NBA: Top 5 Rivalries For 2013-14
The 2013-14 regular season is less than two weeks away, as the preseason actions winds down and teams get closer to determining their opening night rosters. Here’s a look at the top five rivalries for this season.
1. Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks
-First Matchup: Dec. 5
-2012-13 Season Split: 2-2
-Player matchup to watch: Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony
-Analysis: It’s the Battle for New York, season 2. Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov acquired veterans Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, among others, in the offseason with the intention of taking over as the best basketball team in the city. With all of the trash talk between Joe Johnson, Pierce, Terry and Iman Shumpert, you can expect these games to have a playoff like atmosphere. With an instigator like Garnett (check the comments he made about Anthony’s wife two seasons ago), things will get heated, technical fouls will be called and the level of physicality will be raised.
-Season Prediction: Brooklyn wins 3-1
2. Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
-First matchup: Dec. 10
-2012-13 Season Split: 2-1 Pacers, 4-3 Heat in Eastern Conference Finals
-Player matchup to watch: LeBron James vs. Paul George
–Analysis: These are the top two favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference this season. Miami is aiming to complete a three-peat and Indiana is the team that pushed them to a Game 7 last year with their physical style of play led by David West and Roy Hibbert. Danny Granger, who was matched up with LeBron two years ago in the playoffs, returns from a knee injury to give his team even more firepower for Miami to stop. LeBron will guard George and vice versa, as last year even LeBron admitted that George was an up and coming star, earning a $90 million-plus contract extension a few weeks ago. How about the potential matchup of Greg Oden and Hibbert?
-Season Prediction: Miami wins 2-1
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
-First matchup: Oct. 29
-2012-2013 Season Split: 4-0 Clippers
-Player matchup to watch: Pau Gasol vs. Blake Griffin
-Analysis: Look at the highlights from two years ago as Griffin notoriously posterized Gasol twice in the same game. Gasol, now apparently healthy, is back to being a focal point as the lone big man in the Lakers offense, a role he thrived in during the Lakers title run. They aren’t callling it Lob City anymore (according to Griffin) because they want to focus on winning a championship with Doc Rivers as coach and play to his coaching style. The Clippers have had the better record the past few seasons and that will likely continue this season as well. If Kobe Bryant isn’t back for opening night, the game will not be as competitive, but Nick Young and Chris Kaman will get to showcase their new roles with the Lakers in this rivalry.
-Season Prediction: Clippers win 3-1
4. Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat
–First matchup: Oct. 29
-2012-2013 Season Split: 2-2, 4-1 Heat in Eastern Conference Semifinals
-Player matchup to watch: Derrick Rose vs. LeBron James
-Analysis: It’s no surprise all four games this season are on national television. Rose returns with a vengeance to take out the defending champs as Miami has stood in Chicago’s way of getting to the NBA Finals the past two years. In the 2011 playoffs, LeBron won the individual matchup against Rose, holding the former MVP to just 35% from the field for the series. Now, claiming he’s even more explosive than before, can Rose finally lead his team past Miami?
-Season Prediction: Miami wins 3-1
5. Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs
-First matchup: Nov. 30
–2012-2013 Season Split: 2-1 Spurs
-Player matchup to watch: Dwight Howard vs. Tim Duncan
–Analysis: Two teams in the same division, two teams in the same state, separated by about 200 miles. Howard will get a chance with his new team to beat the Spurs after getting swept in the first round with the Lakers last year. This time, he’s got a strong supporting cast led by James Harden who averaged 30.3 points per game against San Antonio last year. Whoever wins the Howard-Duncan matchup, that team will win the season series. Houston’s role players will be better than expected and San Antonio is only getting older.
–Season Prediction: Houston wins 3-1
[slider_pro id=”31″]