Another day in the NBA and we are one more day closer to the 2014 playoffs. The sad part is currently the Dallas Mavericks are not in the playoffs. That's another article though, today I want to focus on the climate of the approaching playoffs. It looks like the Spurs hold a firm grasp on the number 1 spot in the West and, Miami and Indiana will be fighting for first place in the East. The West will have many interesting match ups in the first round an I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple upsets of the higher seeds. The East will be pretty dull until the second round where a Toronto-Indiana matchup would be fun to watch and whether Miami plays Chicago or Brooklyn it should be at least 5 to 6 games.
Overall, this season the youth of the NBA is taking over. During the All-Star game you had the youngest MVP, youngest average age of an all-star, and the youngest all-star. This youth is reflected in NBA playoff seeds, especially in the Western conference. Golden State, Houston, Portland, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and the L.A. Clippers all have key stars under the age of 28.
Personally I believe this is one of the best times to watch the NBA and this new crop of talent. After the Jordan era the NBA was not as competitive. The Nets never challenged the Lakers in either finals of 2002 or 2003. Most of the Spurs finals were pretty boring, especially the sweep of the Cavaliers in 2007, the Lakers and Magic in 2009 nearly put me to sleep. But, there were good NBA Finals during that period as well, the Spurs and Pistons in 2005, Mavericks and Miami Heat in 2006, the rematch in 2011, and Boston and L.A. in 2008 were some of the best series I watched after the Jordan era.
From 2000 to 2010 I say about 50 percent of the NBA Finals were very entertaining. However from 2010 to 2014 the NBA Finals have been pretty interesting; Heat vs Mavericks, Heat vs Oklahoma City, Heat vs San Antonio Spurs. Especially the last one in 2014, probably one of the greatest NBA Finals I have ever seen including the Jordan area. The level of talent (especially young talent) has vastly increased in the NBA since the Jordan era. The West will probably end up having 9 teams win at least 50 games and the East will have two Finals contenders, which they haven't had in a really long time. During the Jordan era not only did the Eastern Conference have a strong 4 to 5 contenders every year; Indiana, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Detroit. The Western Conference was strong as well. This new generation of talent and skill in the NBA is raising the level of competition exponentially in the overall basketball spectrum. The more competitive the league becomes the more entertaining it becomes for a true fan. (Not the fair weather fans who just turn on the TV to watch Kobe) There is no better time to watch the NBA, post-Jordan, then now.
Overall, this season the youth of the NBA is taking over. During the All-Star game you had the youngest MVP, youngest average age of an all-star, and the youngest all-star. This youth is reflected in NBA playoff seeds, especially in the Western conference. Golden State, Houston, Portland, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and the L.A. Clippers all have key stars under the age of 28.
Personally I believe this is one of the best times to watch the NBA and this new crop of talent. After the Jordan era the NBA was not as competitive. The Nets never challenged the Lakers in either finals of 2002 or 2003. Most of the Spurs finals were pretty boring, especially the sweep of the Cavaliers in 2007, the Lakers and Magic in 2009 nearly put me to sleep. But, there were good NBA Finals during that period as well, the Spurs and Pistons in 2005, Mavericks and Miami Heat in 2006, the rematch in 2011, and Boston and L.A. in 2008 were some of the best series I watched after the Jordan era.
From 2000 to 2010 I say about 50 percent of the NBA Finals were very entertaining. However from 2010 to 2014 the NBA Finals have been pretty interesting; Heat vs Mavericks, Heat vs Oklahoma City, Heat vs San Antonio Spurs. Especially the last one in 2014, probably one of the greatest NBA Finals I have ever seen including the Jordan area. The level of talent (especially young talent) has vastly increased in the NBA since the Jordan era. The West will probably end up having 9 teams win at least 50 games and the East will have two Finals contenders, which they haven't had in a really long time. During the Jordan era not only did the Eastern Conference have a strong 4 to 5 contenders every year; Indiana, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Detroit. The Western Conference was strong as well. This new generation of talent and skill in the NBA is raising the level of competition exponentially in the overall basketball spectrum. The more competitive the league becomes the more entertaining it becomes for a true fan. (Not the fair weather fans who just turn on the TV to watch Kobe) There is no better time to watch the NBA, post-Jordan, then now.
