NCAA Final Four Predictions

     It was certainly a wild day in the NCAA Tournament yesterday. We had Wichita State upset the Pittsburgh Panthers, a Marquette and Davidson game that came down to the final seconds and was decided by a Vander Blue layup with just one second left on the clock, number 12 Oregon upsetting number 5 Oklahoma State and number 12 California upsetting number 5 UNLV, and to top it all off number 14 Harvard upsetting number 3 New Mexico. I have to admit out of all of these outcomes I just did not see the Harvard upset coming. I think a lot of people did not see Harvard beating New Mexico especially because there were some who thought New Mexico should have been a 1 or a 2 seed. I am not one of those people, however, I still thought New Mexico could beat Harvard but once the game started I saw that New Mexico could be in trouble. All in all, the first day of the tournament was decent for me I had 12 of 16 correct on my bracket but it could have been better I am hoping for better days with the rounds ahead. It is tough to pick teams in the Round of 64 because you never know who might step up but I am pretty confident in my Final Four picks so let me share them with you.

Louisville

I don't think this pick should come as a surprise because mostly everyone has Louisville in their Final Four. You might say that I'm gutless for taking such an easy pick but I'm just being smart. Look at this team they have everything you need to make it to the Final Four. Peyton Siva is like a rocket out on the open floor and simply just cannot be stopped when he decides to attack the basket and not only can he score but when he can dish out nice passes as well. The only way to really stop Siva is to make him shoot because he isn't the greatest jump shooter. Now let me talk about his partner in crime, Russ Smith. He is like lightning in a bottle just like Siva. Smith averages 18.2 PPG and is a decent shooter but again Louisville is more of a team that likes to attack the basket because they have guys like Smith and Siva who can get to the basket and they also play smothering defense and force turnovers to get fast break points. Then there are Luke Hancock and Kevin Ware who shoot 37% and 42% respectively form the three point line and are Louisville's two best shooters. Montrezl Harrell and Gorgui Dieng are two more weapons for Louisville and the list goes on. When you have this many contributors on a team you are definitely a favorite to go to the Final Four. Louisville may be in the toughest region of the tournament but I believe they are the most talented in their region plus in my bracket I have them avoiding Saint Louis and Duke because I have both teams getting upset in earlier rounds.

Ohio State

In the Final Four I tend to pick teams that finished off the season hot. Ohio State was definitely a team that finished hot. They won their last 8 games and along the way won the Big Ten Tournament which is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, conference in the country. During the winning streak that Ohio State has beaten Michigan State twice, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The team definitely has the potential to get to the Final Four and they just might be in the weakest region of the tournament. Gonzaga is the number one seed in the Western Region but I don't think there is any doubt that Ohio State can beat Gonzaga. The real question is can Ohio State beat teams like Kansas State or Wisconsin which really stand to be the only threats to Ohio State now that New Mexico was eliminated. You also cannot forget about Notre Dame is they were to make it to the Round of 32 because they would be a tough out for Ohio State. I believe that this Ohio State team is different from the Ohio State team that started the season. This Ohio State team has what it takes to win it all and definitely has what it takes to make it to the Final Four.

Miami

You might be wondering why I picked Miami to come out of the Eastern Region instead of Indiana well I'll tell you why. Well first it goes with what I have been saying about me going with teams that are hot. Miami isn't as hot as Ohio State or Louisville but they ended the season by winning the ACC Tournament. You also have to look at the teams that Miami would most likely have to go through in order to get to the Final Four and no I do not have Indiana being one of those teams. Their first tough challenge would either be Marquette or Butler, either one I believe would be tough but after seeing Marquette struggle against number 14 Davidson and Butler did not exactly finish the season off the way they would have liked and Bucknell is not such an impressive victory for Butler so I believe Miami would beat either one of those teams. Here is the toughest challenge for Miami, it comes in the Elite 8. I have Miami facing Syracuse and not Indiana in the Elite 8. I could tell you why I picked Syracuse but that's a whole different story. As much as I could see Syracuse beating Miami I believe Miami will pull it off because of their star PG Shane Larkin. Larkin shoots 49% from the field and shoots 41% from three point range. Of course, Miami cannot beat Syracuse if it is only Larkin stepping up but I believe Miami will find a way to get past Syracuse's tough defense but if they get into a shootout with Syracuse then I may regret this pick and if Indiana does end up facing Miami then again I may end up regretting this pick.

Kansas

Kansas finished the season by winning 10 of their last 11 games but that game that they lost was an 81-58 loss to Baylor which kind of hurt them. Kansas made up for it, though, by winning the Big 12 Tournament and beating Kansas State in the finals of the tournament. Even though not many people see this region as a tough region I believe Kansas will have the toughest journey to the Final Four if everything goes the way it is supposed to. In the Round of 32 they could potentially have to face a dangerous North Carolina team that is an 8 seed but has been playing better than that recently. In the Sweet 16 they might have to face either Michigan or VCU. Michigan is tough because of their explosive offense with Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. and VCU is tough because of their style of play and they proved it in the first round by beating Akron by 46 points. In the Elite 8 Kansas could face Georgetown who has one of the best players in the country in Otto Porter Jr. and they have a very aggressive and tough defense that is hard to figure out and score against. So why am I picking Kansas? It's simple, I think Kansas is a great team and great teams figure out ways to win. Kansas has a top 5 NBA prospect in Ben McLemore who can do a little bit of everything and he shoots 50% from the field and 44% from three point range. It will be hard for any team to contain McLemore but not only do they have McLemore but they have Jeff Withey. Withey averages 13.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and the most important part of Withey's game is his 3.8 BPG. It is going to be hard for anyone to score inside the paint with a shot blocker like Withey so whoever plays Kansas better be having a good day offensively or they could be in for a long day.

Big East Tournament Predictions

  

   


The Big East Tournament is one of the most hyped tournaments of all of the conferences and for good reason too. Let's start with the fact that the tournament takes place in the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden, and with teams such as Louisville, Syracuse, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pitt, and Marquette in the tournament, you know it will not disappoint. Unfortunately, this will be the last year that we will all get to see the Big East Tournament because of the break up next year but let's not think of that right now let's just enjoy the great tournament that we get to witness this year. This tournament is almost impossible to predict with all of the talent but I am going to try my best to do just that.

Seton Hall vs USF

The first two games to start the tournament will involve four teams that have no realistic chance to win the tournament but hey you never know that's why you play the games. This game is basically a coin flip because both teams have been so bad this year. Both teams finished 3-15 in the Big East but something has to give in this game. An earlier meeting between these two resulted in a 55-47 win by Seton Hall. I do believe Seton Hall is a slightly better team and they will squeak by South Florida.
Prediction: Seton Hall

Rutgers vs DePaul

Again two teams that really have no shot at winning the tournament but somebody has to win. DePaul has had a horrible season finishing only with a 2-16 record in the Big East and 11-20 overall. Nobody expected DePaul to do much this year anyway but Rutgers on the other hand was doing pretty good early on in the season. Rutgers was actually a bubble team during the first half of the season and even had a quality win over Pitt but it went all downhill from there. Rutgers had a 5-13 record in the Big East and a 14-15 record overall. I truly believe Rutgers is the better team and has some potential so I do believe they win this game.
Prediction: Rutgers

Providence vs Cincinnati

Both teams have a chance to make the NCAA tournament. Cincy is a pretty safe bet to make the tournament regardless of what they do in the Big East Tournament but Providence is no where near safe. Providence would have to go on a long run in the tournament in order to make the NCAA tournament. Both teams need this win in order to make a statement. They both finished 9-9 in the Big East and this game can really go either way and both can be considered sleepers. Last time they met up this season Providence came away with the 54-50 win but this time Cincy is going to need to win if they want to really secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. Both teams are desperate but I believe Cincy will come through big.
Prediction: Cincinnati

Syracuse vs Seton Hall

Well I guess if there is ever a time for Seton Hall to play Syracuse and feel confident it is now. The Orange have lost 4 of their last 5 games with their only win coming against DePaul. Syracuse does not seem so confident right now and Seton Hall could be catching them at the right time for a potential upset. The thing is Syracuse is too good and talented to be eliminated this early especially by a team like Seton Hall. If Syracuse were to be eliminated this early they should be worried going into the NCAA tourney but I don't think that's going to happen.
Prediction: Syracuse

Villanova vs St. John's

Villanova seems to be locked into the NCAA tournament even if they get eliminated early. With quality wins over Louisville, Syracuse, Marquette, and Georgetown nothing seems to be stopping Villanova from getting to the tourney. St. John's on the other hand is looking at one more chance to get into the tournament but it won't be easy because they would have to win the Big East Tournament in order to do it. St. John's was not expected to be as successful as they were this season because of they are such a young group but they were a bubble team for a while with wins over Cincy, Connecticut, and Notre Dame but unfortunately their schedule became tougher and they collapsed and not to mention they did not have their best player D'Angelo Harrison due to suspension. I think the more desperate team will win this game and I believe that will be St. John's but how far will desperation take them?
Prediction: St. John's

Notre Dame vs Rutgers

I think this game will be a lot more competitive than people think. Rutgers is no pushover they will fight hard to try and win the game. This is the Big East Tournament after all and no one is going to go without a fight. If Notre Dame is not ready for this game they will lose but it's hard to imagine a team not being ready especially when they are playing in Madison Square Garden. The more talented team will win here and that is Notre Dame.
Prediction: Notre Dame

Georgetown vs Cincinnati

Earlier in the year this would probably be a good game to watch but unless Cincinnati turns into the team that started the season rather than end the season then this will be a one sided contest. Georgetown was one of the hottest if not the hottest team to end the regular season. Georgetown won 12 of their last 13 games. They started the season unranked and have worked their way up to the 5th ranked team in the country. It is going to take a lot to beat this team and I don't think Cincy has what it takes.
Prediction: Georgetown

Pittsburgh vs Syracuse

This is a very interesting and good game that we have here. The last time these two met Pitt won 65-55 and it could very much be the same result with the way Syracuse is struggling right now. I have Syracuse beating Seton Hall and even though it is not a monumental win it is a win and mentally I think that will fix Syracuse and they will be ready for this game. We will be in for a fight with this game but Syracuse will get their confidence back and they will get a little revenge on Pitt for the last time.
Prediction: Syracuse

Louisville vs St. John's

This can be a really great game if it comes to this. St. John's has the talent to hang with any team but their inexperience is what really beats them at times. The last time these two played each other St. John's was in the game for most of the game it got away from them at the end and that is why Louisville ended up winning by 14. This will be a very competitive game and if it had been any other team I may have had St. John's winning but Louisville is hot right now and I just do not see them losing.
Prediction: Louisville

Marquette vs Notre Dame

I think this is a battle of two evenly matched teams. This game can go either way and I think it will be a game of runs so I believe whoever has a late run in the game will win this game. It is very hard to pick a winner here so I think I will just have to go with Marquette. Marquette ended this season with 4 straight wins and one of those wins came against Notre Dame. Marquette was projected to finish 7th in the Big East but they finished with a share of the Big East Title. They made a statement and they will continue to make a statement.
Prediction: Marquette

Georgetown vs Syracuse

These two teams have met twice this season and both times Georgetown has won. The last game they played Georgetown destroyed Syracuse 61-39. Does Georgetown have Syracuse's number? The simple answer....yes. Georgetown has just proven that they are better but believe me Syracuse will not go down without a fight in this one but once again Georgetown proves that they are better.
Prediction: Georgetown

Louisville vs Marquette

Marquette has proved a lot to us this season. They proved that they are to be taken seriously but the thing is Louisville doesn't care for any of that. Louisville just wants to go out there and get a win and with the way they have been playing lately they will do just that. I'm not sure this will even be a close match up that's just how good Louisville has been.

Prediction: Louisville

Louisville vs Georgetown

The final match up and this will definitely not disappoint. two of the hottest teams in the country right now so it only makes sense that it comes to to both of these teams. Last time these two played Georgetown just edged out a 53-51 victory. Just as close as that game was this game will be as well but with a different result. Georgetown has been great and they seem to be beating anyone that gets in their way but Louisville will put an end to Georgetown's dominance and win the Big East Tournament.

Prediction: Louisville

The Red Storm Eye NCAA Tournament

        The Johnnies came into the college basketball season with really no expectations at all. The reason for that is because the Johnnies are a really young team with only three seniors and one junior, the rest of the team is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Right now the Red Storm are 15-10 and find themselves in the hunt for a tournament bid and for this St. John's team that is overachieving. The question is can the Johnnies actually make the tournament and while they do have the talent to make it their remaining schedule could be a problem. Out of the final five games that they have to play three of them come against ranked teams (Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Marquette). St. John's can definitely win those games but they have to give a consistent effort and play with intensity. In their last two games, which have come against Syracuse and Louisville, St. John's had some nice spurts and kept themselves in the game for a while but later on in the game they would get lazy, take bad shots, and turn the ball over which is why they lost both games. When the Johnnies actually do give a consistent effort we have seen what they can do, for example when they beat Notre Dame and Cincinnati. Those two wins alone are what give St. John's a chance to make the tournament. The Johnnies have had some bad losses as well (San Francisco an UNC Asheville) which puts pressure on them to win these last few games.


        The Johnnies need to win the two "easy" games on their schedule which are South Florida and Providence, if St. John's loses even one of those games they can kiss their tournament hopes goodbye. Winning those two games will not be enough, though, they will have to at least beat two of the ranked teams to be safe. St. John's definitely has their work cut out for them but they can do it if they give it their all. I don't expect them to make it very far in the tournament, maybe one or two upsets but that will be all but it is not because they are not talented but it is more because of their inexperience. Making the tournament would be huge for the Johnnies, though. Making the tournament will give them the experience they need for the years to come and they will know what they have to do to be a successful basketball team.

Knicks Need a Fix

    

      Before the season even started I was a big believer in the Knicks and thought that they had the talent to make it to the Finals. It may have been a bit of a based opinion but as the season went on I felt better and better about the Knicks. They have definitely had a successful first half of the season, especially since everyone thought the Knicks were too old to go anywhere this season and most experts had the Knicks finishing 7th or 8th. What people called old I called experience; Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd are two veterans who won it all just 2 years ago and are great leaders as are veterans such as Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby, and Rasheed Wallace. Many people still do not give the Knicks a chance to come out of the East but I still believe they have what it takes to upset the Miami Heat. Just because I see a lot of good in the Knicks does not mean I do not see the bad as well. As fast as I am to praise the Knicks, I am just as fast to point out their flaws.

        The Knicks' biggest problem is their inconsistency. One day we may see a game where they are moving the ball and are finding open guys and scoring at an unbelievable rate and then the next day they turn into an isolation team and are taking contested and bad shots. The team that the Knicks have to worry most about in the East is the Miami Heat and when you look at the Knicks last two games against the Heat you see a recipe for success. The Knicks averaged about 23 assists in those two games and averaged 108 PPG and held the Heat to 86 PPG. It goes without saying that the Knicks won those two games but not only did they win they dominated the Heat winning both games by 20 points. However, the way the Knicks are playing now they do not stand a chance against the Heat or any other top team in the East for that matter. Last night against the Raptors the Knicks had only 12 assists as a team and for that reason is why they only scored 88 points. Carmelo Anthony was completey out of his game but it didn't stop him from putting up 24 shots and only making 5. Carmelo said he felt like he had a deep arm contusion and his arm felt numb durng the game but instead of drawing the double team and passing the ball out to an open player he decided to take bad shot after bad shot. Carmelo is the leader of the Knicks and he has to know that when his shot is not falling he needs to do something else to help the team and for the most part he has done that this year but last night the old Anthony showed up and it wasn't pretty.

       The Knicks' problems are not all Anthony, though. Two games ago against the Clippers, Carmelo Anthony went off making more than 50% of his shots (14 of 26) but the Knicks still fell short in that game, again only scoring 88 points. The problem with the Knicks in that game was that Anthony was the only one scoring along with Felton who had 20 points and the rest of the team combined for 26 points. The two biggest weapons for the Knicks on the bench, Stoudemire and Smith, only had 9 points and 6 points respectively. What was wrong for the Knicks in that game? It's easy the Clippers ran the Knicks off of the 3 point line. There is no doubt that the Knicks are a great 3 point shooting team but they live and die by the three and teams have figured that out. The Knicks' defense also needs some help. Their interior defense has been decent but their perimeter defense is horrible and it is because they get caught in screens and do not fight their way through them and they end up switching and causing a mismatch. While teams are starting to run the Knicks off of the 3 point line the Knicks are not doing the same to other teams.

      It may seem like the Knicks have too many problems to fix but it isn't anything that can't be fixed for the second half of the season. For the second half of the season the Knicks are going to have to trust each other more and move the ball around to find the open man, they will also need Felton and Smith to penetrate more to find open shooters, and they will also need to feature Stoudemire and his new post up moves more to give the Knicks that inside presence. On defense the Knicks are just going to have to avoid the mismatches and they are also going to have to stay in front of their men and help each other when help is needed especially since the Knicks are not the fastest group of players because of their age. The Knicks mostly have to improve their perimeter defense and force players to take bad shots or force them inside to deal with the Knicks' best defensive players Tyson Chandler. The Knicks are still a very talented team but they need use that talent wisely and if they do eveyr other team should watch out because the Knicks will be a very scary team come playoff time.

Western Conference Predictions

        Over the last few years the Western Conference has been a tougher than the Eastern Conference and this year is not any different. A Celtics team without Rondo has a pretty good chance to make the playoffs since the only team that has a legitimate chance of catching them is the 76ers with a 21-26 record and 3 games behind the Celtics. The Western Conference, on the other hand, has a number of teams competing for the 8th spot such as the Utah Jazz (27-22), the Houston Rockets (26-23), the Portland Trail Blazers (25-23), the Los Angeles Lakers (22-26), and the Dallas Mavericks (20-28). The 8th spot and possibly the seventh spot will come down to the last day of the regular season and although the top 6 teams are pretty much a lock, the order of those teams could come down to the last day as well. Here is how I see the playoff picture for the Western Conference looking at the end of the regular season.





8. Houston Rockets - This is a very young team being led by Jeremy Lin and James Harden but even though they are young they have a lot of talent. James Harden is 5th in the league in scoring with 25.8 PPG and has definitely made a name for himself in Houston. The Rockets are great offensively, averaging 105.1 PPG which is good for 2nd in the league but their defense is not as good. The Rockets allow 102.6 PPG which is 27th in the league. People questioned what the Rockets were trying to do with their team when they got rid of Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic to bring in Jeremy Lin, who had not yet proved himself, but they made a big splash landing Harden and now find themselves in the playoff hunt.



7. Utah Jazz - The Jazz are not a flashy team and they are not very scary to face but they are a playoff team. The team has a lot of talent with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Mo Williams, and Gordon Hayward. The Jazz are not much different than they were last year when they made it into the playoffs as an 8th seed and got swept by the Spurs. The Jazz are good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to win a playoff series, especially when they would have to face either the Thunder or the Spurs in the first round.



6. Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets are a team that many people thought would make some noise in the West. Some even gave the Nuggets a chance to make it to the Wester Conference Finals. Not me. The Nuggets are definitely a good team. They have Danilo Galinari, Ty Lawson, and Andre Iguodala. The Nuggets have never had a problem on offense it is their defense that gives them trouble and Iguodala was believed to help them defensively but that has not been the case. The Nuggets have allowed 100.7 PPG and that is what will get them in trouble come playoff time. The Nuggets are also a team full of role players but have no superstar on their team so when they need a clutch basket who gets the ball? I don't know and neither do the Nuggets.



5. Golden State Warriors - This is the surprise team of the Western Conference this year. I have always thought that the Warriors had a lot of talent on their team and I thought it was only a matter of time until they made the playoffs. A team with Stephen Curry, David Lee, Andrew Bogut, Klay Thompson, and Jarrett Jack, now that sounds like a pretty good team to me. The Warriors are good enough to make some noise in the playoffs. I can see the Warriors making it to the second round and giving it a good fight in that second round. This is the team that no one wants to face come playoff time.



4. Memphis Grizzles - I could have easily put the Warriors in this spot but I believe in the Grizzles. The Grizzlies may have lost their best scorer in Rudy Gay but let's not forget what happened two years ago when Gay was injured, the Grizzlies upset the top seeded Spurs and then took the Thunder to a game 7. Without Rudy Gay the Grizzlies are left without a go to scorer but they also improve their spacing and ball movement. Oh and they also have one of the best front courts in the NBA with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.



3. Los Angeles Clippers - The Clippers are one of the deepest teams in the league but the last few games have showed us all that being the deepest team does not mean being the best team. Jamal Crawford is a sixth man of the year candidate but you can't expect a bench player to carry your team and Blake Griffin is an all star this year but shooting 65% from the free throw line is not going to cut it and he is going to have to do more than dunk to carry the team. My point is these are all good players to have but they are missing their leader, Chris Paul. The Clippers are 3-7 in their last 10 games and that's mostly because of the absence of Paul. Paul makes the game easier for his teammates, he gets them all of the easy shots. Paul made Crawford a sixth man of the year candidate and Paul is the one that creates Lob City for Griffin and Jordan. With Chris Paul this team is dangerous and a championship contender but without him they have to just try to hang on to their 3rd seed.



2. Oklahoma City Thunder - The Thunder are definitely a championship contender and are the favorites to make it to the Finals. The Thunder have two all stars on their team, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and also have one of the top shot blockers in the NBA, Serge Ibaka, and they have a very good sixth man, Kevin Martin. Durant is having his best season yet, averaging 29.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 7.5 RPG. Durant is doing everything his team needs from him. Durant is one of the best scorers in the league and when he gets going he cannot be stopped and then to be paired up with another great talent in Russell Westbrook just makes the Thunder that more dangerous.



1. San Antonio Spurs - Every year people say that the Spurs are done because they are too old but yet they always find themselves in that first place spot. The Spurs are probably the smartest team in the league because of their veteran players and their veteran coach. Tim Duncan is having a great year, Tony Parker is having another good year, and then with all of the talented role players that the Spurs have it is a tough team to stop. The Spurs would love to make up for their tough loss in the Western Conference Finals last year. The Spurs seemed unstoppable winning their first 10 playoff games only to lose four straight to the Thunder. I believe we will all see a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals but it won't be as easy to get there as it was last year with the emergence of the Warriors and the Clippers.

2012-2013 NBA East Playoff Predictions

   

Everyone knows that the Eastern Conference is weaker than the Western Conference but with that being said we have still seen some surprises in the East. The New York Knicks (26-14) and the Brooklyn Nets (26-17) have both overachieved this season while the Boston Celtics (20-23) and Philadelphia 76ers have both underachieved. Half of the season is now gone and we now have a better idea of who each team is so without further ado I give you my predictions for the East.



8. Milwaukee Bucks- The East is a very weak conference and that is the only reason the Bucks even have a chance to make the playoffs this season. The only team that could possibly take their spot is the 76ers and without Andrew Bynum it does not look like those 76ers are going to make any noise this season.

7. Atlanta Hawks- The Hawks have been an inconsistent team all season. They got off to a good start in the beginning of the season to find themselves in 3rd place at one point but have struggled and currently find themselves in 6th place and now, without Lou Williams for the rest of the season and Josh Smith trying to do too much (taking 3 pointers) the Hawks will find themselves towards the bottom of the East.

6. Boston Celtics- The Celtics are a surprise team this year for the wrong reason. In the beginning of the season I had the Celtics as a second seed and possibly even making it to the Eastern Conference Finals but now expectations are lower for the struggling Celtics. I find it hard to believe that the Celtics will not go on a run and go up 2 or 3 spots in the standings because they still do have the talent but as far as Eastern Conference Finals go this team is not built for it.

5. Brooklyn Nets- The Nets have had a lot of hype around them this whole season and I never bought into the hype. Now I see the Nets and they are better than I thought they would be but I still do not believe they are contenders for the Eastern Conference Finals and definitely not for the championship but they do have potential and will get there in a couple of years. As for now The Nets are a top five team only because the East is so weak but they can make some noise in the playoffs and make it to the second round but that's all they will do.

4. Chicago Bulls- The Bulls have impressed me thus far with their 26-16 record without Derrick Rose. Their defense has been amazing only allowing 91.2 points per game and that has helped them to this point. Their problem is their offense, they only score 93.8 points per game and that is where the return of Derrick Rose will help them.....maybe. Rose is expected to come back soon after the All Star game but after coming back from an ACL injury I do not think he will be the same this year. Rose depends on his athleticism to help him score baskets and that athleticism will not all be there this year and that is why the Bulls are not a championship team, at least not this year.

3. Indiana Pacers- The Pacers did not have a great start to the season without Danny Granger but they have improved currently having a 26-17 record. Their defense is one of the best I've seen only allowing 89.3 points per game and that is really the only thing helping them in games becaue they only score 91 points per game. Once Granger returns he will definitely help the offense and he will help the Pacers become a top 3 team.

2. New York Knicks- The Knicks have surprised many this year but not me. They currently have a 26-14 record and the reason is because they have a great offense led by Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks have one of the deepest teams in the league, an MVP candidate, a sixth man of the year candidate, and the reigning defensive player of the year on their team. How can a team that has those types of players not be a championship contender? That is why the Knicks can contend and that is why they will be in the Eastern Conference Finals to battle the Miami Heat.

1. Miami Heat- The defending champions are basically a lock for the number one seed and for the Eastern Conference Finals. With the reigning MVP, LeBron James, on the team it is going to be tough to stop the Heat even if Dwayne Wade is struggling a bit this season. I will not go as far as to say the Heat will go to the Finals because I do believe the Knicks can give them some problems but are they the favorites to go to the Finals? Definitely.