’s season hinges on their talisman staying or absconding. Without Howard, Magic would struggle to even make the playoffs.
Boston Celtics are another powerhouse in the East, but with an aging squad they’d obviously be the ones most affected by a tight schedule, due to a compressed season. Season ending injury to Jeff Green also connotes that the leviathan from Boston would be relying on Jermaine O’Neal – who has been justly accused of being made of glass. New York Knicks have added a lot of front court dexterity owing to the addition of Tyson Chandler, but the question marks over the backcourt still exist. And hence, Baron Davis could prove to be the decisive factor between New York standing toe to toe with the big boys in the Conference and being rolled over by them.
Milwaukee Bucks is one team that has been earmarked as having the TNT to improve on their showings from last year. However, they need Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings to step up to the plate and also gel in nicely as an inside-out duo. Bucks could also make do with Stephen Jackson dishing in his share in the offense. Like Milwaukee, Philadelphia 76ers is another team that is brimming with youth and hence is upbeat about the prospects this season. Atlanta Hawks have failed to make major signings in the offseason and hence they would continue to rely on Jeff Teague for impetus this season.
Indiana Pacers have a decent ensemble of talent and with most of their brigade adding another season of experience under their belt, they would be optimistic about playoff qualification as well. Also, with veteran forward David West now within their ranks, Pacers might do better than most expect. New Jersey Nets are historically one of the leading sides in the East, but are on a downward spiral off-late. They have lost center Brook Lopez for a couple of months, but with Dwight Howard being constantly linked with the Nets everything can change. And again, Nets’ entire campaign is centered round the prospect of Howard joining Deron Williams.
Detroit Pistons, one of the heavyweights of the East not too long ago, Charlotte Bobcats and Toronto Raptors are the underdogs this season and would be vying to punch above their weight in their quest for playoff qualification. Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers meanwhile, are being forecasted to end up at the bottom of the pile, and with a gargantuan LeBron James shaped hole in the Cavaliers lineup far from being filled – one does sense the raison d’être behind the claim.
Western Conference preview
Defending Champions Dallas Mavericks continue to be the benchmark for the rest of the league. Dallas might have lost the ever dependable Tyson Chandler, but the acquisition of Lamar Odom more than shores up that void. Vince Carter and the returning Roddy Beaubois should solidify the backcourt. Following the Mavericks are two Los Angeles sides, and with Chris Paul being traded around between the franchises from Los Angeles – there is spice in the city rivalry this year round. However, Lakers do have the edge by dint of their experience, but they do need to deal with the injury to Kobe Bryant first. Oklahoma City Thunder have a rejuvenated side this year and they are being prognosticated to seize one of the playoff spots with the home advantage.
The old warhorses of Saint Antonio Spurs might just have enough legs for one final surge to the playoffs this year. And even though Tim Duncan isn’t getting any younger, Gregg Poppovich and his support staff have it in them to rally their troops for another noteworthy run this year. Denver Nuggets might be dealing with the loss of a trio of players to China, but they have enough quality and more importantly sufficient depth to rotate their players around for a lucrative campaign this year. If J.R Smith and Tyson Chandler return early from their injuries, Nuggets could exceed most expectations.
Even though the Memphis Grizzlies nearly made it all the way to the Finals a year ago, their run of the mill performances in the regular season sees them being overlooked as being realistic top four contenders. Even with Rudy Gay in the squad Grizzlies don’t have enough strength and depth to counter injuries – especially in the frontcourt. Portland Trail Blazers might just be the best of the remaining lot, but like the Grizzlies they do have a small pool of options upfront.
The remaining sides, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves are all being predicted to struggle this year; and there is a wide gamut of reasons, ranging from loss of impact players to downright incompetence in the starting five. Sacramento Kings are being touted to finish at rock bottom, but if their prodigies Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins perform in the clutch and with consistency as well, the Kings might compete with the teams around them, even if they don’t have enough of an arsenal to pose a threat to the playoff positions. Minnesota again, could do well with Derrick Williams, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love delivering regularly and in turn they could upset the forecasts as well.
Australia-India series preview
It is a unanimous consensus among the cricketing pundits that India’s tour Down Under this year is their best chance of righting their wrongs in Australia and finally conjuring up a series triumph. An appalling stat that divulges everything is that since 1947 India has played 36 tests in Australia and have ended up on the winning side in only five of them. And now with Australians bracing themselves for a plunge into mediocrity – or so it seems – Dhoni and his side have the ideal opportunity to pounce. The media is regularly castigating Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey for their recent no-shows and with a clutch series on the horizon, this could be their last chance – especially for Ponting – to step up or be ready for the axe. It would be a criminal understatement to say that the Australian bowling attack lacks the firepower of their halcyon days and then there is Brad Haddin’s incompetent wicket-keeping to round off an aura of gloom for Australia.
India, au contraire, are on a decent run off late and even though their batting lineup customarily struggles in the bouncy conditions Down Under, the fact that most of their senior batsmen would be touring Australia for the very last time connotes that they would be vying to leave an imprint before they bid adieu. Downing Australia in Australia has long been considered as one of the stiffest tasks in the sport, and even though the strenuousness of the task is considerably less this season, a win Down Under would cap off the a remarkable year for India after their World Cup triumph. Tendulkar and Dravid enter the series top of the pile on the All-time list of top run getters in tests, and with Laxman habitually being up for it against Australia and Sehwag, Gambhir and Kohli on song; the Indian batting should have too much for the Australian bowlers.
Australia, on the other hand, need their out of form seniors to step up and would be relying on Test rookies like Ed Cowan, Dave Warner, Dan Christian and Shaun Marsh to provide the runs. But again, the batting might well have its fair share of inexperience; nonetheless it’s the bowling that has the question mark, of bowling out a formidable Indian lineup twice in five days, looming over their heads. When Peter Siddle and James Pattinson are your vanguards in attack you know that a massive struggle lies ahead. The rest of the bowling is pretty inexperienced and might find the task of dealing with the likes of Sehwag and Tendulkar too menacing to deal with.
However, while Indians might be edging out the betting odds and the Indian media might be going nuts over their side, India have their own concerns in the bowling lineup to deal with. Indian pace attack isn’t exactly an assortment of peril itself, and India’s reliance on Zaheer Khan – who has made a second home on the treatment table recently – could again prove costly. This tour is an intriguing moment in the sport as the directions, of a side contending for global supremacy and a side dealing with a looming decline, are destined to shape up.