It's safe to say: no one can beat L.A - From Courtside - Brief Article

Basketball Digest, May, 2002 by Brett Ballantini

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, when writers and broadcasters turn from their failed attempts to solve the NCAA Tournament brackets to the NBA playoff picture, still cloudy and muddled in the stretch run of the season.

The East saddles us with one of sorriest batches of teams in recent memory. It's not unique to have a team qualify for the playoffs with a losing record, but what's absolutely pathetic is that even the so-called "elites" of the conference are mediocre. Pick a team, any team: the New Jersey Nets, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics ... to a one, these clubs would be barely competitive out West.

It even appeared that the old warhorse, the Philadelphia 76ers, might have found just enough glue, tape, and bandages to emerge from the East, with its middling and inexperienced conference leaders. But that was before Allen Iverson broke his hand, casting the Sixers' playoff chances in doubt.

Out West, we have a dogfight similar to the one at the top of the East, with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento ICings jockeying for the top playoff spot. Potential spoilers the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, and Minnesota Timberwolves have a whisper of a chance in the West, but any one of them would be shouting out loud as a NO. 1 seed if their address read "Eastern Conference." Clearly, for a second straight year the NBA championship will be an afterthought to the Western finals.

Looking strictly at wins and losses, the Lakers, Kings, and Mavs stand an equal chance to come out of the West. Sacramento's offensive flow is a wonder to watch. The trade-deadline deal for Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz has b(r)ought Dallas depth that's downright scary. But to pick against LA. would be to subscribe to nothing short of the "thank you, sir, may I have another?" school of playoff prognostication.

Last season we were scared off by the Shaq-Kobe feud and the Lakers' lackluster play into spring, coupled by San Antonio's restrained, efficient, and powerful play. Whoops. The Spurs weren't swept but blown into the Gulf of Mexico. The Lakers mauled San Antonio, averaging a 22-point margin of victory per game in the conference final.

This season, San Antonio is down to one legitimate threat in Tim Duncan. And the Spurs are still the only team in the conference that knows--or once knew--anything about playoff defense.

Tempt me as you will, mistress of ball movement Mavs, fickle fast-breaking Sacramento, but I'm not biting. It's L.A. all the way.

Slice the Finals up any way you like, but the Nets, Pistons, Celtics, and the rest of the Eastern clodhoppers stand little or no chance of instilling fear in the Lakers.

Reggie Theus, we barely knew you. But our resident "One-on-One" expert, forever longing to coach in his second home of Las Vegas, finally got his opportunity in February. When the ABA's Chicago Skyliners boarded up the windows and moved out west to become the Las Vegas Slam, Reggie got the call as their head coach. OK, so maybe Reggie's real dream is to take over the Runnin' Rebels at his alma mater of UNLV, but this is a start. To his credit, Reggie inherited an 0-7 team and led them to three wins in his first 10 games at the helm. We wish Reggie luck in his coaching future. "One-on-One" has been a popular feature this season, so surely you'll see it resurface come fall.

To that end, it's an appropriate juncture to encourage your participation in this magazine. Let us know your likes and dislikes about our departments, writers, and overall coverage. Turn to "The Fans Speak Out" on page 10 to find out how to contact us, and thanks in advance for your thoughts.