The Top Ten Contenders for the NBA Championship!
Posted by Matt McCready on 04.20.2007
411mania.com's Matt McCready takes a look at the NBA playoffs and gives a rundown of the ten teams that are most likely to take home a title!
Hello, I'm Matt McCready author of the wildly popular 'Zack Morris NBA CellPhone' and here's my look at the NBA Playoffs this year with The Top Ten Contenders for the 2007 NBA Championship. And this year there are !!4!! strips of bacon.
1. The Phoenix Suns Points Per Game: 1st in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 24th in the NBA
Star Power: 10 Geriatric racing Charles Barkleys
The Key Players
Steve Nash
Back-to-back MVP Steve Nash has just completed his THIRD consecutive career year and is neck and neck with Dirk Nowitzki to win the trophy yet again. Despite not having the breakneck end-to-end speed of an Allen Iverson or the quickness and leaping ability of Dwayne Wade, Nash's supreme shooting, ball handling and passing is what keeps defenders guessing and his team winning. Constantly questioned for his defense, Nash's greatest deficiency in that department is that he's overzealous when playing help defense, sometimes leaving his man too wide open.
Shawn Marion
The do-it-all forward might be the most complete player in the NBA, fantasy players are aware of that. Marion's the perfect compliment to the defensively average Stoudamire and Nash, his absurd quickness allows him to guard any position on the floor, he can block shots, disrupt the passing lanes and grab rebounds thanks to his 40 inch vertical pogo stick legs.
Amare Stoudamire
Only the most optimistic Phoenix Suns fans could've hoped for the season Amare Stoudamire enjoyed this year after missing nearly the entire season beforehand with major knee surgery. While his scoring dipped from 26 to 20, his percentages went up. Maybe indicating that he was just picking his spots more. Also, his rebounding improved to nearly ten a game. The Suns are a different team then they were a year ago now that Amare's fierce interior game is back in the lineup.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Leandro Barbosa
A favorite of assistant coach Dan D'Antoni, ‘the Brazillian Terror' Leandro Barbosa (not to be confused with ‘the Brazilian Tampon' Rafeal Araujo,) has one of the ugliest looking three point shots in the league but also one of the most effective. He easily gets the space to get off his low release shot because opposing players need to give him that space because of his stupendous quickness. Barbosa can turn into an instant one man offensive show when Nash needs to rest his chronically wonky back.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
The Phoenix Suns's fast break offense could be a difficult matchup for a lot of teams. Last year the Suns took the Dallas Mavericks to their limit in the playoffs last year and that was WITHOUT Amare Stoudamire. Dallas' small ball attack would force Nowitzki to guard either Marion or Amare and as good as he is Nowitzki does not possess the lateral quickness to deal with those two players. Don't be surprised if Phoenix attacks him hard to try to get him into foul trouble. The same thing goes with Tim Duncan and Yao Ming.
The reasons why they won't
The Phoenix Suns will never be known as a defensive powerhouse. If a team like San Antonio can slow the pace and play a more traditional half court style then head coach Mike D'Antoni and the boys will be sent home early yet again.
2. The Dallas Mavericks Points Per Game: 9th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 4th in the NBA
Star Power: 1 Seventy Foot Tall Shawn Bradley
The Key Players
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki spent the entire season with all-defensive players covering him and the greatest coaching minds in the NBA meticulously devising up possible ways to slow him down. None of them worked. Disco Dirk put together a magnificent season worthy of the MVP award that might grace his name at the conclusion of the season.
The near indefensible giant can score at will in any position in the offensive zone. No defensive scheme can keep the paint, mid range and three point areas secure and no arms are long enough to defend his fadeaway. He's complimented his legendary shooting range over the past decade with toughness and a defensive game to make him one of the most complete players in the game.
Josh Howard
The OTHER Dallas All-Star, Howard is the do-it-all type of player who is great at most things but excels at nothing, kind of like a poor man's Scottie Pippen. Dallas coach Avery Johnson can count on Howard delivering strong offensive numbers without demanding the ball much, excellent team and man-to-man defense and athleticism running the court.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Jerry Stackhouse
People tend to forget that Jerry Stackhouse once led the league in scoring. Stackhouse has changed the way he's approached the game since then. His days as a volume shooter are over and he realizes that he is not one of the best players in the league anymore, just one of five players on the court.
Stackhouse has really improved the range on his jumpshot and is shooting a career high 39 percent from behind the arch this year. Stackhouse's instant offense off the bench is the ink playoff tales are written with.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
Dallas head coach Avery Johnson has fashioned a system that milks Dirk Nowitzki's talents dryer than a great depression dairy farmer. A bizarre adage but Johnson is a bizarre coach.
Nicknamed ‘Little Napoleon', the former point guard's system takes advantage of the attention thrust upon stopping the NBA's most difficult matchup (Dirk) to improve the game of every player on the team. As a result, the system improves the team itself considerably.
Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse enjoy the uncontested jumpers as a result of Dirk drawing double teams and the extremely limited offensive game of centers Erick Dampier and DeSagna Diop are not so glaring as they are commonly open under the basket while Dirk is double teamed. The system is so dependant on having a big man with range that the team acquired Austin Croshere (a poor man's Nowitzki at best) in the offseason just so the gameplan wouldn't have to be altered as significantly when Dirk is off the floor.
The reasons why they won't
Erick Dampier is overpaid and an underachiever, but he's still a really big body and he's battling injuries heading into the playoffs. His potential absence would really hurt Dallas's frontcourt depth and should result in more minutes for Desagna Diop or ‘Pros v/s Joes' star Kevin Willis.
That's scary and not in the good Freddie Kruger way, more like the ‘Olsen Twins are making another movie with Eugene Levy' kind of scary.
3. The San Antonio Spurs Points Per Game: 13th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 1st in the NBA
Star Power: 12 Desperate Housewives
The Key Players
Tim Duncan
‘The Big Fundamental' exemplifies what the Spurs are all about. Steady, thoughtful, consistent, productive and boring.
While bank shots, baby hooks and defensive positioning may not make the Hoolihan PlaysODeeDay, they're all effective. Above all else, Tim Duncan works harder than most of the league or never takes a play off. An admirable trait for the team's best player. His leadership has been vital to the success San Antonio has enjoyed over the past decade.
Tony Parker
The French Fiddy Cent is one of the top five fastest players in the NBA. His end to end speed is only matched by his outrageous quickness, which he utilizes to get easy layups in the half court offense as well as dishing out to the open man when double teamed. Oh, he also bangs Eva Longoria for those interested in those sorts of things.
Manu Ginobili
The sublime talents of Manu Ginobili were used a bit differently by head coach Greg Popovich this season. The top player in the history of South America primarily came off the bench for the first time in years and the results were good. The kinetic offense off the bench was too much for most opposing teams' second units and was a boon for the Spurs whose offense occasionally gets stagnant when Duncan needs a rest.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Robert ‘Big Shot Bob' Horry
Considering how many titles he's won (six) and how many clutch shots he's taken and made over his career, it shouldn't be much of a stretch to label Robert Horry a playoff hero ‘Dark Horse'.
That perception probably changes when one looks at his production this year. The 36 year old power forward Horry hasn't played much this year and that's resulted in career lows across the board (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage).
Will Horry's historically ice water veins overcome father time? Hopefully Greg Popovic will give us all the opportunity to find out.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
Ever since winning the Tim Duncan lottery, this team has been a top three title contender. In a model that Bryan Colangelo obviously took a peek at, the Spurs surrounded their centerpiece all-star big man with a collection of the best players outside of the United States. All came from winning programs and play fundamentally sound basketball. Organized play has been a constant for championship teams and the Spurs have that in spades.
The reasons why they won't
As spectacular as he is, Duncan has been bothered by foot problems in the past, although he has averaged 79 games over the past two seasons.
Really, there's no logical reason to bet against the Spurs. I just couldn't put them at number one. They're just too boring.
4. The Detroit Pistons Points Per Game: 20th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 3rd in the NBA
Star Power: One twelve pack of Bill Laimbeers
The Key Players
Chauncey Billups
While I think the MVP talk is a small case of hyperbole, Chauncey Billups is still one of the best players in the NBA. A complete point guard, Billups has great size for the position, athleticism, three point shooting ability and is among the league leaders in free throw accuracy (crucial for guards to have down the stretch in close games).
Richard Hamilton
Richard Hamilton's game is so old school, Kevin Willis gets nostalgic when he sees him play. Largely regarded as having the best all-around mid range shooting in the NBA. Hamilton rarely forces his shot
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Tayshaun Prince
The only member of the Pistons starting five to never make an All-Star game, Prince is still an odd choice as a ‘dark horse' playoff hero. He's already accomplished one of the more spectacular plays in the playoffs over the last few years when he blocked the poop out of a Reggie Miller layup. Tayshaun's potential for greatness has been evident for years (Detroit General Manager Joe Dumars chose Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony feeling that the small forward position would be filled for years by Tayshaun. Just don't ask me why he took him in front of Chris Bosh.) but the lanky defender has never put together the offense needed to be viewed as a superstar. Will this be his year?
The reasons they'll take home the championship
I read somewhere that this is a defensively sound team. Can anyone back me up?
Outside of that, Chris Webber was a huge acquisition for this team. He really helped shore up their previously questionable frontcourt depth. Also, this team is the favorite to win the Eastern Conference for which they will have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The reasons why they won't
The Pistons depth is not their strong point and they're one or two injuries away from disaster. Fortunately their starting five (outside of Webber) have been relatively healthy throughout their careers.
5. The Houston Rockets Points Per Game:19th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 2nd in the NBA
Star Power: 3 Ralph Sampsons and one Ralph from the Simpsons
The Key Players
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is the tallest player in the league. He's also Chinese.
Really, isn't there enough already written about Yao? Will I really be able to tell you something that you don't already know?
Well I guess it should be noted that Yao was enjoying his most productive season yet before being hit with the injury bug. A series of lower body injuries over the last couple of seasons are worrisome and he could be a bit fragile over the course of the grinding NBA playoffs.
Tracy McGrady
Although he's not the get-out-of-your-seat-and-smack-your-face-against-a-wall player he was in his prime (back injuries have caused that short period to be when he was only 23 years old) McGrady can still light it up. While he has the dubious distinction of never having won a playoff series in his life, McGrady has never really had a terrible playoff series. With Andrei Kirilenko guarding him in the first round, McGrady will have to improve on his already lofty standards.
Rafer Alston
The man who launched the And 1 mix tape revolution (like it or not) will need to improve his shooting percentages for this team to make a run for a championship. Alston had a decent year, but he'll have to bring his A ball in clutch situations. Something the ball-handling wizard has never been able to do.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Dikembe Mutumbo
It may have been a long time ago, but Dikembe Mutumbo was instrumental when the Philadelpia 76ers reached the NBA Final in 2001. He's clearly taken a step back from that dominant form, but he showed this year that he could thrive in his role as backup center to Yao Ming.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
Coach of the year candidate Jeff Van Gundy, along with off-season acquisition Shane Battier, has turned the Rockets into a defensive powerhouse. Houston ranked second only to the Spurs in points allowed while finishing first in defensive field goal percentage. Van Gundy also has the option of riding the hot hand between the devastating offensive games of Ming and McGrady.
The reasons why they won't
The Rockets face a challenging schedule with an opening round match-up against Utah and a probable second round match-up against Dallas, Phoenix or San Antonio. As mentioned above, McGrady and Ming both have a history of injuries how will their fragile bodies hold up during a workload heavy physically grinding postseason?
6. The Cleveland Cavaliers Points Per Game: 18th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 5th in the NBA
Star Power: A collectable King James whopper/bobblehead
The Key Players
LeBron James
Maybe he was just taking it easy. That's my synopsis on why LeBron James exploded after receiving a ton (of mostly undeserved) flack during the first half of the season. James played like a man possessed after the All-Star break and drove the lane as hard as anyone in the league. The man with the body of a power forward and the skills of a point is the toughest matchup in the Eastern Conference with Dwyane Wade nursing a bum shoulder. King James is so instrumental in this team's success that he's the only player being profiled, if he has an off series this team is done.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Donyell Marshall
Sure he's looked a little fat since coming over from the Toronto Raptors as a free agent a couple of years ago but Marshall still has some gas left in the tank. His rebounding and shot blocking is still adequate and teams might forget about him. Good news for a player who possesses as good a three point shot as he does.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
Well they've got LeBron James and that's a pretty good place to start. Outside of him this is a really good team on the boards. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the biggest center in the Eastern Conference playoffs after Shaq so you can be assured that his man will be boxed out. Drew Gooden is a solid option at power forward and even free agent albatross Larry Hughes's game progressed to a decent level as the playoffs approached. The Cavaliers hit the lottery when they won the second seed. Playing the ultimate underdogs in Washington, who have lost their two all-star players and their current second best player is possibly DeShawn Stevenson, they're as good a bet as anyone to progress into the second round.
The reasons why they won't
Point guard play is their greatest deficiency. Eric Snow has seen better days and rookie Daniel Gibson is streaky. Larry Hughes and LeBron James can fill in at the point on occasion but their most productive positions are shooting guard and small forward respectively. There's a reason why this team pushed so hard to acquire Mike Bibby at the trade deadline.
7. The Utah Jazz Points Per Game: 6th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 17th in the NBA
Star Power: 1 John Stockton ‘Just for Men Gel' Commercial
The Key Players
Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer finally justified his enormous contract and then some. His efficient low post scoring, mid-range jumper and tremendous rebounding have established Boozer as a franchise player. Even though he doesn't have exceptional size or athleticism, Boozer excels thanks to his high basketball IQ and by never trying to do too much.
Mehmet Okur
The top Turkish player in the world (sorry Hedo Turkoglu fans), Okur came into the NBA with a solid long range shooting game, added low post scoring moves while in Detroit and polished his game in Utah to the point where he was added to the All-Star team. Ukur's spectacular clutch shooting this year has been an ideal compliment to Carlos Boozer's gritty interior game.
Andrei Kirilenko
While he was one of the most disappointing players in the NBA this year, Kirilenko was still a force on the defensive end. Constant injuries have probably caught up to him to a certain extent but he still should be on the NBA All-Defense team. Kirilenko's defensive acumen will really be put to the test in the first round where he'll likely be given the responsibility of guarding Tracy McGrady.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Paul Millsap
Perceived as a undersized power forward (the second most undesirable label a prospect could have other than ‘undersized volume shooting guard') Paul Millsap fell to the middle of the second round of the NBA draft despite becoming the first player in NCAA Division 1 history to lead the nation in rebounding three consecutive years. Despite being a couple of inches undersized, he does possess big hands, long arms, the knowledge to box out and the tenacity to do it every play. He's established himself as a terrific rebounder at the NBA level, is one of the top ten rookies in the NBA this year and has made the entire league look stupid for passing him up in the first round.
He DOES do things besides rebounding like blocking shots, playing good defense and playing with energy every time he's on the court. All are crucial attributes for success in the NBA playoffs.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
Despite not being one of the ‘players to watch' listed above, Deron Williams has been as vital to the success of the Utah Jazz as any other player has. Deron saved his employers a lot of headaches this year by proving that the Jazz' front office wasn't insane when they selected him over last year's rookie of the year Chris Paul with his play this year as his efficient scoring, tough defense and impressive job running head coach Jerry Sloan's offense should have him as a candidate for most improved player of the year.
Sloan himself is a tactical genius who has been through the wars. Despite not winning a championship yet the Jazz possess one of the elite coaches in the history of the NBA.
The reasons why they won't
A tough first round opponent awaits with Houston. While they possess perhaps the deepest frontcourt in the league, none are a legit seven feet and will have trouble guarding the colossal Yao Ming and possibly Tim Duncan in later rounds.
8. The Toronto Raptors Points Per Game:11th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 15th in the NBA
Star Power: 10,000 Pounds of Oliver Miller
The Key Players
Chris Bosh
Coming into the league after as a promising freshman out of Georgia Tech, Chris Bosh has steadily improved during his three years in the NBA. Bosh's All-Rookie team selection was followed by an All-Star appearance in his second. NBA fans started taking notice during his third season when they voted into the starting lineup of that game this year.
Bosh's physical characteristics are freakish. There is not another player in the world that combines his length and quickness. His ball handling, silky smooth jumpshot and passing out of the double team combined with that quickness makes him more difficult to guard than Pat Riley at a hair product road show. The lanky Texan averages more than a block and a half per game and would block even more if the team was not so dependant on his demonic rebounding ability.
Even a steady three point shot is within Bosh's considerable reach, hitting a respectable third of his attempts this year. Truly the sky is the limit for this Kevin Garnett/Tim Duncan hybrid.
T.J. Ford
The second half of the ‘Terrible Texas Twosome' T.J. Ford has put to rest any questions whether it was the right move when he was traded from Milwaukee to Toronto in exchange for Charlie Villanueva.
Voted the fastest player in the NBA by his peers, Ford played hard the entire year on both ends of the court. The pick and roll is the Raptors most commonly run play where Ford has the option of hitting the mid-range jumper, kick the ball out to the open man or taking the it to the hoop. When Bosh went down with a minor knee injury T.J. kept the team afloat during those twelve games, winning six of them. While he does tend to play a little out of control at times, head coach Sam Mitchell has the luxury of bringing in the more stable, yet less spectacular, Jose Calderon off the bench when those moments do occur.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Anthony Parker
It's never easy for a rookie player to break into the NBA playing behind an All-Star. It's even worse if the team is coached by Larry Brown, who has always had a distaste for playing rookies. Anthony Parker had to overcome both. He didn't. Drafted into the NBA by the Philadelphia 76ers and playing behind Allen Iverson, Parker played a grand total of 55 games during his first three years in the NBA before he left to Maccabi Tel Aviv where he absolutely thrived. Multiple Euroleague MVPs and Championships followed.
It seems strange that the most successful players in a league filled with men are rarely signed yet untested also-ran players from the NCAA enter the league in droves. That must've seemed strange to Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo too, as he signed the shooting guard with the all-around game to a three year contract and he had quite the triumphant return to the NBA.
Parker's numbers may not jump out at you, but most of the things he provides are not shown on the statsheet. He consistently and effectively guards the opposing team's top swingman, hits open shots (47 percent from the field, 43 percent from the three point line) and always makes the extra pass, almost to a fault. But no one can doubt Parker's knowledge of team chemistry. Or any chemistry for that matter. The guy is a two-time winner of the Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr. Scholarship, which is given to the most outstanding African-American student at Bradley University in the major of chemistry.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
A tremendously balanced team, the offense runs through Bosh while everyone else on the roster could be considered the second scoring option. Teams without bigs who cannot guard the perimeter and contest shots will have a hard time with Bosh and Bargnani. Defensively this is a smart team, although it's hindered in this department with the loss of tenacious small forward Jorge Garbajosa.
The reasons why they won't
This team lacks the swingman who can get to the line at will, which is always a good thing to have in the playoffs. Also rebounding is a big concern, as sweet as Bargnani's hands are a godsend when delivering passes and shooting jumpshots, but that softness does not reflect his rebounding as Bargnani sometimes juggles rebounds more than a third string Cirque du Soleil member. The Nets play Toronto in the first round and Jefferson has been as effective guarding Chris Bosh as any other player in the league.
9. The Chicago Bulls Points Per Game: 14th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 6th in the NBA
Star Power: 16 Autographed Bill Wennington rookie cards
The Key Players
Luol Deng
The knock on Luol Deng before coming into the league was that he was not an elite level athlete. Obviously the scouts weren't playing that close attention. There are few aspects of basketball that Deng is below average at. He has a quick mind on both the defensive and offensive end while also exhibiting an athleticism that makes it look like the game comes easy to him. Deng's arms are so long he could probably tie his shoelaces while yawning. Even with Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich on the roster, Luol Deng is the Bull with the most upside.
Ben Gordon
Lots of scouts hate undersized shooting guards who typically do nothing much more than score. Ben Gordon is one of those players and he went third overall in the NBA draft, so you can imagine how well this baller puts the ball in the basket. Gordon plays a game similar to Allen Iverson's with the exception that Gordon drives to the basket less yet has a more consistent outside shot. His propensity for clutch shots could serve this offensively challenged team well in the playoffs.
Ben Wallace
The multiple defensive player of the year Wallace's offence continued to regress to a abysmal six points per game including a free throw percentage worse than Shaq's. But whatever, this guy is in the game for defense and boards. He steals and blocks like a madman to the point where the only person who uses his hands more is E. Honda during a vicious 100 Hand Slap.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Tyrus Thomas
The athletic freak had an up and down rookie season, but really started coming on strong down the stretch. He won't really help with the team's dearth of low post scoring but every play he is involved with should be spectacular, from sky high alley oops to blocks that fly into the fifth row.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
This team has a deep collection of quality NBA players. Kirk Hinrich is one of the top 10 point guards in the league and I didn't even include him in the ‘key players' category. Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, P.J. Brown and hey, even everyone's favorite Swiss baller Thabo Sefolosha, are all quality rotation players. Their head coach Scott Skiles has given this team a defensive edge over all the other squads in the Eastern Conference except for maybe Detroit.
The reasons why they won't
There isn't one go-to scorer on this team outside of Ben Gordon and there are no low post scorers whatsoever. P.J. Brown is the closest one they've got and his legs sometimes look like they got the pop of an old Burt Reynolds. An opening round series against Miami is not a good draw at all and this team looked really weak in their season finale against New Jersey.
10. The Miami Heat Points Per Game: 25th in the NBA
Points Against Per Game: 8th in the NBA
Star Power: 3 dropped Tim Hardaway Shower Soaps
The Key Players
Shaquille O'Neal
The Big Diesel has a lot of miles on it, but it can still go. Shaq's regression continued this year when he missed the majority of the first half with injuries. He seemed rejuvenated upon his return, carrying the club while Wade rehabbed his own shoulder injury. It couldn't last however as the Heat lost back-to-back games against lowly Charlotte down the stretch. Hopefully, for Miami's sake, he's just resting himself for the playoffs.
Dwyane Wade
People magazine's most gorgeous player in the NBA was carrying his rapidly aging team when he suffered a bad shoulder injury
When healthy, Wade is a top 10 NBA player. His shot has gotten better each year, he's one of the quickest players in the league, he creates for his teammates and is unstoppable to keep off the line. Double teaming him or Shaq and you will pay. However, there are serious questions as to how healthy Wade is. When he first sustained the injury the thought was that surgery would be required and that he wouldn't compete in one playoff game. Wade decided against that course of action and instead chose to attempt to rehabilitate. The results so far have been mixed.
The Playoff Hero Dark Horse
Jason Williams
The man formerly known as ‘White Chocolate' (or ‘The Chocolate Iverson' as someone at a game I went to once called him ???) really ironed out his game when he played for Mike Fratello in Memphis. He went from throwing behind-the-back-off-the-elbow passes to being among the league leaders in assist to turnover ratio. Williams will have to continue playing his smart game and hope that his sore knees can turn back the clock to the late nineties.
The reasons they'll take home the championship
Shaq and Wade, plain and simple. The fate of the team rests in the hands of their superstars hands. Jason Kapono, the All-Star three point shooting champion and league leader in three point percentage, better convert those shots when the playoff pressure is on because he'll get tons of open looks with Wade and Shaq commanding double teams on the floor.
The reasons why they won't
As noted above, both of the Heat's critical players are not healthy. Wade in particular looked shaky upon his return. Their two stars combined injuries hurt the Heat in the win/loss department and as a result they will have to play without homecourt advantage for the majority, if not all, of the playoffs.
1. The Phoenix Suns
2. The Dallas Mavericks
3. The San Antonio Spurs
4. The Detroit Pistons
5. The Houston Rockets
6. The Cleveland Cavaliers
7. The Utah Jazz
8. The Toronto Raptors
9. The Chicago Bulls
10. The Miami Heat
