All The Things I Was Wrong About In Round 1

Jeff Teague almost led the Hawks over the Pacers. I never saw it coming.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

The first round of the playoffs is supposed to be the easiest to predict, right?

So much for that idea.

Of the eight series, I only picked the correct winner in five of them, and in four of those five series, I predicted them to end in four or five games, when in fact they went to seven. The only series I nailed exactly was Miami over Charlotte in a sweep. Everything else I was moderately to incredibly wrong about (For all of my complete picks, with the case for each team to win the series, check the sidebar to the right). Here’s where I messed up:

NBA Quarter Pole Power Poll (Part I)

With Derrick Rose out for the season, where do the Bulls stack up?

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

(Un)officially, we have reached the one-quarter mark of the NBA season. With New Orleans and Sacramento playing Wednesday night, every team has played at least twenty games (Boston leads the way with 24 games under their belt). So, for the first time this season, we (and by "we," I mean "I") write way too many words about each and every NBA team. Today's half will run teams ranked No. 30 through No. 17. Tomorrow's will have the top 16 teams.

The Isiah Thomas Division

30. Utah Jazz 

It's rather mind-blowing how much better they look with Trey Burke on the floor. After starting the season 1-13, they've actually resembled a pro basketball team over the last few weeks - they're 4-6 with Burke in the starting lineup. And Burke hasn't even been that spectacular - even including a shockingly low turnover rate, he's been barely a league-average point guard. But considering John Lucas and Jamaal Tinsley had previously been seeing the lion's share of minutes at point guard prior to Burke's return to the lineup, league-average play is a gargantuan upgrade.

Even still, the fact that Richard Jefferson has started all 24 games (as opposed to, you know, been framed for a crime to get him off the roster) compared to three starts from Alec Burks is nothing more than management malpractice. I understand that the team isn't (per se) trying to be competitive this year, but Ty Corbin has been an unmitigated disaster coaching the team over the last four years.

29. Milwaukee Bucks

The Way-Too-Long NBA Preview (Part I)

Dwight Howard has Houston thinking Championship.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

NBA season is right around the corner. Over the last two weeks, I've offered a pessimistic NBA preview (in three parts), and an optimistic NBA preview (also in three parts). This is the realistic NBA preview. In some instances, this will be a (paraphrased) repeat of what I said was the team's worst-case scenario; for others, a repeat of what I said was the team's best-case scenario. For others still, a totally new angle on what the season will be like.

In the interest of making things as confusing as possible, I've arranged the teams in random order (except for the teams I saved for last in today's Part I and tomorrow's Part II, but you'll get to that later). Do not try to discern a pattern for why a team is placed where - you won't find one. In each section, I've listed the team's record from last season, and two Vegas lines - their over/under for wins this season, and their odds to win the NBA title. You know, in case you live in a place where gambling is legal. 

Brooklyn Nets
2013 Record: 49-33
Over/Under Wins: 52.5
Odds to Win Championship: 10/1

Scouting Report: This team is going to be a lot like the 2010 Celtics, and not only because they prominently feature Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. It’s a team of veteran guys that realizes they don’t need to kick ass and take names on all 82 nights – they’re perfectly aware that they can go through the motions for days or even weeks at a time and still comfortably make the playoffs. All that really matters for them is if they can identify a clear rotation that will work come playoff time.