2011-12 NBA Predictions: Quick—We can still get a season in!

I had been toying with what I would say when jumping straight to "Final Thoughts on" this basketball season, when lo and behold, the NBA lockout finally ended and now the season will tip off on Christmas Day. And a number of people are genuinely excited about it. One friend as well as one radio personality have already said the NBA should start on December 25 every, although considering the money issue we just came out of, it's probably not real wise to ask the players to get paid for 16 less games a year every season.

Still, this little mad rush to the playoffs should be interesting, and judging by preseason television ratings, the numbers should be astounding. And with the Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers deal killed by the commissioner in a somewhat disturbing display of power, it's now the other Los Angeles team that people are talking about.

There were a number of familiar faces being shuffled around just as soon as the moving could begin again, but yet we find ourselves once again asking that same eternal question: Will this be the year for LeBron?

A majority of the early predictions I've seen indicate it will, it's either the Heat or the Thunder. So who do I go with?

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic

New York Knicks

Boston Celtics

Philadelphia 76ers

New Jersey Nets

Toronto Raptors

OK, I'm buying in on Tyson Chandler flourishing in New York. And banking on Boston needing to rest its own aging Big Three in order to prepare for the playoffs. If the Nets are able to land Dwight Howard, they could very well finish better than the Sixers. Toronto will be competing for the worst record in the league.

Central
Chicago Bulls

Indiana Pacers

Milwaukee Bucks

Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons

The Bulls should get a little more competition within the division from the Pacers this year, but the competition is otherwise still decidedly lackluster. The Bucks could conceivably contend for a playoff seed, but both Cleveland and Detroit should be legitimate disasters. Kylie Irving will carry the Cavs up from the depths of the basement ... but not much further.

Southeast
Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks

Orlando Magic

Washington Wizards

Charlotte Bobcats

The Heat will be contending for the best record in the league, but this year I'm guessing that Atlanta will be able to finish ahead of Orlando after Dwight Howard is shipped to another division. The Wizards will be better, although maybe not good enough to get into the playoffs. They'll certainly be better than the Bobcats, another team likely to be jockeying with Toronto for ownership of the fewest wins.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest

Oklahoma City Thunder

Denver Nuggets

Portland Trailblazers

Minnesota Timberwolves

Utah Jazz

After logically placing the Thunder at the top, everything else afterward is pretty much a guess. Denver still has enough promise to feel like a pretty safe bet for the playoffs and despite the sad retirement of Brandon Roy, the Blazers could figure into the race too. I'm certainly curious to see how things progress in Minnesota, although the short year will probably only give us a hint. And as weird as it is for me to actually be placing the Jazz at the bottom, no longer having Jerry Sloan can have that effect, I suppose.

Southwest
Dallas Mavericks

San Antonio Spurs

Memphis Grizzlies

Houston Rockets

New Orleans Hornets

I feel like I always struggle with this division, so I'll just say that Lamar Odom should help the champs cope with the loss of Chandler pretty well. The Spurs surprised everybody with how well they played in the regular season this year, but I'm expecting the Grizzlies to make a stronger push this season. Houston has to be feeling just as bitter as the Lakers about the vetoed trade, and they'll be outclassed while the Hornets will just have to enjoy whatever time they have left in New Orleans.


Pacific
Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Clippers

Phoenix Suns

Golden State Warriors

Sacramento Kings

I can't bring myself to go all-in on the Clippers right away. Even without Phil and Lamar, the Lakers still have Kobe and Pau, and will consequently end up with the better regular season record of the two clubs from La-La Land. After that? Well ... three teams and none of which I like to make the playoffs. The Suns will probably continue to regress, the Warriors are going to have a hard time fulfilling Mark Jackson's promise about making the playoffs and the Kings ... well, they're still in Sacramento.

Opening Round Playoffs
#1 Heat over #8 Bucks in 5 games

#2 Bulls over #7 Sixers in 6 games

#3 Knicks over #6 Hawks in 5 games

#4 Celtics over #5 Pacers in 7 games

#1 Thunder over #8 Blazers in 4 games

#2 Mavericks over #7 Nuggets in 6 games

#6 Grizzlies over #3 Lakers in 7 games

#5 Spurs over #4 Clippers in 6 games

Conference Semifinals
#1 Heat over #4 Celtics in 6 games

#2 Bulls over #3 Knicks in 7 games

#1 Thunder over #5 Spurs in 6 games

#2 Mavericks over #6 Grizzlies in 6 games

Conference Finals
#1 Heat over #2 Bulls in 6 games

#2 Mavericks over #1 Thunder in 7 games

NBA Finals

Dallas Mavericks over Miami Heat in 7 games

Yep, a rematch, with the only difference being that LeBron gets one game closer and it hurts that much more. I toyed with picking the Thunder (like everybody else), and then thought this pick would go over better with my better half. So that's what is dictating the logic this year, I guess.

UPDATE: I have made one last (perhaps) futile attempt to fix the layout issues that always seem to mar these preview posts every year in every sport. Maybe by the time I do another one, I'll have thought of a better way to present my picks.

Also, an addendum to my Finals pick this year should note that I'm purely playing contrarian here. Like I said, most everybody here has either the Thunder or the Heat. I did see a few Bulls picks too, but I already have the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup, so two championships for the city within a month of one another just seems like a bit much. Also, while many have the Mavs performing well this year, I have yet to see anybody pick them to repeat. Even though they got spanked in their opener on Christmas, I'll stand by the pick solely because nobody else seems to be picking them (Also: The Heat lost by 42 to the Bulls in the club's opener the year after winning its first title, so its not like the Dallas loss set any records). And yes, I realize that my predictions involve the exact same conference finals matchups as least year in addition to a predicted Finals rematch. That does sound a little unlikely, I suppose, but we'll have to see how the trade deadline maneuvering affects things.

OK, now hopefully this post looks improved ...